What is the point of Women's Only Tri's? (Page 6)

"Women have at least the same opportunity as men to get into any college, and to get hired into any field."

Sweetie, I've been an IT recruiter since 1988. Your assertion, I hate to tell you, is not correct. All things being equal, men still like to hire men. The 'opportunity' might be there but some people just can't get past their biases.

I think the women's only tri concept is an excellent concept.  It allows beginners a chance to race in a nonthreatening environment.  Also...I'd go so far to say that women approach races differently than men.  They are much more supportive to other athletes and tend to be more emotionally attached to the race and other competitors. 

An example comes to mind...thinking back to Mrs. G8RSAX....I remember that she was in a race where she swam as a swim buddy with another women throughout the swim because she was feeling uncomfortable.  Now Wendi wasn't a volunteer...she just decided to do this this on her own.  I don't think guys would ever consider doing that.

I think that Danskin and Reebok have played a big role in promoting and pushing up the # of female competitors in the sport of triathlon.  Statistics show that the growth of new female athletes in the sport of triathlon far exceeds the growth of male athletes.  This is great for the sport.

I would say that most women athletes share a lot more in common with one another and would feel comfortable talking about "women issues" (you know...like those threads where the men are warn about before coming in).

If I were a single guy, I think I'd be deliberately finding every women's tri I could find to volunteer at for the pure eye candy aspect.  Hell...I'd do it if I was married too (please Denise don't read this last sentence.  LOL). 

Keep those women's only tris coming....they're great for the sport.

Oh, now you're generalizing about us Pinkiephiles! Just say no to Pink stereotypes, Kimmie!

Yeah, a pinkie would say that!

I disagree, there are plenty of guys who would do this.

Point taken though

I have to admit... I would not do this. I would think "ahhh... there are plenty of lifeguards around" and probably silently curse her for getting in my swim path.

No punchline.

Edit: Okay, on second thought, if I thought someone was really struggling, in a panic, I would stay with them long enough to get the lifeguard's attention.

Wow oh wow oh wow!!!!! How did I miss this thread?  What a lively debate this has turned into. Well, Motivated, you certainly got the can-o-worms you were hoping for!

I'm sure this has all been said, but since I do one woman-only 5K each year, I thought I would chime in.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Danskin tri raise money for breast cancer research?  The run I do does, as well, and here's my take on this.  Breast cancer, (though no one is denying that many men's live are impacted severely and that many men care deeply about this issue), is a woman's cancer (don't get technical on me, I know men get breast cancer). Having races to support research to end this disease, and allowing women only to participate has two benenfits for women.  First, it is a female bonding thing.  All us sisters out there supporting each other and this cause that is so much a part of our lives. Women enjoy that sort of camraderie with just each other once in awhile, it makes us feel good. Again, it has nothing to do with being exclusionary in and of itself, it's just something we like and it feels empowering to us. It's such a nice feeling being on the line and having the men who love you stand on the sidelines and cheer you on to this challenge. That support feels so loving, it benefits the men as well as the women.  Secondly, even though it may be hard for some (men and women) to understand, many women are very intimidated by the thought of participating in races with men, even though they are not competing against the men.  They just feel more comfortable when in a situation which is new and scary to them, being surrounded by only other women. It's not anything against men, it's just a real thing for a certain type of women.  If those women would not otherwise participate and this gives them something to feel good about on many levels - the charity, the accomplishment - what does it hurt to give them the opportunity to do that?  It's only when it's viewed from a divisive, exclusionary view that it seems odd.  I can guarantee you, that is not the spirit in which these woman only events were started.  I think if there were men only races for charities like testicular cancer, they would probably get the same support from the women that women only races hope for from men.  I should certainly hope so, anyway.

Ok. time for me to speak up.  I've been lurking in this thread with a lot of interest, and have enjoyed (and cringed) reading the different opinions.  I did a little research and here's what I've found. In the four races I've dne this year, the gender break-down is as follows:

• Parris Island Sprint: 69.4% men
• Gulf Coast HIM : 71.3% men
• Tri the Parks-Mistletoe: 71.6% men
• Tri the Parks-Indian Springs: 70.1% men

I've been doiing triathons for a fairly long time (first race was the '83 Bud LIght Triathlon Series in Atlanta), and I can confidently say that this demographic has remained fairly constant. At any give race (women's-only races notwithstanding), only 30% of starters are female (probably a good topic for another thread is why the disparity). 

So my thinking is the organizers of women's-only races have noticed that there is an untapped demographic. If races are offered to women, more women will join this awesome sport. And in the process, the organizers will make some money (either for themselves or for charity).  It's my opinion that the organizers of these races are genuinely altruistic, but the bottom line is that they exist because they've touched upon a marketable product.  There aren't as many women in triathlon as there are men, despite the overall populations being fairly equal.  And they've found out that women will sign up in droves for them. And then  prossibly buy some Danskin or Reebok products in the process (I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess they they market products to women...).

Why aren't there men's only triathlons? Suppose Stuff magazine, or Axe or some other company that markets to men exclusively decided to put one on.  There would (for better or worse) be public outcry.  Therefore it's not a marketable product. Men might sign up for them, but it wouldn't be worth the bad publicity. So they don't exist. It's as simple as that.

I think it boils down to an equilibrium thing.  There's a scientific construct that states that if a system is not at equilibrium, it will strive to be.  Since the world of triathlon (and society as a whole) is and continues to be male-dominated, it's "nature's way" of evening things out to have events like the Danskin Series and organizations like NOW.  When we get to the point of true equality, these things will most likely go away.  It probably won't happen in my lifetime, but what a great day it will be.

I've also learned this in reading this thread: Possum is probably the most level-headed, clear thinking, well spoken person on this board.

Great post, Bill! I don't really get it either, but I understand that it's important for getting women into this sport, so I'm being a swim angel. That I can help more women be active and get that feeling I felt when I crossed my first finish line is all I need to know.

I guess I feel this way because I've never seen it done yet.  Maybe I'm in the wrong age group.  In a way, I can't wait for next year to get to the next age group...right now, they always have my AG going right after the Elites, so I never get to watch anyone but them go off.  I've read lots of stories about people volunteering to be a swim buddy...just haven't seen any men who decide to throw out their race goals at the start of a race to help a stranger get through the swim.  You know...I'm gonna find me a race and do that sometime.

Signed,

Male (30-34)  LOL

Good post bro.

I like the idea of men's only tris just as much as I support women's only tris.  Its a shame that "Men's Only" is so exclusionary sounding to me, yet "Women's Only" sounds good.  A tri designed around a man's lifestyle (Cologne/Aftershave in packet pickup bag, craftsman saw blade finisher's medal, testicular cancer charity) would be just as fun for men as a tri designed around a woman's lifestyle (Lipstick in packet pickup bag, breast cancer charity....) should be for women.

Cool. Glad someone came along to be inflammatory. Just what this thread needs!

There may have been only two people who expressed that they were offended, but I can assure you they are not the only two. If you're implying socialism=nazism, that's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard on these boards.

I'm sorry my blood sugar is low and I'm not comprehending. What about the Gay Triathlon is it you want to touch, exactly?