For those who miss the 17hr cutoff (Page 3)

Yes, exactly.  No question it would feel bad, but the limit is part of the challenge.  Marathons have time limits too and they are necessary. There is a reason why these stories are so rare - because the vast majority of finishers in an IM finish before 17 hours.  The limit is adequate and well thought out.  Go up to 24 hour race time and our entry then costs $1000, also.  I have no problem if someone calls themselves an IM because they did it in just over 17, however.

finish in a time that is twice the time of the winner of an ironman and you should be labeled not ironman but floating-joy riding-power walk man

ironman is nothing but a brand name. look at macca struggling in the olympic distances.  the shorter the race, the higher probability of competition and knowing how average of a person you are!

definitely teared up watching your video, thank you for sharing.

and I agree, things happen. I had a friend that got 3 flats, then had to wait an hour for a truck since the first one didn't have 650 tubes.  I remembered watching her times thinking she's not that slow on the bike! but had no idea what was going on.  She had a great run and swim for her, so she finished under 16 hours. But if it were a cold day, just think what being out there could do for you.

You can only plan for so much, then you have to adapt and sometimes just pray that things will work out.

Kathy, thank you for your post. I always find your posts to be well thought out and reasonable.

You are truly an inspiration.

It makes it easier for me to ignore "other" posts.

KathyG you continue to be one of the reasons that BT is where I hang out online. (If I didn't discover Words with friends, I'd probably be off facebook entirely) Your tenacity and drive inspire.

MacMadame, you too - the best laid plans, right? But you got it done. I followed your progress on ironmanlive for Canada, and the same day was Louisville. I knew a guy in that race, and he was a DNF. He probably had a longer life in training that you had, looked like the kind of guy you would think would breeze through it. Everyone has off days. He'll be back, I'm sure. Nothing's ever a gimme.

I am 2 years away from a 140.6. I chased a SPRINT cutoff clock this year, as silly as that may sound to many. I'll be chasing another cutoff at a half marathon next month. The first was for lack of training and just going out on a whim. Not big stakes for a DNF in that case. The halfmary is higher stakes, as it was the race to get me moving in the first place, and it's with our kids at Disneyworld. Sheer will and pride will get me through the last miles if nothing else. As I drop weight and train more, I expect to be a bit faster, but I will be a cutoff chaser for a long time. 

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Someone already said it in this thread, but haters gonna hate. "artifical" is always trolling here. Then he posts about his wife being an inch from drowning, should I "let" her race? Unreal. Go away.

My hats off to anyone who toes the line, knowing that there may be a chance they will not make the cutoff.  That takes some serious guts.  I haven't done the 140.6 distance yet but when I toed the line at the 70.3 distance, I knew I was in enough shape to make th cutoff times.  But IMO it takes a lot more guts to toe that line thinking you may not make it into the bike or make it past T2.

As far as whether or not you are called an "Ironman" .....140.6 is 140.6

Thanks for sharing Kathy, great stuff!

If we were discussing shorter races, I'd say yeah, suck it up and feel guilty about it now.

But so much can and does wrong.  I would say many variables are out of our control, but what really stops us from preparing for any and all contingencies?  Contingencies that we can adapt to.  I know what times to expect from training and from racing.  If I were someone that would be close to that 17 hour cutoff-I don't know that I'd be the type of person that would be okay with that heartache.

Outside of knowing our times from training and racing, it's the fourth discipline that really takes us down-not the first three.  Many call it nutrition, I call it health.  Food poisoning the night before is race ending for most if not all, but has little to do with race nutrition the day of.  Ever try racing an oly or a sprint after having the stomach flu for a week with barely a week to recover?  I don't recommend it.

It may be a bucket list item for many more than it used to, but rarely does someone come to the starting line unprepared.  Just prepared or underprepared.

Having said the above, who really does care about being "branded?"  Yes, I know it's the most well known symbol to those outside our sport and to beginners, but there are so many great races out there at the 140.6 distance.  There are many people out there who aren't WTC Ironmen and Ironwomen, but they've completed 140.6's.  If you completed it, you completed it.  4 seconds be damned.  Who cares if WTC won't call you an ironman?  

Who are you doing this for?  What were your goals going out there?  Did you want to call yourself an ironman? (okay stupid question I know, but who are you calling yourself an ironman for?)  Did you want to complete it, or did you want to complete it in the 17 hour cutoff?  Your goals should matter most.  Not what WTC does and doesn't call you.

And think of these questions as more of an introspective look.  Not at all hostility or sarcasm.   I ask myself these things frequently to make sure I'm still in the sport for the right reasons (for me).

No, I would have stopped long before then. I probably would have a worst case time of about 15 hours. If the day went so poorly that I'd be out there much over that, I'd DNF.

Pros have done the same thing. Julie Dibens dropped out on the run. She could have hobbled the rest of the way and finished, but why should she? It's just a sporting event, not a life or death situation. In the grand scheme, finishing just to finish isn't all that important. Again that's what I would do. YMMV.

BTW, in no way am I comparing my abilities to that of the pros.

OK Don, you're a regular and I don't doubt your posts for honesty and I really do  see your point of view. But, I have to say, your contributions in this thread are missing the point of the OP. The question was not for you, apparently. I have made this comparison before, and I believe it is apt here: I sailed through high school, college and grad school without studying. Crushed the SATs, got a scholarship, etc etc... But I don't get into conversations where someone is struggling to complete a GED or just pass their classes and let them know how silly it is for them to struggle with something so simple, since I certainly wouldn't have had it so hard. It's just high school, come on. See how condescending that is? I ask you to consider that may be how you're coming off in this thread.

I think Kathy nailed it with her question: If it was easy would so many want to do it?

The OP is asking how people would feel if they DNF'd an IM by a small margin.  A DNF is a DNF and it is emotionally hard whether you miss by 1 minute or 1 hr.  The fact that you were 'thiiis close' doesn't lessen the pain of failing.  I DNF'd my first HIM on the swim and it absolutely devasted me.  Would I have felt worse if I DNF'd by missing the cut-off by 1 minute?  No.  I could not have felt any worse than I did.

I didn't mean to be condescending. Sorry if it came off that way.

My response was I would never be in that position. If I was though, I wouldn't be crushed to miss the cutoff. Maybe a bit disappointed because things had gone so poorly for whatever reason. If I wanted to call myself an Ironman I would do so regardless of the time. IMO, going the distance is what counts in that regard, not getting a finisher medal or have your name announced at the finish. Even at that, it's unlikely I would call myself an Ironman. These are things I do, not who I am. I'm a guy who likes to do triathlons, run, etc., and don't go around calling myself a triathlete, etc.

OTOH, I would be very crushed if I missed out on a KQ spot by a second. Not a major concern for me though as the chance  of me ever doing an IM branded race are very slim.