Soapbox – Purchase Power
When it comes to their sport, you could never accuse a triathlete of being tight with cash. Tell a triathlete one creatine-enriched jellybean will improve their run split from 47 minutes for 10 kilometres to 31 minutes off the bike and they’ll buy them by the truckload.
It was with this mindset I recently reviewed what I thought was one of the funniest online cartoons I’ve seen in years – one guy stood telling the other guy about the myriad you-beaut, go-fast trinkets he has to buy in order to be competitive. The other guy is telling him what a wanker he is and he just needs to train more.
This got me thinking and talking to others in our sport.
I am continuously astounded by the number of triathletes not thinking twice about going out and dropping $15,000 on the table to buy the latest aerodynamic weapon on the market. But, these same athletes will baulk at spending $165 for lab tests to help formulate their training programs or $200 for some expert coaching. What the?
I suppose being lab-tested or getting some legit coaching can’t necessarily be seen. However, if you spend big dollars on a new set of the latest deep rim aero wheels, all and sundry can stand around, gawk and say, “oh, ah”. This validates the purchaser’s shrewd investment to buy performance as they sit around the local coffee shop enjoying a low-fat, decaf, soyachino (no sugar) while munching through a fat-laden, exotic pastry. Of course, this all follows the 20 kilometre pack jaunt along the beach front averaging 23 kph and ending in a free for all, forget about the following traffic, every man for himself, 400-metre sprint to the final set of traffic lights.
