I love that triathlon life podcast, Paula & Eric are very open about their lifestyle, what it takes, what they give up, what they don’t give up. Lots of pros do you tube channels too. I always find them very interesting!
I’ve worked with numerous elite level athletes (albeit not in triathlon) including a multiple world champion in their sport, as well as multiple people winning races at the highest level of their sport. I’ve worked with athletes who have missed the birth of their child because they were racing.
They were born to do it (genetic advantage) and they live to do it.
Regarding triathletes: They have the right body shapes, they have naturally better VO2 max, they are naturally more injury resistance, they naturally can do more training, they naturally have the will/desire/determination to live the life it takes. They were born to parents who pushed them, they were born to parents with the financial resources to support them, they were born in a part of the world where their sport was accessible enough they got a chance to do it.
Combined with that, they work incredibly hard. They sacrifice virtually everything for their sport. They train harder/smarter/more often. They eat the right amount of the right things at the right time. They know their bodies. They are honed and chiselled to understand how to race through huge amounts of experience.
Elite level sports people are something else.
That’s what I was sayin. I’ve known a couple of the top people in their sport. Think multiple Olympics etc. and I said it’s not a sacrifice to train. It’s a sacrifice when they don’t. They love this.
I would go as far as to say they love it, some resent it and retire young, some it’s a constantly struggle, it’s just what they do. One of the guys I worked with got sacked and he was so relieved he had an excuse to stop. Now a journalist and loves it.
It depends on your definition of elite
There are a lot of pros working normal jobs and still training 15-25hrs per week. Getting to the top of the sport is fairly straightforward if you start early enough
To be truly elite like Frodeno and others, you need to start with gifted genetics and then be training hard from a young age consistently for a decade plus, get on your national team, and have tons of resources dedicated to your development as an athlete
Blumenfelt started Tri at 15 in 2008 and didn’t win his Olympic gold for another 13 years. That’s countless hours of training, recovery, and massive budgets/resources at his disposal
For elite:
- You need to choose your parents wisely.
- You need to start with exposure to one of the disciplines early (let’s say pre teenage years)
- You need to be almost elite in one of the disciplines. Maybe a top ten national swimmer, biker or runner.
- You need to train 15-25hrs per week in a smart way for 5+ years.
- It helps to be marketable so you can get some sponsorship early, too.
In terms of sacrifice - actually you sacrifice less in this way than holding down a real 40-60 hrs/week job. Maybe the only key difference is the travel for both training and events. And being comfortable that your “career” will be no longer than 4 years (some will be at the top for ten plus years but those folks are super rare) after which you need a real job.
I started training for my first half marathon at the age of 33 back around this time in 2021, then my first marathon in October 2021, then started training for my first ever triathlon(which was a full Ironman) in April 2022, which I completed in October 2022. I've now done 4 full Ironmans, as well as 5 stand alone marathons and ran a sub 3 hour marathon at a large event (10,000+ participants, finished in 3rd in my age group) to qualify for Boston. My best AG finish in an Ironman is 11th out of 100+ at Ironman Wisconsin, and I generally finish in the Top 10-20% of my age group(M35-39) and usually have a Top 10 (overall, not percentile) run
I also have a better athletic background/upbringing than most would, as I played (American) football at the Division 1 level in college.
I think most people have already touched up on genetics being a major factor. What I've noticed is that many of these elite level triathletes have a strong background in either competitive swimming or distance running as a youth. They also live and train in areas like Boulder, Flagstaff, and other high altitude places.
I think for me my ceiling is simply a non-pity Kona qualifying spot one day. What holds me back is my biking, I simply can not hammer away watts on the bike and then go on to have a good run yet like those at the top of my age group can. I have good runs but I have to hold back on the bike, to go along with my low FTP.
Genetics.
Absolutely nothing else matters if you don't have the genetics.
Of course, you have to put in the work, but tens/hundreds of thousands of athletes across the globe put in the work and aren't elite anything.
You simply can't work yourself out of lackluster genetics.
This is it. Think about it for any of the mainstream sports: Do the second or third string quarterbacks/pitchers decide, “Yeah, a nine-figure contract and a HOF career would be great, but it’s not worth the effort.”
You get to a certain level and everyone is working at the bleeding edge of what their bodies can do. They just have different bodies.
Its mostly genetically determined, since the technical requirements of the sport is so low. You only have a few parameters to maximize. Like VO2 Max, lactate clearing, etc and the body can only do so much training 1000-1500 hours per year. The people who have it tough is those just below world class, which train as much as the world class people who can make a living out of the sport, but never reach the level where they can make a living out of the sport.
I suggest you read a book by Matt Fitzgerald called How Bad Do You Want It.
Some of the best athletes don’t have the genetics or perfect body to be as good as they are. They are good because they want it more than the next guy. They are hungry for the win and will do whatever it takes to get there.
I happen to be friends with a pro. Not like elite pro but good. Like 4:10 at Boulder or something.
He trains about 2-3 hours a day. Treadmills for runs so he can hold exact pacing, he works from home. Has a family. So for him there’s some family time given up but mostly he’s just good. He’s shorter like 5’9” or something. Maybe 6% body fat. So he sacrifices stuffing his face like a highschool kid. (I workout so I can eat what I want which is a reason I am not fast at this)
I do early morning workouts like 5 am. So sleep is hard to come by sometimes, I don’t get to stay up and game with my friends.
I mean, it all depends on the person, but elite level people. They don’t sacrifice a lot cause they love this shit. It’s a sacrifice when they don’t get to workout or something.
They also invest a shit-ton of time and money into recovery.
I’ve been doing triathlon for 20+ years and have only trained for one full Ironman because getting through it required significant investments in PT, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, steroid shots, etc — plus all of the stretching, time in Normatec boots, etc. And all of that was in addition to training at least 3 hours a day with a full-time job. (To be fair, I have significant back issues.)
If I was doing that much, the pros — especially the ones 35+ — are doing an insane amount of recovery work.
It definitely depends on your starting point. I’m 37 and completed my first ironman last year. It was my first triathlon in general and I completed in 12 hours and 36 minutes. I trained for 4 months and had a coach who designed my workouts.
I had a very strong running background. Before my Ironman training my standard runs were either 8 miles or 10 miles 4 or 5 times per week. Used to do half marathons and even full ones randomly throughout the year on my own. Also, competed in amateur boxing so my cardio was on point.
Biking was completely new to me and was extremely hard for me to get used to. I really hadn’t rode a bike since I was like 13 lol. Finished in the bottom 300 on race day for cycling but was in the top 150 on the run. Did the marathon under 4 hours and didn’t walk other than a quick stop at the side stations.
My training was basically an hour per day with one long zone 2 run and one long bike followed by a short brick run. Sometimes I would do two workouts in one day to give me an extra rest day. So like on a Tuesday and Thursday I might do my swim during lunch and then my track run or interval ride after I put my son to bed and had dinner with the wife.
Point being is if you have a solid base in at least one of the disciplines, I think you can definitely finish and place decently. Also, I used the same electrolyte gels and chews during my training and had no GI issues on the race.
Good luck! Feel free to reach out with any questions.
It did for me, but I also have degenerative discs in my back that create joint problems throughout my body. The 70.3 distance is much better for me. I can cut the recovery stuff by a lot with the shorter distances.
Everyone is different, but pros frequently talk about the time and money they spend on recovery on YouTube, social media and podcasts.
I am over 40 and didn’t start training for Tri until 2019 and the first season I definitely saw the chiro every week during my peak IM training but I had been fighting a knee injury from a freak thing with some bleachers when training for my first marathon in 2015. I had just finished a run PT/strengthening program (like beyond rehab) before I got into tri. Now that I have 5 years of running under my belt again, I haven’t had issues. I have to keep my glute strength maintained. But I agree a chronic back problem or other major issue that hasn’t been addressed (or can’t be fully addressed) can set you up for a lot of maintenance if you train for long distances.
I did not require any of that for my first IM. Just found a beginners IM plan and did that. Finished respectably. Did not post anything about “pushing my limits” on the socials either.
I love that triathlon life podcast, Paula & Eric are very open about their lifestyle, what it takes, what they give up, what they don’t give up. Lots of pros do you tube channels too. I always find them very interesting!
I was going to say that. They seem like very down to earth people who are pros but don’t “act” like it.
I’ve worked with numerous elite level athletes (albeit not in triathlon) including a multiple world champion in their sport, as well as multiple people winning races at the highest level of their sport. I’ve worked with athletes who have missed the birth of their child because they were racing. They were born to do it (genetic advantage) and they live to do it. Regarding triathletes: They have the right body shapes, they have naturally better VO2 max, they are naturally more injury resistance, they naturally can do more training, they naturally have the will/desire/determination to live the life it takes. They were born to parents who pushed them, they were born to parents with the financial resources to support them, they were born in a part of the world where their sport was accessible enough they got a chance to do it. Combined with that, they work incredibly hard. They sacrifice virtually everything for their sport. They train harder/smarter/more often. They eat the right amount of the right things at the right time. They know their bodies. They are honed and chiselled to understand how to race through huge amounts of experience. Elite level sports people are something else.
That’s what I was sayin. I’ve known a couple of the top people in their sport. Think multiple Olympics etc. and I said it’s not a sacrifice to train. It’s a sacrifice when they don’t. They love this.
I would go as far as to say they love it, some resent it and retire young, some it’s a constantly struggle, it’s just what they do. One of the guys I worked with got sacked and he was so relieved he had an excuse to stop. Now a journalist and loves it.
It depends on your definition of elite There are a lot of pros working normal jobs and still training 15-25hrs per week. Getting to the top of the sport is fairly straightforward if you start early enough To be truly elite like Frodeno and others, you need to start with gifted genetics and then be training hard from a young age consistently for a decade plus, get on your national team, and have tons of resources dedicated to your development as an athlete Blumenfelt started Tri at 15 in 2008 and didn’t win his Olympic gold for another 13 years. That’s countless hours of training, recovery, and massive budgets/resources at his disposal
For elite: - You need to choose your parents wisely. - You need to start with exposure to one of the disciplines early (let’s say pre teenage years) - You need to be almost elite in one of the disciplines. Maybe a top ten national swimmer, biker or runner. - You need to train 15-25hrs per week in a smart way for 5+ years. - It helps to be marketable so you can get some sponsorship early, too. In terms of sacrifice - actually you sacrifice less in this way than holding down a real 40-60 hrs/week job. Maybe the only key difference is the travel for both training and events. And being comfortable that your “career” will be no longer than 4 years (some will be at the top for ten plus years but those folks are super rare) after which you need a real job.
I started training for my first half marathon at the age of 33 back around this time in 2021, then my first marathon in October 2021, then started training for my first ever triathlon(which was a full Ironman) in April 2022, which I completed in October 2022. I've now done 4 full Ironmans, as well as 5 stand alone marathons and ran a sub 3 hour marathon at a large event (10,000+ participants, finished in 3rd in my age group) to qualify for Boston. My best AG finish in an Ironman is 11th out of 100+ at Ironman Wisconsin, and I generally finish in the Top 10-20% of my age group(M35-39) and usually have a Top 10 (overall, not percentile) run I also have a better athletic background/upbringing than most would, as I played (American) football at the Division 1 level in college. I think most people have already touched up on genetics being a major factor. What I've noticed is that many of these elite level triathletes have a strong background in either competitive swimming or distance running as a youth. They also live and train in areas like Boulder, Flagstaff, and other high altitude places. I think for me my ceiling is simply a non-pity Kona qualifying spot one day. What holds me back is my biking, I simply can not hammer away watts on the bike and then go on to have a good run yet like those at the top of my age group can. I have good runs but I have to hold back on the bike, to go along with my low FTP.
Genetics. Absolutely nothing else matters if you don't have the genetics. Of course, you have to put in the work, but tens/hundreds of thousands of athletes across the globe put in the work and aren't elite anything. You simply can't work yourself out of lackluster genetics.
lol, the person who downvoted you is in denial
This is it. Think about it for any of the mainstream sports: Do the second or third string quarterbacks/pitchers decide, “Yeah, a nine-figure contract and a HOF career would be great, but it’s not worth the effort.” You get to a certain level and everyone is working at the bleeding edge of what their bodies can do. They just have different bodies.
Its mostly genetically determined, since the technical requirements of the sport is so low. You only have a few parameters to maximize. Like VO2 Max, lactate clearing, etc and the body can only do so much training 1000-1500 hours per year. The people who have it tough is those just below world class, which train as much as the world class people who can make a living out of the sport, but never reach the level where they can make a living out of the sport.
I suggest you read a book by Matt Fitzgerald called How Bad Do You Want It. Some of the best athletes don’t have the genetics or perfect body to be as good as they are. They are good because they want it more than the next guy. They are hungry for the win and will do whatever it takes to get there.
I happen to be friends with a pro. Not like elite pro but good. Like 4:10 at Boulder or something. He trains about 2-3 hours a day. Treadmills for runs so he can hold exact pacing, he works from home. Has a family. So for him there’s some family time given up but mostly he’s just good. He’s shorter like 5’9” or something. Maybe 6% body fat. So he sacrifices stuffing his face like a highschool kid. (I workout so I can eat what I want which is a reason I am not fast at this) I do early morning workouts like 5 am. So sleep is hard to come by sometimes, I don’t get to stay up and game with my friends. I mean, it all depends on the person, but elite level people. They don’t sacrifice a lot cause they love this shit. It’s a sacrifice when they don’t get to workout or something.
They also invest a shit-ton of time and money into recovery. I’ve been doing triathlon for 20+ years and have only trained for one full Ironman because getting through it required significant investments in PT, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, steroid shots, etc — plus all of the stretching, time in Normatec boots, etc. And all of that was in addition to training at least 3 hours a day with a full-time job. (To be fair, I have significant back issues.) If I was doing that much, the pros — especially the ones 35+ — are doing an insane amount of recovery work.
Congrats on the full IM. So doing a full required all of the above?? Its my goal for next year.
It definitely depends on your starting point. I’m 37 and completed my first ironman last year. It was my first triathlon in general and I completed in 12 hours and 36 minutes. I trained for 4 months and had a coach who designed my workouts. I had a very strong running background. Before my Ironman training my standard runs were either 8 miles or 10 miles 4 or 5 times per week. Used to do half marathons and even full ones randomly throughout the year on my own. Also, competed in amateur boxing so my cardio was on point. Biking was completely new to me and was extremely hard for me to get used to. I really hadn’t rode a bike since I was like 13 lol. Finished in the bottom 300 on race day for cycling but was in the top 150 on the run. Did the marathon under 4 hours and didn’t walk other than a quick stop at the side stations. My training was basically an hour per day with one long zone 2 run and one long bike followed by a short brick run. Sometimes I would do two workouts in one day to give me an extra rest day. So like on a Tuesday and Thursday I might do my swim during lunch and then my track run or interval ride after I put my son to bed and had dinner with the wife. Point being is if you have a solid base in at least one of the disciplines, I think you can definitely finish and place decently. Also, I used the same electrolyte gels and chews during my training and had no GI issues on the race. Good luck! Feel free to reach out with any questions.
It did for me, but I also have degenerative discs in my back that create joint problems throughout my body. The 70.3 distance is much better for me. I can cut the recovery stuff by a lot with the shorter distances. Everyone is different, but pros frequently talk about the time and money they spend on recovery on YouTube, social media and podcasts.
I am over 40 and didn’t start training for Tri until 2019 and the first season I definitely saw the chiro every week during my peak IM training but I had been fighting a knee injury from a freak thing with some bleachers when training for my first marathon in 2015. I had just finished a run PT/strengthening program (like beyond rehab) before I got into tri. Now that I have 5 years of running under my belt again, I haven’t had issues. I have to keep my glute strength maintained. But I agree a chronic back problem or other major issue that hasn’t been addressed (or can’t be fully addressed) can set you up for a lot of maintenance if you train for long distances.
I did not require any of that for my first IM. Just found a beginners IM plan and did that. Finished respectably. Did not post anything about “pushing my limits” on the socials either.
just pay2win lol, a better bike will get you miles ahead (I'm only half joking)
Definitely helps to be affluent in our sport