Should I compete in the elite group?
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UFTriGator posted 33 weeks ago.
I checked out the results and you definitely had a strong race, but the elites were still a good bit faster. I'd at least do one more race this season in your AG on a road bike and with some more training under your belt and see what happens. You obviously have a good amount of natural ability and could definitely be racing in the elite wave later in the season, but you don't want to get in over your head.....it won't be any fun. If you do another race and your time is putting you farther up in the elite results, I say go ahead and race elite because it definitely IS more fun...as long as you're not off the back. I know this for a fact. I jumped in the pro wave at one of my first tris and came out of the water near the front, but completely missed the bike pack and didn't see a single person the rest of the race....I would've had more fun in my AG.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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catwood posted 33 weeks ago.
I'll second Matt on that. Stay in your ag for another season. After 5 years doing tri's, I think I'm finally going to start racing in the elite wave in races where they offer it this year (I pretty much only race in small races - most don't). I decided to race elite when I would have been in the money if I'd raced elite at a race last year. I would much rather win my age group than finish mid-back pack in the elite race. If I'm going to race elite, I'll only do so if I have half a chance of placing. Winning your age group is fun - actually I think I'm sort of addicted to it (14 ag wins in 06 and 07) and it might be hard to give that up if I race elite. I imagine that its much more fun than a mop elite finish, but as of now I don't really know.
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psychosyd posted 33 weeks ago.
Better to be a fast AG than a slow Elite. I am personally debating the same thing. This season I will be attempting to go Elite. However, I only need to take about 1-2% off of my times to get to this level. Shouldn't be a problem. I would wait until you can bang heads with the elite guys on a week to week basis before you join them.
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alocke posted 32 weeks ago.
THANK YOU so much for your advice! I guess the take-home is that just b/c you're eligible, doesn't mean you should. It was a lot of fun to get the results and find out I did well (esp my first time out). Thanks for the personal anecdote Matt; made me giggle. And good luck Syd! Sounds like I should wait for a while and use times as a basis, not place necessarily.
I competed in my first triathlon (sprint, Danskin in Seattle) last August, and had a blast. I trained but had no formal schedule or anything like that-- to give you an idea, I competed on my younger brother's mountain bike. My goal was to have fun and finish. I ended up doing really well: I finished 7th in my age group, beating out a couple gals I knew who have been competitive runners for years.
This year, I'm excited about competing again. I've purchased a wetsuit and a proper bike, and set myself up with a more structured training schedule. Since I placed in the top ten of my age group last year, I am eligible to compete in the elite group. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Does it feel quite different racing in the elite group than just in your own age group?
I will be moving up an age group, as well (I'm turning 25 right before the triathlon). Thanks for any advice.