BRUCE BUTLER AUTHOR
  • The Author
  • News
  • Into the Labyrinth
  • Letters to a Driving Nation
  • Island Sojourn
  • Contact
  • Publications
  • Rod Butler's Art
  • Blog
  • Astrophotography
  • Audio
  • Style Guide

The Watering Down of Ironman - A Rant

4/23/2018

31 Comments

 
Picture
I was completing the online registration for Ironman Canada 2016 when I was presented with two checkboxes I’d never seen in previous years:

“I understand that I will get the full 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the 2.4 mile swim regardless of what time I enter the water…”

“I understand that if I finish before the midnight cut-off but have a finishing time or more than 17 hours, I will be considered a DNF…”

Huh?

Upon further investigation, I learned that as of 2016, Ironman Canada, in Whistler, BC, was going to have a “self-seeding rolling swim start.” Athletes will line up on shore then enter the water in a continuous stream, passing over a timing mat to signal their individual start time.

WTF?

This change was part of Ironman’s “SwimSmart initiative,” with the goal of “improving athlete satisfaction and reducing anxiety during the swim portion of the race.” As part of this initiative, floats are also available so swimmers can stop and take a breather if needed.

Seriously?

Before I continue this rant, I should mention my previous Ironman experience. Prior to IMC 2016, I’ve finished three Ironman triathlons, all with mass, in-water swim starts. Ironman Canada 2010 was my first and was relatively stress-free. After the cannon went off, the large crowd was witness to the spectacle of close to 3000 pairs of arms suddenly thrashing in the water. I started at the back of the pack, floated in the shallows for thirty seconds and waiting for the crowd to thin out a bit. I knew I was losing time, but that was my choice.

The swim start at Ironman Cozumel in 2012 was, by comparison, a fiasco. The race organizers miscalculated the start time for the pros, and there wasn’t enough time for all us age-groupers to get from the beach onto the pier then into the water to the start line before the cannon went off.  Most of us were still on the pier at 0700, and we jumped off like lemmings, trying not to land on each other, then swimming over/under each other to get clear, just to reach the start line. The ocean currents were so strong that day that some of the buoys marking the course got dragged. At the turn onto the final five-hundred-metre leg, the current was so strong we bunched up just trying to make headway, forcing us to dig deep and pull harder. The DNF rate was higher than average that year, and those of us lucky enough to make the swim cut-off had significantly longer swim times.

In 2013 at Ironman Canada, I was feeling strong that morning and decided to start the swim just behind the top age groupers, and positioning myself in the lake accordingly. What a slugfest that was. Two minutes in, I got clocked in the head so hard by a fellow competitor’s arm or leg that I couldn’t hear out of my right ear for several hours into the bike ride.

Back to Whistler 2016…

The time allotted for the swim warm-up was short, and because it was an on-shore rolling swim start, we had to get out of the lake before the pros started. There we all stood, lined up on the grass for about ten minutes, cooling off, our wetsuits quickly draining. When the cannon went off, the spectators and participants were not witness to the spectacle of several thousand pairs of arms suddenly thrashing in the water, just an orderly procession of wetsuit-clad people calmly walking into the lake. It was… boring.

I know that in triathlons, the swim is the event that raises the anxiety level in most participants and even prevents some would-be participants from entering. I get that. My anecdotes are probably typical examples of why Ironman feels justified in introducing the SwimSmart initiative. But I think the SwimStart is a terrible idea and is more about money than anything else — the less stressful the swim start is advertised to be, the more people will want to pay their money and enter.

Here’s another problem with the SwimStart initiative: not only is the spectacle of a mass swim start gone, but nearly every participant will also have a different start time. The thrill of the midnight countdown is diminished — can that guy struggling to cross the finish line one minute before midnight call himself an Ironman, or is he a DNF because he entered the water at 0658? Those two top age-groupers sprinting to the finish line and fighting for a Kona slot might not even have the same start time, so their battle may already have been decided. With the SwimSmart initiative in place, a participant having a really long day can now cross the finish line just before midnight, get her finisher’s medal and shirt/hat and still be a DNF once the timing results are recorded.

The mystique and challenge of the Ironman race is, in my opinion, being diminished — watered down — by these and other changes. In Cozumel 2012, the swim times were much higher and the DNF rate slightly higher than average. In 2013, due to high winds, they changed the swim course the day before the race from the previously-used 3.8-kilometre box pattern to a 3.1-kilometre swim with the current. Seriously?  What’s next?

And here’s another thing that grinds my gears: the line between a full Ironman and a 70.3 has been blurred. Some 70.3 finishers feel justified in celebrating their accomplishment with an M-dot tattoo.  That’s not really surprising since, in some 70.3 events, finishers are greeted with “Jane Smith – YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” Um, no, you’re not. You’re a Half Ironman. And a full Ironman is way more than twice as hard as a 70.3. You don’t get to call yourself a Marathoner if you’ve only run a half marathon, do you? The Facebook page “You know you’re an Ironman when…” has over 16,000 followers; many of its regular posters have only done 70.3 events. Maybe there should be a separate page called “You know you’re a half Ironman when…”?

I’m just an average age-grouper (around 14 hours), and I don’t do Ironman because it is easy. I do it because it is hard. A real challenge. A test. I enter each race knowing there’s a chance I won’t even finish, not only due to insufficient physical and mental conditioning on my part, but to circumstances beyond my control such as weather, injury or a mechanical problem.

I’m glad I was able to get three Ironman races done before the SwimStart initiative was brought in and the race watered down. I doubt I’ll ever do another Ironman unless it has a mass in-water swim start.

I wonder if, years from now, I’ll be one of those old guys with a faded M-dot tat on my calf, grousing, “Yah, but I did Ironman back in the olden days, when there were mass swim starts, 20% DNFs, it was uphill both ways...”

End of rant.
 
Bruce Butler is a four-time Ironman finisher, Professional Engineer and budding author. He has published the e-book “Letters to a Driving Nation: Exploring the Conflict between Drivers and Cyclists” and is now working on two more novels: a non-fiction account of a Cold War project he worked on in the 1980s, and a really cool science fiction book.
31 Comments
Amy
4/24/2018 16:40:57

Thank you for the insight on this. I have yet to do a full Ironman, but really want to do one in the future. I just need to get my health back on track. It's a pleasure to read something insightful regarding the new swim initiative. Well written. Thank you!

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:42:16

Hi Amy: Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Vicki Bagwell
4/24/2018 20:44:48

I agree 100% with this rant. To simplify and take away the challenge imo is wrong. The 4 ironman races I started (dnf'd 1) were mass starts and that is how an Ironman must start!

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:42:57

Hi Vicki: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Kristen
4/25/2018 00:36:17

I had these same wonderings during my first Ironman (I was not lucky enough to do a mass start race). I was given TONS of crap being a thin female at the front of the group with a bunch of 6'+ men, griping that I was the issue with swimming chaos. They attempted to shove me back, thinking I was trying to buy myself the extra time to finish before midnight. (I was among the first sixty out of the water and had no trouble finishing before midnight). Yet, just also had to know that every event clock I saw was not accurate for me (the clock on my finishing pictures is not really my time and explaining that to people is annoying) and the people I was racing all started at different times. Frustrating.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:43:39

Hi Kristen: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
John
4/25/2018 06:40:39

Perfect. The whole "everybody gets a trophy" mentality started when Ford took over the Ironman sponsorship and made the 70.3 an "Ironman". When I did my first 70.3 in the 90s it was called a Half-Ironman because that's what it was - half an Ironman. And as the article points out, an Ironman is way more than twice the effort of a Half. This swim start garbage is just another way of Ironman lowering the bar to make the event less intimidating and more accessible, which just means more money for them. It's supposed to be intimidating - it's Ironman. Or, at least it used to be.......

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:44:08

Hi John: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Matt
4/25/2018 07:52:13

I get it, but if you are concerned about how exclusive your club it then you might be doing it for the wrong reasons (such as the “right” to call yourself an Ironman or get the tattoo). The bigger issue is that Ironman is no longer a sporting event; it is a for-profit brand so of course there will continue to be ways to grow participation even if that means making the races easier and more accessible. I respect anyone who has completed a 140.6 event, but save real admiration for those who have completed truly difficult ones and then skipped the tattoo. Just my two cents

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:44:39

Hi Matt: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
cheryl
4/25/2018 10:44:16

I blame the people who enter IM races who have not learned to swim, especially in washing machine conditions. EVERYTHING these days has been reduced to being mediocre. I pulled from Wisconsin because they changed the start. I am glad I got to do TWO IMs where there were mass swim starts and most people were out of the water way before 2 hours much less 2:20...pfffft.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:45:06

Hi Cheryl: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Mark
4/25/2018 11:57:42

I have often thought that IM makes these races too easy. Regarding the swim I have started both ways and think it really does not matter as even in a mass start you'll have clear water within the 1st 10 min or so. My issue is with the aid stations every mile on the run. That's just rediculous. When I start to think that IM is too easy it always occurs to me that..."if you think this is too easy you're not going fast enough". 12x IM finisher...0x Kona qualifier. There's always that goal if it's not challenging enough!

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:46:06

Hi Mark: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Alex Galunenko
4/25/2018 21:58:49

I totally agree Ironman Canada must start in the water!!! I did experience both roll in and mass start in Whistler and definitely was a lot more excited about the mass water start!!!
It was brutal, but I loved it!

Ironman must be a challenge, and I do it to test myself. The harder the conditions of the race the better!!!

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:46:40

Hi Alex: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Rachel link
4/26/2018 05:59:11

Swimsmart was initiated in 2013. I signed up for Ironman Lake Tahoe in 2012, with the knowledge it would be a mass start. It ended up being a rolling start which was very disappointing. As a two loop course without an exit for the second loop and with the delayed parade into the water I started passing people on my second loop by the 2nd buoy. Literally, swimmers still on their first lap because they took their sweet ass time getting in the water and floating their way around the course. I had lapped traffic for almost the entire second loop. In no way was that safer than my first Ironman, 2010 St George , a one loop mass in-water start. Bring back the mass starts! Bring back the “race” part of the experience.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:47:14

Hi Rachel: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Gary Fahey
4/26/2018 06:21:06

Those mass swim starts are dangerous and nearly impossible to monitor. I'd be surprised if the "rolling" starts were instituted voluntarily or if IronMan's insurance underwriters said "no way, that has to change, or your liability insurance goes out the window." No one's participation or achievement is diminished because the event planners chose to create a safer experience. You'd rather someone get kicked in the head, rendered unconscious among 2000 flailing sets of arms and legs, with no reasonable ability to even notice that it happened, let alone intervene and help? That actually happened at the St Anthony's Triathlon a few years back.

You can't really have it both ways: grow the sport as much as possible by encouraging poorly prepared people to participate, and then complain the sport has become soft thanks to all those money-generating weekend warriors. If you want IM races reserved for seasoned, capable performers then tighten up your entry requirements. Demand proof that you've successfully completed Olympic and 70.3 distance events before you're allowed to register for a full IM. Place a reasonable time limit on the swim. Two hours twenty minutes--or almost 3.5 minutes per 100 meters--is just encouraging those who have no business in the water taking their bucket-list shot at an M-dot.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:47:50

Hi Gary: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Simon
4/28/2018 06:22:11

"I wonder if, years from now, I’ll be one of those old guys with a faded M-dot tat on my calf, grousing, “Yah, but I did Ironman back in the olden days, when there were mass swim starts, 20% DNFs, it was uphill both ways...”

Why wait, you already are an insufferable ass

Reply
KC
4/29/2018 18:32:57

Agree

Reply
Orrie
4/30/2018 04:43:19

Yep, agree

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:48:24

Hi Simon: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
Elizabeth A Hinckley
4/29/2018 18:36:29

I did Whistler this past year. I can't imagine doing a mass start in that narrow opening. They did add the 70.3 on the same day and that was the really big pain. Bikes everywhere. Terrible idea.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:50:49

Hi Elizabeth: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

In 2013-2015, they had the swimmers swim out about 50m into deeper water then self-seed bebind the start line.

I agree that having the 70.3 the same day does add to the congestion. I expect it will be worse this year with the new bike course.

Reply
Tim
4/29/2018 21:11:46

Compared to what the originals completed you’ve only completed a “watered down” version yourself, so you might want to consider getting down from your ivory tower. Some things I’m sure you took advantage of that weren’t present originally:
- aid stations
- carbon bicycles
- tri suits
- gps
-numerous other factors

So please don’t act like making it easier is a new thing. You’ve already finished four of the easier versions.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:51:15

Hi Tim: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Reply
brandon
4/30/2018 09:39:48

Unless you do an Ironman in Hawaii, in jean cut-off shorts, on a steel road bike; you have only done the watered down version. Get off your high horse and promote the sport; or leave it.

You have never been, nor will you ever be one of the original 12-13 finishers. Get over it.

Reply
Bruce Butler
4/30/2018 10:52:02

Hi Brandon: thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

I guess everything is relative...

Reply
Lisa Cimino
12/16/2018 11:40:37

I totally agree! Florianopolis was a beach start, but it was still a mass start! Since it will probably not get unwatered down, I wonder if they couldn't do a mass start, but also include a "scared swimmers" wave at the end, and they can have their rolling start, and different clock, and not be eligible for awards or a KQ slot?!?!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    July 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    March 2019
    November 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • The Author
  • News
  • Into the Labyrinth
  • Letters to a Driving Nation
  • Island Sojourn
  • Contact
  • Publications
  • Rod Butler's Art
  • Blog
  • Astrophotography
  • Audio
  • Style Guide