Have you done 140.6 as a Clyde or Athena?

Don't look at the IM as a dream. Look at it as a destination, make it your end goal. Weight is just that weight. You are the only determining value on if and when you finish an IM. I am 6'4" 220 "started at 263" and I have finish a IM distance race. I never thought of my weight not letting me finish. If you put in the time it will reward you at the end. I don't know you but believe you could finish a IM if you really wanted to. Mind over Matter!! If the mind don't care it won't matter

My journey to IM started at 247.  Took 4 years and 3 months from that point to complete IM Florida.  (kind of the plan I picked, Yr 1 a sprint, yr 2 sprint and oly, yr 3 sprint oly him, and hit IM in Year 4) Weight went down a lot in the first 2 years and then fluctuated.  As I got closer to IMFL, I actually occasionally was below 200 (maybe see 196 after a long workout or series of them).  I left Colorado a week before the race at 198, but by the time I weighed in at race site I was 203 -  I  do so will in Taper mode - Wasn't registered as I clyde but did race at that weight. - I had always hoped I could be in the upper 180's to low 190's when I raced there but that didn't happen.

I Completed close to the level I had trained for (using the rule of thumb of doubling your HIM and adding an hour)

Being a Clyde impacted my choice of races.  I ended up in FL because I figured I could power my mass through the wind better than the "skinny folks" a lot better than I could "lug" the extra weight up the uphill on one of the hilly courses. (Really I was just trying to pick between WI and FL and that was my rationale)

Good luck, if it is something you want - you can do it!!!

Not exactly sure.  Last year I was around 68-69kg at IMCOZ and this year I was around 70-71kg for IMCOZ.  We don't have those designations for weight here but I'm definitely overweight at around 164cm. 

RR from last year is here

RR from this year is here and here

Hey Shannon.  Good to see you! I've got two race reports up from IMTX (2011) and IMFL (2012) you can take a look at if you like.  6' 3" ~225 for both.

Another thought... if you get a chance to volunteer at an IM  do it.. it'll provide some serious inspiration!  I think you'll be surprised by the various body types out there. 

Good luck.  Can't mean's won't!

Did IMCOZ this year at 205 - 210.....much less when I finished! Raced as AG but clyde at heart! As was said it should be a destination not a dream. My wife and I did the race in our second full season with the help of an awesome coach and a year of prep. We finished and were smiling at the end!!! We raced for the finish not for a certain time or position, and enjoyed the race. You only get 1 first IM people have told me so make sure you enjoy it, we sure did!!

As the mantra says anything is possible! If you want to do one as an athena or clyde....go for it! Train, be prepared and enjoy the race!!!!

We have yet to do a race report for Cozumel but it was a tough day, but we stayed with the plan and had faith in the training. The 70.3 is a great race to start with we did 2 along with an number of oly races.

Again just enjoy the races, the experiences and the training.

I did IMFL in 2010 and IMWI in 2012.  For both, I was around 185 lbs and 5'9".  Finished florida in 13:53 around the back of the middle of pack (a few weeks before my 30th birthday).  Finished wisconsin in middle of pack (more towards the front) in 13:29, I ended up losing my salt tabs on the run in wisconsin and got really bad quad cramping.  I probably could have been 15 minutes faster if I didn't have cramping for the last 6 miles of the run. 

I have race reports for both races posted on BT. 

Yup, IMAZ Nov 2008 at about 225 or so.

Next one will can not be as a Clyde (even under 2012 rules).

I have recently been vanity sized from master clyde to age group but my heart is still in the classification.

Weight is only one aspect of doing an IM/ HIM. Obviously, the lighter you are the less weight you will be carrying with you but keep in the back of you mind there is good weight (muscle) and bad weight (fat). Muscle can help you: Fat will not.

Another way to think about the IM/ HIM distance is to pick your race wisely.

Swim: Ocean (salt- more buoyancy) vs Lake (fresh- less buoyancy), wetsuit legal vs. non-legal (buoyancy again), strong current vs. no current (Augusta and Beach2Battleship have cut 20-30mins from my swim times)

Bike & Run: Flat vs. Rollers vs. Mountain

Weather: 95d, 99% humidity, & 25mph winds vs 70d, 35% humidity, 4mph winds.

You can do it. Just train wisely and diligently, select a race that fits your strengths, and lastly kick some a**.  

good luck.

Both my IM's have been under 11hrs and I was 210 and 215 for the races.  During training I was shooting to be close to 200, but both time I just wanted to get it over with because my support at home was shrinking-FAST.  My advice is to make sure you have support, form a plan and be ready to change it up as life dictates.  I tried to do to much at one time so I am now burned out of triathlons.  So now I am trying to qualify for that silly running race in Boston held every year (I can do most of my running when it does not interfer with my support )

I had that dream once, and now it is a goal   I can also say that I'm confident that I could finish the swim and the bike within the time limits.  I currently weigh 275 lbs.. and I'm 45 years old.  Someone said it before, weight is weight.  My goal within a year is to learn to run.  My 5 year goal is to complete a 140.6 within the time limit..  I'm looking at a rev 3 Aqua Bike half Iron next summer.  An aqua bike is just the swim and bike portion.

On of my biggest inspirations is watching the Ironman you-tube clips.  Every once in a while, they show Athena and Clydes crossing the finish line.  I cry every time...

Good luck reaching your goal!!

I honestly think we have a bit of an advantage at times. Our extra energy stores can help in a pinch where I think the skinny folks have to have their nutrition and fluids dialed in much more accurately.

I did IM Canada twice, in 2010 at 285lbs and in 2012 at 265lbs. I'm definitely not a speedster but at 265lbs I walked a mile back to my hotel afterwards and felt GREAT! My biggest suggestion would be to keep your training short and intense. You don't have to run marathons to train for a marathon. Look at interval training and LIFE WEIGHTS! IM World Champion Leanda Cave does a ton of training on a treadmill and lifts weights and she said that this gives her that little extra strength when hills get tough or you need that quick burst to pass.

I'm 3 months out from my next IM in Los Cabos and holding steady at 265lbs and feeling strong. I'll never win an Ironman but finishing is NEVER a question!

KauaiShan - 2012-12-17 10:06 PM Wow! Thank you for all the replies. I tend to dream Big (no pun intended) and thought "maybe I better see if this is possible" Sounds like it definitely is. Thanks folks!

So.....what races are you doing this year???

Did IMFL 2012 @ 6' 4" 265lbs... finished in 14:09.  Had hoped to be under 250, but training was focused more on staying refueled and healthy than weight loss.  That's a very delicate balance to juggle, not impossible, but a fine line to do both for most.

So, you can see from all the other posts, it is more than possible to finish the IM distance at any size and weight... just have to put in the time and homework

How on earth do you find time to train for it?  I have a wife, three daughters and job and I can barely manage time to train for sprints.  Kudos to all you who have done it or are training.  My next goal is an Oly.

bmw

Dude, you're my hero.  Perhaps it comes to my lack of motivation to train at that level.  I'm enjoying my sprint distance with aspirations of Oly one day. 

Keep it up brother!

No kids, a husband who is a part time student, but I do have a very demanding job where I could have to drop everything at a moments notice.  I found that what worked best for me was having a coach.  personally, I don't believe in doing an IM off of a maximum of 90 minute workout outs.  I did the long slog long days.  I do also tend to waste time online and watching TV, which would be easy places to give up time. 

Lunch hours are good for getting in runs, or even swims if you can take a long lunch and either stay half an hour late, or go in half an hour early.  While training for my first IM, I took the last 4 fridays of the build off of work and did my long rides on Friday when DH was at work, my long runs on Saturday morning and then I had the rest of saturday (and all of sunday) where I didn't have to work out.  I think this is probably the best way to do it with a family. (if you want to get the long workouts in (most plans say a minimum of a 5 hour long ride.