Corporate Fitness Promotions: Meanings of Ironman (Part 3 of 3): Champions, Finman, and Jumping the Shark

In this series I've explored some of the meanings of Ironman. For some it is a comic book character, a body building competition, or a heavy metal song. Others choose to commemorate their Ironman experience by getting a tattoo. One thing for sure, Ironman is big business.
People are getting these tattoos like crazy. Here is one impressive example:

This tattoo is even more impressive when you see it on the back of its owner, Ben Greenfield:

I have a feeling that this is not Mr. Greenfield's first time posing. In fact he has done not one, but at least two kinds of Ironman. From part 1 of this series, here is Greenfield posing at a body building competition:

This is the same guy who was body building, and now he is doing triathlons with a huge M-Dot tattoo on his back. He is displaying the trends which are at risk for taking over the Ironman brand: Hubristic bragging fodder and conspicuous consumption.

But first--before I come across as completely critical of Ironman (and just nasty in general,) I want to give at least a couple counter-examples. The first I will give is the current Ironman superstar Chrissie Wellington. I had the chance to see Chrissie race recently at Ironman Arizona. To be honest I was super-excited to watch her. Her talent as a racer is exceptional, and her form is remarkable. After seeing Chrissy run past, Susan said "I want to be her."

And I can see why she said that. Chrissie is a moving display of power, efficiency, and speed. Her body appears to be made of 123 lbs of pure muscle. Her technique is flawless and her killer instinct is undeniable.

Chrissie around top ten overall (including pro men) at Mile 4.

Her technical skill is perfect, her physique is amazing, and she crushes the competition.

But the most striking thing about Chrissie Wellington isn't any of the above, it is that has fun while she is racing. She displays pure joy in movement and in fact is smiling most of the time she is racing. In interviews she displays nothing but class and humility. After winning an Ironman, she returns to the finish line until 12am midnight to congratulate each and every finisher behind her. She is on the cover of magazines, on advertisements, and she has three Ironman world titles. She doesn't need a tattoo or a sticker on her bumper to advertise to the world. She does it for fun and to challenge herself.

You don't have to be an Ironman Champion to display the true spirit of Ironman. Here are three other examples from among my friends and clients:

This is Corrie and she is about to start her first half iron distance triathlon in this picture. It is at the Rev 3 in Sandusky. She is here with her friends and the STtrianer team. Corrie is kind, humble, and friendly. But she also is one to challenge and push herself. She has steadily worked her way up from beginning triathlon to olympic distance and now a half iron. She has been at it for 2-3 years and will probably take 1-2 more years before she takes a shot at an iron distance race. That is, if she ever decides to do one. She still uses a road bike and her bumper is not covered with "I'm a triathlete" stickers.

Perry is pictured here at Ironman Louisville. He knew he had a window of time between his first and second children's births to get his shot at an Ironman in. He has worked diligently for 2-3 to get to this point. Despite the demands of being a health care executive and having a young family, Perry worked very hard to prepare for this race. He was not one to take short cuts. I gave him a plan to be well-prepared for Louisville, and he never complained about the difficulty of the workouts. If you are going to do an Ironman you better be ready to do 100 mile bike rides. And if the race is in Louisville, you better do those rides in the heat. His performance on race day is the testament: he went sub 13 hours, had negative splits on the marathon run, and never felt distressed throughout the day.

Perry is pictured here running with his dad. Much like my father The Fergus, Perry's accomplishments have inspired his father to get healthy and exercise. While an Ironman triathlete can inspire others, taking the time to train for one is another matter. If you are a parent with small children, carefully consider if Ironman training is a good idea. It takes a lot of time to prepare for this race. If you can't train 15+ hours a week for a few months, doing an Ironman may not be a wise idea. And if you can't make that balance, then don't punish your family by being selfish with your time.

Another great example is Brian. He too did his first Ironman at Louisville this year. He has children, career, etc, and he managed to get the training time in to be ready to finish this race. He is so interested in triathlon he actually invested in Nashville's ACME Multisports. Despite being a part owner of a triathlon store, he has never come across as showy or materialistic. He doesn't brag. He doesn't flash bling. And he comes across as a genuinely nice guy.

Now I do want ACME Multisports to sell lots of bikes and schwag. But I think Ironman, and triathlon in general suffer from conspicuous consumption. People want to throw money at the sport, buy the most expensive bike, trendy minimalist running shoe, or new skin racing suit rather than learning the fundamentals of the sport. Don't get me wrong; it is cool that you can obtain the same equipment and race alongside the pros. Here is a picture of Jordan Rapp at Ironman AZ.

Jordan Rapp (on the right, another extremely classy guy) is shown here next to an age grouper. Note they have very similar helmets, bikes, wheels, glasses, and racing suits. The age grouper has decidedly the more impressive socks. The difference here is that Jordan is 1) displaying proper usage of a triathlon bike, and 2) is 38 miles ahead!

This is not an isolated instance. Having been a triathlon coach for over 10 years, I can identify good and bad technique. Attending any triathlon on any given weekend, you see people who have no clue what they are doing. They may have spent the money to buy the things you are supposed to buy, enter the races you are supposed to enter, and maybe even put in the necessary training time. But there is not evidence of the small additional mental effort that it takes to do things correctly.

The problem with all of this is triathletes have earned the reputation of being incompetent and boastful show-offs; people who spend lavishly on unnecessary gadgets but can't even use them correctly. If you want to fake-it-till-you-make it, go right ahead. But it makes you and the rest of the sport look bad. Just don't cheat like this guy.

This is a picture of Fin Man, so known because he attempted to cheat and use fins at Ironman Florida a couple years ago. He was in fact disqualified after being caught with the fins, a fact which he disputes to this day. The fact that Fin Man was disqualified did not prevent him from claiming he had finished the race, in this shocking picture:

Finman at the New York Marathon the next day with a sign on his back which reads, "Finished an Ironman in Florida Yesterday"

Believe it or not, this guy actually went to the trouble to arrange air transportation from Florida after presumably finishing an Ironman to be at the race start the next day in New York. If you want to do this then more power to you. I supposed its cool. Heck, wear the finisher shirt from IMFL and tell someone all about it if they ask you. But don't put it on a paper sign on your back, especially when you got disqualified at the race. Finman's continued his craziness after serving a 1 year suspension from all Ironman races. Unfortunately the rambling Finman Challenge video appears to have been taken down.

I have had a lot of fun in my days racing Ironmans and iron distance triathlons. But I tell you it all gets to be a little too much with the tattoos, stickers, show-offs, and cheaters. The hubris, consumerism, and corporate control sure seem to detract from those who are genuinely seeking a cool, personally fulfilling experience. Sometimes it makes me wonder if possibly triathlon hasn't...just maybe... Jumped the Shark