Whatever happened to Miklos Molnar? The Triathlon Thread

[Michael K.]

http://espn.go.com/media/soc/2000/1006/photo/a_molnar_i.jpg

Well, there's cycling involved, so it fits.
The homage, of course, is to KC's MLS Cup 2000 hero/Powder lookalike "Danish Dynamite," who retired at the ripe old age of, what was he, 31? supposedly to pursue the dream of being a professional triathlete. Still looking for him to come bounding first over the line in Kona.

Any other triathlete/duathlete/Xterra types around and about? C'mon, I can't be the only one who's so smitten with this lunacy. Where are you racing next? What model Cervelo do you ride? Where do you have your M-dot tattoo? :D

Miklos, are you out there?

I don't expect there to be too many nonparticipating triathlon fans here, as its spectator appeal (outside of NBC's soft-focus, One Shining Moment Kona special that perennially sucks up an Emmy) is pretty damn thin, its celeb quotient pretty low...at least until Lance finally comes back home :p . But if someone wants to talk up Macca or Matt Reed or the frighteningly fast Chrissie Wellington, go for it. It'd be interesting to see the overlap between the soccer fan world and the trigeek world.

[Michael K.]

So if you find yourself inspired by the mountain stages of the TdF, but the ordinary long-distance tri just isn't ballsy and excruciating enough for you, may I suggest the Alpe D' Huez Triathlon (http://www.alpetriathlon.com/).

It looks spectacular. I want to do it before I die. The long-course event might very well bring on the latter.

[cleansheetbsc]

Did a sprint triathlon last weekend. Looking to do one or two more this summer.

[cjump]

i have never done a triathlon but i have always entertained the idea when some friends talk about there races but quickly dismiss such thoughts. i guess as a cyclist, we are instilled with an unabashed hatred of tri-geeks because you all lack the ability to pick just one sport at one time. it's like a masochistic ADHD afternoon. however, i do have some information that somewhat pertains to this tread. i actually rode a Cervelo P1 as a time trial bike two seasons ago. i thought TT would be fun but i soon realized that it's just not for me. for the price, it was a complete waste of money. the internal routing never made shifting easy. replacing cables and housing was a day long job. it was heavy and very uncomfortable due to it's stiffness. i did have the opportunity to ride a Specialized transition and it seemed like a better buy. i know it's not a p3 or p4 but that bike was just terrible. we have a new Scott plasma at the shop and i drool over the bike. i have no need for one but i would kill for it.

[Iceblink]

This thread made me look up triathlons... I didn't know there was any such thing as a mini triathlon!

Maybe I'll do one next spring... seems like it wouldn't be so bad.

A short, five-mile bike ride; a really short swim (100m or something tiny), and a mile run.

I've been good at all three of those things at previous moments in my life... so maybe it's something to aim for.

I know it'd seem tiny for a real triathlete... but they say that clydesdales and athenas are encouraged to enter. I won't be either by then (not that I was ever a woman).... but whatever.

[Michael K.]

I know it'd seem tiny for a real triathlete... but they say that clydesdales and athenas are encouraged to enter. I won't be either by then (not that I was ever a woman).... but whatever.

Tiny? Not at all. You've got to start somewhere, and the thing is to start.
My first was a sprint (800 yd swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run), and the super-sprints such as the one you're talking about are just as good a way to dip a toe in the water, so to speak. Since that intro I've done a bunch of sprints and Olympics, one half-iron, and I'm doing the same half-iron again next month. I'm not particularly awesome for all that (was never a competitive swimmer or runner), not much better than a middle of the packer, but I enjoy the training and the racing and that's good enough for me.

I've told people who ask - and I genuinely believe - that triathlon is "easy" to take up, in the sense that you don't have to possess/learn/develop a set of really specific skills like you would if you were going to take up tennis or golf or something. Ok, if you don't know how to swim or ride a bike, you've got some work to do. But other than that it's just a matter of starting somewhere and being patient and disciplined.

[Twenty26Six]

Did a sprint triathlon last weekend. Looking to do one or two more this summer.

What's the difference in "sprint"?

...answered above!

I don't think I could swim 800yds! :o

[Twenty26Six]

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com

[Crimson Ace]

Mrs. Crimson Ace is a Personal Trainer and an avid runner. She's been toying with the idea of getting into Tri's for quite some time.

Running
She competes in Half-Marathons, 10K's and 5K's on a regular basis. The running part will by far be the easist for her.

Biking
Starting two years ago, we took up mountain biking. She's comfortable on a bike, but she's never been on a quality road bike. Right now, all she has is a 94 fully-rigid Trek mountain bike. I really hope we can soon afford to get her a better ride.

Swimming
She usually hits the pool twice a week to work on her stroke. It's new to her, but she's got great endurance and learning quickly.

I fully expect her to dive into this in the very near future and not look back.

[Crimson Ace]

I also partake in a much more palatable version of Triathalons called Micro's.

I start with 32 oz. of dark microbrews such as porters or stouts.

I then make the transition to reds where I'll suffer through 48 oz. of hoppy goodness.

My final event starts to lighten up as I approach the finish with 32 oz. of the more traditional lagers or ales.

Of course, this Micro Tri is 7 times 16. Feel free to adjust your events and lengths to accommodate your level of micro fitness.

:D

[cleansheetbsc]

What's the difference in "sprint"?

...answered above!

I don't think I could swim 800yds! :o

800 may be about as long as they get in a sprint. In my case the one on Sunday was only 325 yards. Six minutes of being kicked in the face is all it took.

[cleansheetbsc]

A short, five-mile bike ride; a really short swim (100m or something tiny), and a mile run.

I've been good at all three of those things at previous moments in my life... so maybe it's something to aim for.

I know it'd seem tiny for a real triathlete... but they say that clydesdales and athenas are encouraged to enter. I won't be either by then (not that I was ever a woman).... but whatever.

Not to piss on your Cheerios, but those distances are the same for a kids triathlon being run here this weekend. I toyed with the idea of trying to get my U-8 team to do it.

[Michael K.]

Not to piss on your Cheerios, but those distances are the same for a kids triathlon being run here this weekend. I toyed with the idea of trying to get my U-8 team to do it.

To be fair, sometimes race distances are necessarily shortened up, due to the limits of the place they're being held in. Especially when they're local sprints or super-sprints that are shoehorned into parks, community centers (pool swim!), ski areas or places like that.

[Michael K.]

I also partake in a much more palatable version of Triathalons called Micro's.

I start with 32 oz. of dark microbrews such as porters or stouts.

I then make the transition to reds where I'll suffer through 48 oz. of hoppy goodness.

My final event starts to lighten up as I approach the finish with 32 oz. of the more traditional lagers or ales.

Of course, this Micro Tri is 7 times 16. Feel free to adjust your events and lengths to accommodate your level of micro fitness.

:D

:D
I do one type of tri so I can keep doing the other.

[cleansheetbsc]

To be fair, sometimes race distances are necessarily shortened up, due to the limits of the place they're being held in. Especially when they're local sprints or super-sprints that are shoehorned into parks, community centers (pool swim!), ski areas or places like that.

Agreed. That is why I had a 325 yard swim. That was as big as the lake was.

[KyleP]

Have done a few triathlons in my time but my limited swimming ability always meant I was playing catch up on everyone else and the races themselves were never long enough for my decent endurance to make a real differance. Eventually abandoned the idea to focus on some duathlons (run-bike-run) but then my ankles started playing up and had to give that up aswell and focus on just the bike. I still might do a few non-competitive ones in the future but for now I only sit on saddle. Still, would be awesome to do an Ironman at least once in my lifetime. That race is definitely the hardest physical test you can put your body through.

[Michael K.]

That race is definitely the hardest physical test you can put your body through.

The guys who race (survive?) deca-iron races (http://2008decairon.blogspot.com/) laugh at your lack of ambition. :D

But seriously, there must be a name for the mental condition that pushes people to do that.

[KyleP]

The guys who race (survive?) deca-iron races (http://2008decairon.blogspot.com/) laugh at your lack of ambition. :D

But seriously, there must be a name for the mental condition that pushes people to do that.

I would call that insane rather than an extreme physical test. :p

[Michael K.]

Seeing as you're in Canada, I will say that I'm slightly amazed just how vibrant the Canadian tri scene seems to be, not least around Ontario. Some top pros and loads of good age-groupers from a place that isn't exactly San Diegan in climate. I remember reading that the Ottawa area is at the top of the list as far as sending competitors to Kona, and Guelph is supposed to be another hotbed IIRC.

[KyleP]

Seeing as you're in Canada, I will say that I'm slightly amazed just how vibrant the Canadian tri scene seems to be, not least around Ontario. Some top pros and loads of good age-groupers from a place that isn't exactly San Diegan in climate. I remember reading that the Ottawa area is at the top of the list as far as sending competitors to Kona, and Guelph is supposed to be another hotbed IIRC.

Not actually in Canada now but yes, there is a pretty big triathlon scene there for some reason. At the cycling club I rode with the majority of people there were in fact triathletes. I think it's most likely due to the fact that a lot of people in Ontario have a pretty big outdoor sports fad thing going on and so even during the winter you see people doing things like cross-country skiing to mountain biking, the kind of endurance sports which build the stamina that one would need for a triathlon.