So it seems we struck a nerve responding to the article about 40 year olds not being triathletes.  Remember Brian Lamee of Findlay who credits triathlon with saving his life too?  He kindly chimed in to add a new perspective to our little discussion:

“Ok, so after Bloomberg recently published this article it has a bunch of people in the triathlon community outraged and yes, I am one of those people.  Considering that triathlon saved my life.  First to be fair to the writer of this article before I go completely nuts, please read it so you have some context.

The article tries to make a few points.  There is a heart risk for people over 40 that get into the sport and put too much strain on their body.  They cite people that have a heart attack during the event and die.  But if you look at CDC data for the leading causes of death  Heart Disease is right up there for people over 40 anyway.  More people die having a heart attack doing nothing on any given Sunday than all of those that have a heart attack during a marathon, triathlon, pickup basketball game or whatever.  More people die because of the Big Mac they ate than a triathlon.  1 out of every 4 deaths in the US is related to heart disease.  They cite that 60 out of 11 million marathon runners die of a heart attack.  If anything, those numbers show the benefits of healthy lifestyles.  I would take those odds.  You have a better chance of dying in a car accident on the way to a triathlon (sorry, but it is true.)  While it is tough when an athlete dies, many times they find out that the heart disease was going to get them whether they ran or not (genetics, damage was done too early, whatever.)  The main problem with this article is lack of data and science, but welcome to journalism on the internet.  If you look at tribes in other countries like the Tarahumara, running and extreme exercise have always been part of their culture and lifestyle, and they have 60+ year olds that can throw down with the best high school track teams.  They also don’t eat the crap that we Americans do, and that is probably more to the point.

The second premise of the article is that people are out doing a triathlon with little to no training.  While yes, there are those that will do that (and I am HIGHLY against it), almost everyone trains for a triathlon.  Yes, open water swimming can be hard, so you train for it.  Yes, all three sports can put stress on the body, so you spend months working up to that.  If I showed up for a Nascar race (driving, not watching) and had never trained to drive in a race, would anyone be surprised if I ate the wall and likely did not walk away?  Would you be surprised if I was in a full body cast after taking a hit in an NHL game if I never played hockey in my life?  Again if you are thinking, “hey, I have been sitting on the couch for 10 years and I am fat and overweight, you know what I am going to do … go compete in a triathlon”, stop right there and know that just like everything else, you have to train and work up to it.  But there are thousands of 40+ year olds that have trained and conditioned their body.  Now the doctor in the article makes a good point that sometimes people don’t listen to the signs their body is giving them and that is true of anything, but that does not mean that everyone should give up the sport because a few people just can’t stop.  All athletes have that drive and it is hard to stop when the body says stop.  Again, this goes for tennis players that play past the signs and do long term damage to their elbow.  Are we calling for all country clubs to stop people over 40 from playing tennis?

I mentioned it saved my life, so let me get to that.  As of this writing, I am 38 years old. When I was 30 years old, I was 100 pounds overweight, in bad shape and had a minor heart attack.  Not because of triathlon, but because of all the fast food, too much beer and sitting around doing nothing.  I had to get active and start exercising.  So I started riding my bike to get active, then I added running once I had dropped almost 50 pounds.  Then to add some different low impact exercise, I added swimming.  Friends convinced me that I needed to try a triathlon so we picked a small Sprint race and I trained for it.  I trained for the 90 degree heat I would be running in.  I trained for the open water swim.  I trained for the mass start that I would be dealing with.  I trained for the transition from the bike to the run and even did brick workouts (workouts where you do all three exercises so you know what you are in for.)  I had huge benefits of being active, eating right and being around other people that had a healthy lifestyle.  Had I not done these things, the next heart attack would have been the big one.  Is there a risk?  Sure, there is risk with everything, but I have a greater chance of having a heart attack doing nothing sitting on the coach playing the XBOX than I do in a race.  Recently I was hit by a car on my bike and one could argue that I should not ride a bike because the risk is I could die out there.  I hate to tell ya people, but our ticket is all going to get punched at some point and we all just try to avoid the things that are of serious risk (smoking, shark wrangler, hemlock taste tester, eating bacon for every meal) and go with the ones that have lower risk (running, swimming, biking, hiking).  As I approach 40, do I plan to give it up?  Nope, I will keep going.  And if I have a heart attack out there at 40+ then so be it, because to be honest, I would have had it a long time ago without triathlon and every year I have now, is a year that I probably should not have had.

But remember, triathlon is a serious event and ordeal and it can be stressful on the body.  You need to train for something like this and train for the race conditions you will face (if the race will be hot, don’t do all your training early in the morning or if the swim will be in open water, get out of the pool and do open water for a few swims.)  And finally, listen to your body.  If you are coming from a sedentary lifestyle (have not exercised before) then make sure you have your doctor check you out to make sure there is not something wrong that increased stress could make worse and if it hurts or does not feel right, stop.”

Thanks Brian – and we’ll see you on race days for many years to come!

Men over 40 should not run triathlons

In a recent article published in Bloomberg news (seen here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-20/men-over-40-should-think-twice-before-running-triathlons.html) a researcher presents a very well-constructed case as to why men over the age of 40 should not consider participating in the sport of triathlon. The article cites the obvious strain on an untrained body, the immediate shock and strain of open water swimming in cold lakes, and the long distances of some of America’s favorite triathlons all as reasons that middle-aged men die in triathlon, and should therefore rethink participation in the sport. As a long time triathlete, and a long time man over the age of 40, I just have two words to say to this “researcher”: but Shannon won’t allow me to print them here. Let’s understate it and say that I might disagree, and many of our fellow triathletes disagree as well.

The researcher cites the triathlon lifestyle as one that is overly taxing on an athlete’s heart, citing research that minimal exercise is best.  ““People need to understand that they’re not necessarily gaining more health by doing more exercise,” said David Prior, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine in the article.  While on the surface that may be true, there are a long, long list of names that I have called across the finish line who are alive simply because they did gain more health by doing more exercise.  Brian Lamee of Findlay Ohio lost 125 pounds in his quest to get healthy and become the awesome age grouper that he is now; and hundreds of other people have taken to triathlon to get off the couch and start doing more exercise.  Every one of them healthier, happier, and better for it.  Personally, I found the sport of triathlon because of the weight loss challenge, and I know many other Clydesdales who revel in the competition and camaraderie of being on the course with other Big Dogs.  We’re not competing because we think we can set some course record, or because we think we can fly around the course like these light little 19-year-olds.  We compete to participate in the lifestyle, to exercise, to smile, and to be with other people enjoying the same things that we love.

People use triathlon and the lifestyle to combat many other things. Don Cain of Team HFP makes no secret of the fact that without triathlon he would be dead.  A struggling alcoholic early in life, Don turned to the triathlon lifestyle as a way to beat his addiction. Not only was he able to beat that addiction, he beat it down hard, and is now a nationally ranked triathlete, has earned his PhD, and counsels youth all over the country about how the triathlon lifestyle could put them on the path to greatness as well.  Don would be the first one to argue that he absolutely gained more health by doing more exercise.

Deanna Kiesel of Team HFP looks like any other racer on the course on race morning, but she’s far from ordinary.  A veteran of more than 85 marathons, and more than 100 triathlons and duathlons over the past 15 years, you cannot tell by looking at her that she’s been fighting cancer since that very first marathon.  She uses running, triathlons, and exercise in general as her coping mechanism.  She also takes that same fighting spirit and translates it into her job as a school counselor, helping young people realize that the fight is not over till you decide it’s over.  She takes another swing at cancer with every step on the course, and she’ll let the disease know when this fight is over.  She too would argue that a little more exercise absolutely gave her a little better health, both mentally and physically. Says Kiesel: “I was told that my exercise is probably the reason I’m still alive! Well, that and my total bullheadedness.”

Then there’s Kathleen Putnam, who is very easy to pick out on race mornings as she wanders through the transition area with a helper pushing her bike while she walks with two support canes.  Kathleen was hit by a car two years ago and was told that not only would she not survive, but if she did she would never walk again.  I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege of welcoming Kathleen to the finish line in both short and long distance triathlons since the day the doctors told her to give up.  Yes, she may take just a little longer than the average competitor, and those titanium canes absolutely glisten as her sweat rolls down them, but she does every inch of the course on her own power and each step is another testament to how the triathlon lifestyle can save your life.

Did you know that almost 25% of triathletes are either active-duty or veteran military?  These are people who had the exercise (AKA – “PT”) lifestyle thrust upon them and have made it a part of their life. Triathlons dangerous to men over 40?  Tell that to Lieut. Col. Graeme Henderson, a member of the US Air Force triathlon team, and a longtime member of the over 40 male club. A fantastic racer, Col. Henderson takes “PT triathlon style” to a whole new level. Add with him every grunt that comes back home and wants to jump in and stay active.  For that matter check out team RWB and talk to the members and hear the stories of how they “shadow raced” hometown races while they were deployed, how they ran miles in the desert sun to cope with boredom, or nightmares, or both.  Triathlon is dangerous for men over 40? Certainly less dangerous than defusing IED’s or standing in roadways as targets for snipers.  Ask Special Forces operative Sean Clifton if exercise was dangerous for him.  Almost dismembered by Taliban bullets, his exercise toughened body was able to withstand multiple gunshot wounds, and with some fantastic medical magic was able to heal.  He too was told to discard the triathlon lifestyle after his incident.  Ha!  You don’t tell a Ranger to do anything, he’ll tell you how it goes.  Sean told himself and his body exactly how this recovery process was going to materialize, and he used exercise as part of that healing process. He is now a nationally ranked triathlete, putting all of that determination and attitude he learned as a Ranger into excelling as a triathlete, role model, and inspiration.

Yes, the triathlon lifestyle is a bit more risky than sitting at home watching TV from the couch… Or is it?  Studies daily find that “sitting is the new smoking” and that certain levels of exercise are required just to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Research proved decades ago that resistance training in both men and women improves muscle tone, improves bone density, and improves overall health.  So is the triathlon lifestyle any more dangerous than anything else you do every day?  You can probably make the argument either way, and I say go for it – argue away.  We’ll be swimming, biking, running, and planning for our next race.

See you on race day!

Rich Fowler