What is the reason/advantage to compete in Athena? (Page 2)

I agree - I have been waiting for the "petite" division which means under 5'4".

First let me state that I would totally race athena if I was heavy enough because like many others, I like hardware   But these divisions bug me.  I understand why they do it but I don't understand why they do it!  Tall people choose to play basketball, big guys may choose to play football.  Why is it necessary to level the playing field?

I've definitely been smoked by MUCH larger people (70, 80 pounds larger).  Of course, when I first started running, I barely beat (by about 2 seconds) an 89 year old man in a 10K.  No joke. 

I compete in the clydesdales as often as I am allowed and I would like to say that not to let the name fool you there are some REALLY fast triathletes in that catagory. 

With all due respect she did say a fast 110 lb woman. (assuming the clock time is accurate)  I know many women that have beaten me and one in particular is 115 soaking wet. 

If you were there and saw both women yourself then maybe you're right about guessing their weight, but the woman on the left doesn't look 40lbs heavier than the one on the right to me.  Heavier, sure, but not that much.  Again, I wasn't there so maybe the picture is just a flattering angle for her.

However, we don't know anything about either of their training or their background.  We don't whether they were equal in all things except weight. 

If I had my exact same physique but was scaled down to 95% of my current size I would absolutely be faster.  I wouldn't have to train harder or more to accomplish it because the weight loss alone would make it happen.  I think it would likely be measured in seconds instead of minutes but, as the picture shows, a lot of times those top three places are won by just seconds. 

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here, but the finish clock was 6 minutes off of the actual time due to the wave starts. Both of these women's finish times are listed as 5:42:55 for a Half Iron distance. Pretty fast in my book, and it yielded both of them podium spots.

I agree there are some VERY fast Athenas, and many can and do compete faster than plenty of 110 lb women. I guess I didn't phrase what I was trying to say very well.... My point is that the fastest 150 lb woman is not very likely to be as fast as the fastest 110 lb woman....

Edited by jsnowash 2010-08-10 4:10 PM

No dog in the fight....

But, did both of those women START at the same time (same wave)?

Just askin'

**Nevermind.  Read the caption.

Back to the REAL discussion......

Edited by nc452010 2010-08-10 4:20 PM