what it means to be an ironman (Page 3)

It's all training unless you do it as an event competing against other athletes.

If I go out and run 6.2 miles on a Tuesday night would I say I did a 10k? I could say I ran 10k, but to say you did an Ironman or marathon or 10k (or anything else) implies it was a competitive event.

I saw an NFL placekicker kick a 65 yarder during practice before a game.  The NFL record is 62 yards, not 65 even though thousands of people saw it.  A PGA golfer can shoot 57 in practice, but that's not a record because it wasn't done in a real tournament with all the pressure etc.

But if you went out on your own and did the ironman distances in less than 17 hours I would say you're Iron Ready!  You most certainly would be a Bad A$$ in my opinion.

I did it myself, I dont want to be called an ironman ..13:53. I just wanted to see if I can do it. The slow time was attributed to traffic on the bike, and im a poor swimmer.

IMO An ironman is someone who finished in under 12 hours... anything higher even though official IM race should be called walkingman

While we're on the subject, when are they dropping the cut off time to 12 hours? I mean, any later than that is just wasting time anyways right? Anyone can float 2.4 miles, ride 112 and walk a marathon AMIRITE

I think you got the chicken before the egg or egg before the chicken...  Race started first the company was born out of the popularity of the race. 

Just a minor thing... Marathon is actually a place in Greece.

Crud! Can I still keep my tattoo???

Was the race called the "Ironman"? Not being facetious, I really don't know much about the history except that it was like three dudes who decided to go out there and see if the distance was possible.  All I know is that today, Ironman has marketed itself the right way. It is by most standards the pinnacle of triathlon even though there are other races that cover this same distance. Even the Ironman 5150 has a much different feel than an "OLY tri". Since Ironman is the brand, it is my opinion that the only way to call yourself an "Ironman" is to finish an Ironman event.

Of course you can Trishie, and now since Chrissie will not be handing me my finishers medal at IMKS70.3, would you do me the honor

That's pretty arbitrary isn't is it?  Why 12 hrs?  The guys who finished in 9 hrs would think you laid down and took a 3 hr nap and therefore you are not an ironman....your are nappingman.  LOL

I think anyone who does an IM weighing less than 180 lbs is not a real ironman.....I'd like to see them strap a 50 lb pack to their backs and do the mileage and THEN they will be real ironmen....

This thread is already going in several directions, and with synth-troll chiming in right on time, I'm not too worried if I veer off a bit too.

The above is one of those things that you see from time to time, and while they may be a small piece of the world of triathlon, they sure make it easy to pigeonhole the community. We were in Disneyworld for Marathon weekend, so of course we saw lots of shirts from other running races, and a good bit of triathlon wear. The one at my resort that just made me roll my eyes was a back of a shirt that said "I swam 2.4 miles, biked 112, and ran 26.2 What did you do today?"

I thought this is exactly the kind of d-baggery that gives triathletes a bad name. It's one thing to share your interests/beliefs/achievements in your apparel, but the snideness of "and you suck because you didn't" is unnecessary. I have given over 3 gallons of blood so far, and intend to hit 10-15 gallons lifetime if not more. I wear my donor pin sometimes, and I promote the Red Cross. What I don't do is smack people in the face with "well, did YOU do something like that yet?"

Threadjack over...

As long as they still finish in 9 hrs.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah, I think it's my abs

Good one. 

Jeez people, with all the snark being thrown around I'm shocked and disappointed in everyone.

WHERE ARE THE GRAMMAR POLICE?  IT'S THEIR not THERE!

If this were ST, the correct answer would be "Finished ahead of you"

This is why I like BT, it's so much more about encouraging others than 'look at me.' Mostly everyone here would be fun to race and have a beer with.

As long as the athlete completed within the rules and regulations then yes...S/HE IS IRONMAN.

Here, sir!

I did make note of it, albeit in a somewhat subtle way.

If I were to go out and swim 100m, ride 1 mile and run 1 mile on some random weekend, am I a "triathlete"?  Or just some guy who swam, rode a bike and ran for a while on a random day? 

I believe it's not just doing the distance (although that's part of it), but that it is done within the context of a formal race environment.  Part of the accomplishment (of any distance) is that you need to compete/comlete on a given day.  Regardless of how you feel, weather conditions, etc.  A date is set, you train for that date, you compete on that date, and others witness/verify that you did so within the guidelines/rules set for the race.  That's what makes you a finsher at any distance.  Otherwise, you are just someone who has a lot of time to kill on a weekend.

Along those same lines, if someone shown up and completed the course, but didn't sign up (bandit on the course), I'd not consider them an Ironman.