How competitive are the various distance triathlons?

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2009-09-02 2:09 PM

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Subject: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
I'm aware that you can often place higher relative to others in your AG (unless you're on the podium!) at sprint tris, since there is a much higher percentage of casual triathletes or one-n-donners that take part.

How competitive do you think the other distances are? (Oly vs HM vs ironman?)

I'd guess that the IM distance would draw the most "hardcore" and well-trained group, which should thus be the most competitive, but I have no experience to draw from.

So, for races of similar class-size (local vs local, regional vs regional, national vs national), how competitive in GENERAL are each of these distances to each other? 

2009-09-02 2:40 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?

I think they're all competitive, its really hard to say. Because Olys are more common than halfs and fulls, the talent is diluted but you still have some really fast guys.  At the Iron distance, even the local studs don't do very well, and I'm sure its the same for the half.

2009-09-02 4:12 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
i think it depends on where you are.

IM races have a TON of very new/people that just want to finish just like every other distance. i think it totally depedns on the race/area.

in OH, we have a ton of very fast, and former pros that race the short course circuit. just depends on the race.
2009-09-02 4:34 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
I've noticed that if the local sprint is the only game in town that weekend; than all of the studs seem to come out and the local sprint can be exceptionally competitive at an age-group level.  But, if the sprint race is held alongside or on the same day as an Olympic or a half IM, I tend to see more competition on the longer course (but still plenty of "casual" racers as you put it). 

So, in general, the longer distances for age-groupers seem more competitive.  I say "seems more competitive" because I know more than a few age-group athletes who specialize in Sprint or Olympic distances to the exclusion of half-IM or IM so its hard to say for certain.  They love nothing more than to speed through a sprint race on an given Sunday.

(I know you meant USAT-style racing, but keep in mind that ITU races, which are predominantly Olympic distance are very competitive).
2009-09-02 4:42 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?

agarose2000 - 2009-09-02 2:09 PM I'm aware that you can often place higher relative to others in your AG (unless you're on the podium!) at sprint tris, since there is a much higher percentage of casual triathletes or one-n-donners that take part.

How competitive do you think the other distances are? (Oly vs HM vs ironman?)

I'd guess that the IM distance would draw the most "hardcore" and well-trained group, which should thus be the most competitive, but I have no experience to draw from.

So, for races of similar class-size (local vs local, regional vs regional, national vs national), how competitive in GENERAL are each of these distances to each other? 
i think the assumption that the IMs draw the most hardcore, best trained is not necessarily true and I wouldnt doubt the cross section from top to bottom from an IM to a local sprint would be all that different unless we are talking nationals or Kona, but thats a guess.  You will get the fast and the slow at all levels as long course fasties might use the shorter stuff for speedwork or specialists with not as much time on their hands for IM can work on their distance of choice more focused.

2009-09-02 5:10 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?

I think the Oly/Sprint combined option does cause the Oly to be substatially more competitive. In my last tri, I was 38/39th in my AG out of the water (!), but in a swim lesson the next weekend with my OWS champion coach, she told me should definitely be MOP with my swim speed and technique. I'm likely still a BOP swimmer, but I was indeed surprised that even with my limited swim ability, a continuous wetsuit assisted nonstop freestyle stroke with no huge course deviations and no glaring errors in my form would result in a 2nd to last AG finish in a fairly large field. In the other sprints I've done, there were people hanging on to surfboards for rest or backfloating for awhile that pulled up the very back.

2009-09-02 5:20 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
It depends on the race and the region and not the distance. You can do a 70.3 in one region and don't find a comptetitive field and do another one like Eagleman or Timberman and face very tough competition...
2009-09-02 8:48 PM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
I think it depends more on you than anything (assuming races of similar size)...

But then again, I get beat by the same folks pretty much at all races...and beat the same folks. :p
2009-09-02 10:02 PM
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2009-09-03 5:28 AM
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Subject: RE: How competitive are the various distance triathlons?
I think it depends more on the particular race, and what else might be going on that weekend, than on the distance. Larger races are going to be competetive at the top end, but you will also get a lot of people out doing a big race to cross it off their list of things to do in life. Small races can be kind of hit or miss. If there's not much else going on race-wise locally that weekend, you can get some really fast folks show up to the small local races. Or not. As for longer distances (HIM, IM) there will be a lot of people in those races who are simply in the race to finish. But most of the longer distance races are large enough that there will also be a sizable group of "competetive" athletes, as well.
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