What are the benefits? None. Prior to the race, I try to stay as far away as possible from other triathletes. I know I've already paid for the dinner. I know it is just down the street or down a flight of stairs. And I know that it is just after the "mandatory" pre-race meeting (that I also skip). My experience at pre-race carb load dinners is that it is a bunch of blow-hards talking loud enough for everyone to hear that 1) they are shooting for Kona; 2) the airline crushed their Zipps and won't get fully reimbursed THE $3,000 THEY PAID FOR THEM; 3) how awesome their training by way over-exagerting how many thousands of miles/hundreds of hours they put in; and 4) how high their VO2 max is or how low their body fat is. My experience and my opinion is that pre-race dinners is a time to pysch everyone out!

beads1985 wrote:

I can imagine the chat going on at the table of trifuelers.

***

Toni: "Sooo, is that like, a real Ironman tattoo? Kewl. How was it? Did it hurt?"

BBB: "Like my new Trifuel jersey? Got it just before I left. That tribro is good!"

Brittda: "I got the Trifuel bike shorts.. now if I can just squeeze into them."

Chunky B: "Who's going for seconds? Can I have your bread roll?"

PoC: "Pass me that bottle of Gatorade. God, I love this stuff! Yummm."

Anton: "See those pipers that came through here at the start? I have a kilt just like theirs, in fact, I'm wearing it on Sunday."

Newbie #1: "So, like, is the Richter as steep and as long as they say?"

beads: "Naw, it's a breeze, It's the Yellow Lake climb you have to worry about. Hope you mounted a triple-chainring? You didn't? Oops."

Newbie #2 "I forgot my wetsuit. Do you think it will matter? How cold is the lake anyway?"

***

Yeah, I can't wait.
PoC

"Have you ever got an ingrown hair in your ________?"

theShiba wrote:

"Have you ever got an ingrown hair in your ________?"

I think "taint" is the word you are looking for

I've never had the privilege of dining with trifuelers (PoC you totally cracked me up with that dialogue) but I've always found lots of nice triathletes to sit around, I guess I missed out on the blowhard table or something. I'm often inspired by the many reasons that people come to an event like this, and the journeys they've taken to get there. That's the main reason I like the pasta dinners, even without the inspirational video. Let's face it, pretty much everyone there is an inspiration in themselves.

brittda wrote:

Ironmom wrote:

I've never had the privilege of dining with trifuelers (PoC you totally cracked me up with that dialogue) but I've always found lots of nice triathletes to sit around, I guess I missed out on the blowhard table or something. I'm often inspired by the many reasons that people come to an event like this, and the journeys they've taken to get there. That's the main reason I like the pasta dinners, even without the inspirational video. Let's face it, pretty much everyone there is an inspiration in themselves.

I have had the privelage to dine with POC and BBB on a few occasions...never a dull moment :)

Unfortunately,
I only had a change to swill Margaritas with Britt and Hubby ;-)

post race, of course ;-)

beads1985 wrote:

brittda wrote:

Ironmom wrote:

I've never had the privilege of dining with trifuelers (PoC you totally cracked me up with that dialogue) but I've always found lots of nice triathletes to sit around, I guess I missed out on the blowhard table or something. I'm often inspired by the many reasons that people come to an event like this, and the journeys they've taken to get there. That's the main reason I like the pasta dinners, even without the inspirational video. Let's face it, pretty much everyone there is an inspiration in themselves.

I have had the privelage to dine with POC and BBB on a few occasions...never a dull moment :)

Unfortunately,
I only had a change to swill Margaritas with Britt and Hubby ;-)

post race, of course ;-)

HEY what do you mean "unfortunately"????!!!!!!
I am never opposed to a pre race drink(or 2 as the case was) either---just ask BBB of course then I am sucking air the next day :(

Are you gonna be at DW again? We will.

brittda wrote:

Are you gonna be at DW again? We will.

DW? DW? Someone say DW?
I'll be there...4th Goofy
Can't speak for Beads.
Back on topic... I've never been at a "Blow hard" table at an IM or any other race for that matter....Besides, to go back to my "Triathlon as family" analogy:
When you go to Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Mable's house and you have to sit at the table with all these people..some of them you love and others...like Uncle Rube, are just the worst person in the world to sit next to....but they're still family.
Any time you get a big group together you're going to meet everything from humble saints to controlling narcissists or worse....but that's the point. You're meeting people...Good, bad, pretty, ugly, Big, small, rich, poor, steel Puch or custom Elite, I love 'em. They make the world much more fun!

brittda wrote:

Are you gonna be at DW again? We will.

DW? DW? Someone say DW?
I'll be there...4th Goofy
Can't speak for Beads.
Back on topic... I've never been at "Blow hard" table at an IM or any other race for that matter....Besides, to go back to my "Triathlon as family" analogy:
When you go to Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Mable's house and you have to sit at the table with all these people..some of them you love and others...like Uncle Rube are just the worst person in the world to sit next to....but they're still family.
Any time you get a big group together you're going to meet everything from humble saints to controlling narcissists or worse....but that's the point. You're meeting people...Good, bad, pretty, ugly, Big, small, rich, poor, steel Puch or custom Elite, I love 'em. They make the world much more fun!