Favourite race distance and why?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Interested to see where the interest lies on tri/Du/messing forum. What race distance floats your boat and why?

peter kern

for me its all about gear.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Double IM/Multi Day

peter kern wrote: »

for me its all about gear.

You are a funny German, which is rare:)

longshank

HIM

Arjun Odd Chairlift wrote: »

Interested to see where the interest lies on tri/Du/messing forum. What race distance floats your boat and why?

olympic - you can catch your breath and it doesn't take all day...plus you can justify all the gear!!!

bryangiggsy

Double IM/Multi Day

IM- Because all the training and shi* that comes with it makes the race itself a fun day out

El Director

Olympic

Sprint, fast and furious and an inexplicable desire/obsession to Get as close as possible to 60mins....1:03:xx 3 times now so getting there, however the
Ast 3 mins are by far the toughest to knock off!

Izoard

IM

HIM - good day out, without requiring the family-killing IM training.

Can never get my head around Sprints - all the preparation, gear, travel, brownie-point-blowing etc., for a little over an hour's effort!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Double IM/Multi Day

IM distance for me, much more than just the race itself. For me you really learn things about yourself during the build up and race itself. You find out how mentally tough you really are and how you deal with all those mixed emotions in the 8,10 or 17hours you are out in the course. I find its a real mental test as well as physical.

Fazz

Hmmm, I'm probably not able to answer this yet.

Have a funny feeling it'll be 70.3 for me, but currently Olympic would get my vote.

I'll come back at end of the year once 70.3 done, and maybe 2-3 years when I move into ironman distance.

No not voting just yet as I've only done sprint and Olympic.

Actually, Abu Dhabi short was an epic distance. Where's the random options and the tristar distances

Abhainn

Double IM/Multi Day

Izoard wrote: »

HIM - good day out, without requiring the family-killing IM training.

+1 (for now). Willl confirm by Oct 1:)

Izoard wrote: »

Can never get my head around Sprints - all the preparation, gear, travel, brownie-point-blowing etc., for a little over an hour's effort!

Exactly for me also especially if the travel is a fair distance.

It takes me 20-25km before I'm into a good rhythm on the bike and if in a sprint race I'd have my running shoes on by then.

El Director

Olympic

Izoard wrote: »

....brownie-point-blowing....

What do you mean by this Izoard?

In athletics you have 100m racing up to marathon (or ultra and beyond) and some athletes are built for/dedicate themselves to 800m some marathon. To people not in the know the marathon runner is obviously the better athlete right? Well people on this forum are in the know and we know it all depends on time, a 1:50 800m runner V 5 hour marathon runner obviously the 800m runner is superior.So I guess what I'm trying (poorly) is whatever distance you prefer just make sure you are doing it as fast as you can

Also I have an opinion that before I attempt HIM or IM in a serious way (Did Galway 70.3 last year) I'd like to have at least 4/5 years of sprint and Olympic distance racing in the locker. A more natural progression.

Izoard

IM

El Director wrote: »

What do you mean by this Izoard?

"Brownie Points", defined as the currency of time-trading with your OH, when juggling relationship, 4 kids, job, dog etc...

In my situation, I probably have 3-4 races worth of brownie-points to cash in per year- I'll keep them for HIM & IM!

shotgunmcos

Double IM/Multi Day

IM

It turns you inside out, makes you take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself what you are made of.

catweazle

IM

Izoard wrote: »

"Brownie Points", defined as the currency of time-trading with your OH, when juggling relationship, 4 kids, job, dog etc...

In my situation, I probably have 3-4 races worth of brownie-points to cash in per year- I'll keep them for HIM & IM!

When El D finally puckers up and bend down on one knee he will soon learn the true meaning of the phrase "brownie Points"

I will go with HIM as well, I like the training for it - long enough to consider oneself above average fitness but not the crazy 5.30/6.00 bike rides and 3+ hour runs that the IM prescribes but someday I will step up after a long chat with the family!

El Director

Olympic

Izoard wrote: »

"Brownie Points", defined as the currency of time-trading with your OH, when juggling relationship, 4 kids, job, dog etc...

In my situation, I probably have 3-4 races worth of brownie-points to cash in per year- I'll keep them for HIM & IM!

Ah of course. Very important.

TBH the distance one likes depends on when you ask a person. Right now for me it's sprint but after 3 sprints this year already I now shift my focus to Olympic with 3 on the radar between now and end of Sept, so ask me again in Sept and I'll probably say Olympic racing.

Another thing I should be honest about...the thought of IM races scare me :rolleyes: some day though I will go head to head with it

BTH

I don't know the answer to this.

I have done 2 sprints, 2 Olys and a HIM this year and I've enjoyed the sprints the most despite placing higher in all the others.

Never done an IM so can't comment on that. I've also been told that I'm never allowed do one :rolleyes:

kingQuez

IM

Any race, regardless of distance, kills me for at least a few weeks if I gave it a race-pace effort. HIM gets the perfect balance for me; at the end the half marathon run is short enough that you don't get too beat up and can actually still race it, but overall the event is long enough to give a good goal and a great day out. I've yet to figure out how people can race aquathons during the week, then do sprints/olympics at the weekend so frequently over the summer.

pgibbo

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Never done an IM so can't comment on that. I've also been told that I'm never allowed do one :rolleyes:

Been there and wound up doing one when she suggested I should do one. Fickle creatures!!! :P

I've done the standard 4 distances and I don't know which I prefer. The most enjoyable was IM so I'll go with that but I haven't done a sprint in 2 years. I might come back and change my mind to OLY after Kilkee this weekend. Generally once I'm out there and competing/training I'm happy. :cool:

pgibbo

kingQuez wrote: »

I've yet to figure out how people can race aquathons during the week, then do sprints/olympics at the weekend so frequently over the summer.

+1 on that. I'd be broken if that was me - too injury prone.

I guess some people can take more punishment than others and have no ill-effects. Lucky them!

El Director

Olympic

pgibbo wrote: »

Generally once I'm out there and competing/training I'm happy. :cool:

Great attitude.

tunney

Double IM/Multi Day

peter kern wrote: »

for me its all about gear.

Arjun Odd Chairlift wrote: »

You are a funny German, which is rare:)

Is he really German? Okay there is the weird accent but seriously a little *too* funny.

tunney

Double IM/Multi Day

I voted IM but I would say its IM and sprint

Short and fast is fun too. I just suck less at longer distances.

Daz1214

Olympic

its sprint for me because its all i can manage at the moment. Hoping to step up to Olympic this year though

BTH

Thinking more about it I think the race and not the distance is whats most important. Races like HotW, Lost Sheep, Valentia. Epic races in great locations. A crap Olympic course is always going to be surpassed by a class Sprint one.

ElD, you mention that you prefer Sprints. So which would you chose, Crooked Lake or HotW??? Lost Sheep or Athy Olympic? You don't make those decisions based on the race distance.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Double IM/Multi Day

I would have thought the best race distance suited to your ability would have a large bearing on what you would consider your favourite. Let's face if you race and perform better at sprint distance than OLY you are less likely to have OLY as your favourite? or perhaps i am wrong.

nerraw1111

I'd agree with BTH, the course is more of an influence than the distance.

That said, races that last between 2 and 4.5 hours would be my preference. I like the training involved, nice middle distance bike rides which are long enough to get you out in the great outdoors. Ditto with the runs.

El Director

Olympic

BTH makes a good point. Crooked Lake or HoTW? Defo HoTW. My favourite sprint course - Mullaghmore, favourite Olympic course - Caroline Kearney, HoTW second and Logh Neagh third.

Fazz

God damn it I want to race them all!

Defo sorry to be missing Kilkee this year though.
I wonder could it sell out any faster if it was national champs race?
Probably not!

This thread is heading towards a rank of best irish races...!

keelang

Olympic

Sprint for me as I have only competed in this distance so far but I am really enjoying them.

Peterx

There's a lack of "messing" input in this tricentric thread.

I love the one day multisport races so anywhere from 3~6 hours for is all about the fun times at those - especially as the race usually gets very interesting at about 3 hours in most of these with lads fading and surging and occasionally competely blowing their lights:)

For hillrunning, essentially any of the weekend championship races between 80~180 minutes.

nerraw1111

Peterx wrote: »

For hillrunning, essentially any of the weekend championship races between 80~180 minutes.

Ah so that's why you stuck on that extra bit at last weekend's race