Handicaped by size?

Waaay overthinking it!

I'm 5'4", and I can only dream of a 30" inseam. I am not the fastest person on the block, but I hold my own, and I have moved up from way BOP to solidly MOP, with a few AG places now and again. And I regularly chick my 6'+ friend in all 3 disciplines.

Don't let size or shape fool you. There are all kinds of people at triathlon, and you cannot always judge by how someone looks by how well they'll perform. It's training, fitness, and technique. With practice, it all comes together.

What can you do to control what you have been given? Nothing...so yes, you're overthinking it. Who cares. That 6' tall guy is also going to have 4 more inches worth of weight to lug around. I'm 5'3" with a long torso and short legs, shorter than yours I'm sure. I once told a friend of mine that I would never be able to run fast cause I wasn't built for it.  That was about 9 years ago.  I got over that mental barrier and decided to control what I could, which was my training. So, I started running, and running, and running.  What do you know, I picked up speed.  I regularly am a front of the pack racer, I qualified for the Boston Marathon after running my FIRST marathon ever, and I beat a lot of people significantly taller than me.  Sure, I'd like some more inches, but I'm not going to get it!  So rather than focus on what "might" hold me back, I improve on what WILL propel me forward and past the rest of the field, regardless of whether they are taller, shorter, lighter, heavier, etc. than me.  IMHO, the biggest handicap that people have are their own minds.  Control what you can control!

Wait... I thought the TALL people had a disadvantage. Hence the Clydesdale division.
Discuss.

Sorry, but you're wrong.  It's simple physics.  Assuming efficiency of stroke/mechanics is equal, the differentiator will be weight, not height.  It takes more energy to move more weight.

Longer legs are heavier legs and take more power to rotate (aside from the general problem of simply moving a greater mass at the same pace).

Also, longer arms in the water mean more drag due to more surface area in contact with the water.

You have to play the hand you're dealt.  I'm 5'-7" with a 29" inseam and a 46" chest, which pretty much makes me the defintion of "fireplug".   Certainly not the ideal physique for triathlon (or too many other sports for that matter).  That being said, I view my performance limitations to be more the result of lack of consistency & discipline in my training & diet than to the specific limitations of my physique.  If the length of my legs were my only limiter, then I'd be doing pretty well.

One of the things I like about triathlon is that it is first and foremost a challenge of individual perfromance, rather than just a head-to-head competition.

I'm not a particularly gifted athlete, but always have enjoyed participating.  In spite of being relatively slow in everything, I truly enjoy training in all three disciplines - if nothing else I'm a hard-core endorphin junkie.

At age 56, and eight years removed from open-heart surgery, I take satisfaction that I'm still out there training & competing, while most of my contemporaries have long ago given up strenuous exercise.

Mark