Welcome to Mark, blogging at "Journeys Of A Triathlete Father Of Five" Otherwise known as "One man's insane attempt to raise a family, compose music, train for triathlons and stay married."
Great data on triathletes and the sport of triathlon, from USA Triathlon. Among other things,
"Triathlon participation in the United States is at an all-time high, following unprecedented growth over the past 10 years. USA Triathlon can easily track the surge through its membership numbers, which surpassed 115,000 annual members in early 2009. To put that into perspective, annual membership hovered between 15,000 and 21,000 from 1993 to 2000."
"On average, triathletes are from high socio-economic backgrounds with median incomes of $126,000, however, their motivators and mindset are different, creating a significant opportunity for the triathlon community to serve them better and in more targeted ways. Unlike many consumers, they are spending cautiously but on average intend to spend as much in 2009 as they did in 2008. In fact, 45 percent would rather spend discretionary income on triathlon with three of seven segments exceeding 65 percent and one nearly 80 percent."
"In general,
- Older athletes do more races.
- 95% participate for the personal challenge.
- 87% participate to stay in shape.
- On average, they participated in 4.2 triathlons during the previous 12 months.
- 86% plan to do longer races in the future.
- Sprint triathlon remains the most popular, with those events attracting participation of more than three quarters of respondents."
Welcome to the folks at Endurance Evolution, a start-up Michigan-based race management company. Owners Joel Gaff, Jr. and Eric Tingwall describe their organization as...
A great new hive member, heading to IM-CDA. Can't tell you the name cuz I'm trying to raise my rating above an NC-13. But it's worth reading, trust me.
“I am opinionated and abrupt, but I know my stuff so lets get cracking and talk health and fitness.”
Anybody know of a good 12-step program for addicted triathletes? Stop me before I buy another gadget!
Heidi lists signs of aging. Rats. I've got most of 'em.
But this guy's 61 and still kicking ass. That's gonna be me.
Josh wonders about conflicting priorities and the limited hours in a day. Hey, the middle of the pack's not so bad!
I'll need to re-read this post several dozen more times to figure out everything, but it's a great case study in acquiring and using data to improve your training. And once upon a time I thought it was enough to just go out and run...
While on a bike ride, Oregon's Tri-Rob encounters friendly pickup-driving rednecks. What're the odds?
Great IMLP race report from Ryan Denner. Check out the notes at the end. And the 7 worst sounds in triathlon...very funny and all too true. And here's 10 lessons to learn BEFORE your first triathlon. I coulda used a some lessons on that fateful day in Janesville, WI.
New Hive member Jonathan bills himself as an "Ordinary Ironman." Do those two words go together? Regardless, it's a well-written, interesting blog.
Great summary of Dara Torres' training methods, by the way. Fewer (and more focused) workouts, strength training, more recovery, more nutrition.
OK Comm, how'd you know this is what I needed today? Great post. Great ideas. Great motivation. Great stuff.
New Hive member Bob Mitera muses about doping in triathlon. Tri-Brother is convinced that doping has already come to triathlon as, year-by-year, he gets ever-further from a Kona qualifying slot.
Also from Bob's blog - this is why hitting a deer is a big deal (see this post from yesterday...)
Nic has a cool "Escape From Alcatraz" race report. I gotta do that race someday.
