The Case For Triathlon

1. The Ironman Langkawi 2018 will be held on 14 November 2018. I've done it in 2016 and it was one of the best times I've ever had. After the race, I tried to rationalize  my obsession with the race. In the end, I couldn't. The cost factor and the time it takes to train for the race was a strong case against doing an Ironman. But if I had the resources to do an Ironman, would I do it? What made me do it in the first place?

2. Since 2016, Ironman Langkawi has evolved. The 2017 edition saw the 70.3 + full distance held together. And in 2018, interested participants can pay the entrance fee in 3 months installments. And there was also a limited 24 hour flash sale where you get  further discounts prior to the normal early bird rates.

3. It's quite capitalistic (if not already) if you ask me. Nothing wrong with that. People can do whatever with their money and businesses can smell money making opportunities. In the Ironman case, the organizers truly capitalize the irrational choice theory here.

4.  They know triathletes are the obsessive/determined/irrational kind. You then market the Ironman to suit the narrative/image of a triathlete: disciplined, full of sacrifice and ultimately finishing the Ironman to encapsulate all of that. Put in some marketing gimmicks and motivational slogans and the seed is planted. Marketing 101.

5. The slogans I must say is quite powerful: "you will do this", "swim 2.4, bike 180, run 42.2 brag for the rest of your life", "anything is possible". I bought into it. That was the whole point. The need to do the ironman was to identify myself as a triathlete and as a person (to me at least). Damn, I know it's quite vain, but still.  I do somewhat feel complete and contend after doing one so it validates that I was just in it for the title.

6. I bought into the whole Ironman thing probably because I found Ironman before I found triathlon. I swim and bike because I wanted to do an Ironman. Running and all the marketing gimmicks fits the reflection I had of myself at the time. And that provided fertile ground for the Ironman seed to be planted.

7. Back to the question at hand. Am I going to do an Ironman if I had the resources?. The answer is yes. Even though the rational side of me strongly opposed to the idea, the sport of triathlon (including Ironman) has given me a lot. It's a sport with plenty of memorable highlights. Here are probably my top 10 highlights of a triathlon:

• Bike racking - you rolled in your bike like thousands other triathletes with butterflies in your stomach. Racked your bike and hope it'll be in the same condition as you left it.
• 1 minute before swim start - at the beach / or pontoon knowing that it's going to be a long day full of uncertainties. Love that pre-race feeling. And more butterflies.
• First 5 minute of swim start - things get real and you realize you're actually doing it. I sometime smile and feel grateful to have the chance to be doing what most children love. To play in the ocean.
• T1 - when you sighted land. Heart racing and you just can't wait to get out of the water.
• Drafting - the joy of maintaining a faster speed and riding with fellow competitors. Taking turns pulling and cracking jokes.
• Nutrition on the go - Felt like a true triathlete drinking and eating while on a bike. Not to mention the joy of grabbing a water bottle on the go.
• T2 - like in T1, the joy of finally to be in a straight up position and seeing some supporters/friends/family.
• Running in pain - some enjoy it I think. I do.
• Dousing water - On a hot day, it's heaven. Especially iced water.
• Music / MC at Finish - The finish is usually about taking care of business cause you enter normality again. I actually have that relieved feeling when I hear music or the MC like < 100 meters to the finish.

8. As I now turn my focus to running, the quote below hit me hard:

“The longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind--a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.”

― Scott Jurek, Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness


9. In the end, running or triathlon, it's about how it makes you feel. Running couldn't make me feel the way triathlon makes me feel, vice versa. I probably had my best memories  more at Pd triathlon than Ironman, but Ironman opened the ultrarunning door and that to me is priceless. Only in triathlon racing can I reach that state of mind. Because It's rare that you practice/train all three discipline in one go. I would love to be in that state of mind again.