The Old Guy

I have a triathlon dream. Ok, I have many triathlon dreams, but this may be the one I most relish. I want to be the old guy at the events, the guy everyone knows and of whom people say ‘Wow, he’s amazing! They say he’s been doing these local events for 60 years!’. (Let’s be clear about this: this will be the only way the word ‘amazing’ will every be linked to my triathlon career.) My first race was in 1986 so that means I’d be 81 and still swimming, biking and running. The environment of a triathlon is something special – so positive and celebratory. Who wouldn’t want to make that an ongoing part of one’s long, healthy life? Add to that the fact that once I’m a little older I won’t be as inclined to run so hard I vomit, the whole picture is looking pretty good to me. Easy swim, easy bike, easy run and then I hop back into my flying car and return to home to my space pod (it’s 2046, after all).

Today we salute Sister Madonna Buder. A few weeks ago, at age 82, she became the oldest person to ever complete an Ironman triathlon. What a way to cap off a career. But wait – no, she’s not done yet. She’s preparing to do the Hawaii Ironman on October 13th. That is one cool lady. And, she’s a great writer. Read her race report here: http://ironstruck.com/sister-madonnas-amazing-grace  (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

Lights, Camera, Triathlon

Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and it is coming more and more into the public conscience.  Witness the Malibu Triathlon last weekend where Hollywood stars took part in relay teams, stars like Rainn Wilson from The Office.  The entertainment press was there and, hence, our sport made it to the TV's of a whole new audience.  In fact, the story of one of those actors, John Cryer, crashing on the bike course, may have been the most read triathlon story of the year.

Someday, maybe we'll see a triathlon scene in a major motion picture or a television character who trains and participates in the sport.  God knows we triathletes are idiosyncratic and, as characters, could supply plenty of potential humour or drama.

The starting point may be for us to be in commercials.  But here we face an enormous road block.  How do you do a triathlon commercial when you know it will certainly pale by comparison to the trail blazer: Wes Hobson's Clif Bar commercial from early last decade.

Have you seen triathlon appear in a TV show or movie?  Post a comment and we'll track the sports ascension to the upper levels of pop culture! (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)