5 questions triathletes are tired of hearing 

To triathletes, training to swim, bike, and run in one day is fun, but to people who aren’t in the sport, it sounds like a unique form of torture. Because triathlon is so foreign to so many people, as triathletes, we get a lot of questions thrown our way. Nothing against all you non-triathletes out there, but we’re getting tired of hearing these same few questions over and over again. Here are the top few we are asked far too often, along with some answers.

Have you done an Ironman?

A lot of triathletes have done an Ironman, but a lot also haven’t and might not have plans to ever do one. As a business, Ironman has done an amazing job marketing itself as “the” race for triathletes, and because of this, many non-triathletes think that anyone in the sport must have done an Ironman at some point in their racing career. If you’re committed to short-course racing and happy with that distance, the next time someone asks you about Ironman, simply tell them you like living life at a faster pace.

Why do you do that to yourself?

This is a classic that any and all types of endurance athletes have heard at least once. To people who don’t regularly swim, bike, or run, doing any those sports for fun sounds insane. And so, because of this, triathletes are destined to hear this question echo throughout eternity. The short answer is that we like it. Unfortunately, the people asking that question probably won’t accept that answer, because “how could anyone like doing that?”

Do you think I could beat you in a race?

No, you couldn’t. Even if someone is great at one of the three triathlon disciplines, odds are they won’t beat a seasoned triathlete in a race. Deep down, anyone asking this question probably already knows the answer, but for some reason they still feel compelled to ask you.

Was your bike expensive?

Yes, it was. If someone asks you this, the followup will probably be, “How much was it?” If you answer that question, you’ll probably hear some shocked gasps as they try to fathom spending so much money on a bike. Don’t feel bad. We want to go fast, and a good bike is worth it.

Why not just choose one?

Some people can wrap their heads around doing one endurance sport, but combining three into a single race is just too much to understand. If someone asks you this, just say it’s fun and move on. Unless they try it out for themselves, they’ll never get it.