To clydesdale or not to clydesdale? (Page 3)

Enter whatever classification you feel like.
1) Triathlon has been one of the smartest sports around by creating all sorts of new divisions. You can find Pro, age groups, master, super master, first timers, fat tire/mountain bike divisions, clydesdales, athenas, hell even separate weight and age subdivisions within these groups. If that is what it takes to get someone to attempt their first triathlon, so be it. These divisions have gotten countless folks to pick up out great sport. Once you get them in the door and they are bitten by the tri bug you may not need the extra divisions.
2) What's wrong with entering the division that gives you the best chance of getting a medal? If you are racing and being compared to your peers and you happen to get a medal you deserve it. Once again its good for the sport to give some of the MOP/BOP folk a shot at medaling every once in a while. That does alot to keep folks motivated and coming back.
3) Please don't equate Clydesdales with being slow. Check out the results for the 2005 New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Ironman. The top 3 clydesdales finished 1st, 14th, and 16th in a field of 315 and the winner easily beat the two pros in the field (4:16, 4:48, and 4:49 respectfully).

I'm one of those tall, thin guys who is still over 200 lbs. I am doing my first tri (sprint) next week and will be competing as a clydesdale. I've run multiple marathons and always compete in that division.

It's funny how many times I'll hear people say "wow, that guy has an unfair advantage because of his long stride..." I can give several reasons why it's not an advantage:

1. Regardless of height, I still have to move 220 lbs long distances. More weight = more energy required.
2. The stress of both the long stride and the extra weight wreak on my legs. I've had three knee surgeries and simply can't train at the level that my smaller training buddies can. There are times when I can run as fast as them, but overall I have to take more breaks. In fact, if I run more than 3 days a week or train faster than an 8 min pace, I tend to injure myself quickly.
3. Long stride isn't as efficient as a shorter, quick turnover. I simply can't keep my running "cadence" up with shorter guys to run in the ideal range.
4. Big feet = more weight lifted off the ground every step.

When it comes down to it, I can train as hard as my body can handle it, but I still am not going to compete with the 5'8" 160lb guys (unless they wear 60 lb backpacks, of course). Oh, and I even sometimes get my azz kicked by 60 year old men with button up shirts and combat boots and people pushing jogging strollers.

In the end it doesn't matter that much to me though, because I'm only competing against myself. It's extremely satisfying to go out and run a 5k and beat my high school cross country comp times 15 years later. If I can get some additional hardware, it's only a bonus.

Sounds like you aswered your own question

My husband and I just completed our first oly distance Triathalon. At 215 lbs my husband wasn't sure if he should register ag or clyds. He registered for clydesdale I think he was a little surprised how competitive it was. The fastest swimmer in the clyds swam 1.5k in 16:34.6. That was faster than any other age grouper. When you are sitting in 60 degree water at 7:00 in the morning and thinking you are in a "slower" less competitive group and a fellow clydesdale is out of the lake before you are even half way through the course you may find the clydesdale group looses some of it's supposed confidence boosing effect. My husband also did not like starting in the last wave. We were competing to finish and still had a great first experience but I don't think my husband would do clydes again.

Swimming is definitely the event that larger people can excel at. My guess is that this guy probably didn't have the best split times on the bike and run, though. I did my first open water swim with a large group today and was the first out of the water (even beat the trainers). I'm sure it has something to do with being tall and skinny.

As for me, as soon as (if ever) I'm one of the top clyde competitors, I'll switch over to AG to give others a chance. It would be kind of a bummer to think you're competing in a slower division only to get smoked.

Edited by runningfoo 2005-08-20 2:21 PM

i'm an athena. i agree that it is a flawed way to group. better would be bf% or something. how can a 150 lb 5'10" woman be considered the same as a 150 lb 5'1" woman? it just doesn't make sense to class by weight alone. i have mixed feelings about whether it is a good thing (lets people know that you don't have to be 120 lbs to race) or a bad thing (segregating us 'bigger' folks as different because you have to be 120 lbs to race ). i have done some races as an athena, and others as AG. bear is right that your time is your time. i placed 3rd as an athena and would have been 15th AG. it was really fun winning something. i have two more races this year where i'm registered as an athena. hopefully next year i'll be too close to the cut off to do it. i registered for my first 1/2 IM as AG in the hopes that i won't be able to race as an athena by then...but at the same time, i know i'll miss the possibility of ever placing again.