Ironman auctioning Kona slots on ebay
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ryanweeg posted 22 weeks ago.
If that isn't motivation for an ironman athlete to train harder then I don't know what is...
..a little ridiculous...
"If one can stick to the training throughout many long years, that willpower is no longer a problem. It's Raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's beside the point. It's simply just that I have to."
-Emil Zatopek
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TriSooner posted 22 weeks ago.
ryanweeg wrote:
..a little ridiculous...
A lot ridiculous. $40,000? C'mon. Typical Ironman entry is 1/80th the cost of this 'fundraiser.'
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RV posted 22 weeks ago.
It is for charity....
In 2007, Ironman made grants and donations to deserving charities on Hawaii's Big Island including: the American Cancer Society, Boy Scouts of America, Daughters of Hawaii, Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics. Additionally, more than $100,000 in cash and/or supplies went to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, The Hospice of Kona and the Hawaii Fire Department, in conjunction with the Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation.
Funding for the eBay auction does not have to be generated through one source, fundraising efforts are acceptable. All funds are tax-deductible and all proceeds go to the Ironman Foundation, which will in turn make donations to the organizations.
Ironman covers all administrative costs to ensure all monies raised will directly benefit the selected charities.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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brittda posted 22 weeks ago.
Well, some people DO have the $$$ and if it goes to a good cause, then why not? Tax deduction AND they get to do the race. I think its a clever and resourceful idea. Certainly as deserving as someone who gets in on the lottery (ok, yes that is a whole different discussion).
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Sandman posted 22 weeks ago.
I know a guy who bought one. He was satisfied.
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TryScott posted 22 weeks ago.
I think the lottery is very similar. I believe there are 2 types of triathletes. Those that qualified for Kona, and everyone else.
I'm glad there are other ways to get into the Kona race. Personally, I have a better chance of making it via lottery than qualifying, but I still plan on trying to qualify. My wife rolled her eyes when she found out that I spent $130 on bike shoes a few days ago, so I will not be paying $40k for a Kona spot. However, I'm glad that some people can donate to charity for a spot. Does this mean that someone who would of normally not given to charity will now cough up $40k? Who knows, but it's still nice a good way to show people how Ironman is helping the community, and getting money to good organizations.
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ChunkyB posted 22 weeks ago.
So I guess this thread should go along with the J-Lo thread. Maybe she'll be one of the lucky winners. Or heck, maybe even Katie Holmes.
Honestly though, I think it would be so awesome if Lance bought one of the spots. He's loaded, plus he's a good marathoner, and a decent cyclist. I've honestly wondered if he'd do triathlon. Think how awesome that would be to see Lance just schooling everyone on the bike after sucking on the swim. That would honestly be so awesome. Maybe I'm biased because I just got (and watched) my first TdF video (1999) from Netflix today. I love watching that guy.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
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kylie posted 22 weeks ago.
Chunky -- Lance was a triathlete before he was a cyclist (and I believe came into it as a swimmer)... And I bet he'd be able to get a media slot if he wanted one ;)
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packtrisam posted 22 weeks ago.
ChunkyB wrote:
I think it would be so awesome if Lance bought one of the spots. He's loaded, plus he's a good marathoner, and a decent cyclist. I've honestly wondered if he'd do triathlon. Think how awesome that would be to see Lance just schooling everyone on the bike after sucking on the swim. That would honestly be so awesome. Maybe I'm biased because I just got (and watched) my first TdF video (1999) from Netflix today. I love watching that guy.
It would be an incredible spectacle.
Saying Lance is a decent cyclist is like saying that breaking your fibula is moderate impediment to training or being poisoned would slightly increase your chance of dying. He can average over an Ironman bike spilt speed over 3 weeks! (not one day mind you). A sub 3 hour marathon? not a problem. Sucking on the swim? Started his competitive career as, guess what? a triathlete. Plus, the training and preparation he puts in would crush other mortals. He'd probably move to Hawaii just to train on the course. I would love to see him do it. It would probably rival my favorite Lance moment of the mountain stage in the 2003 TDF where he crashed on the final climb and went on to win the day.
All in my dreams though.
"It never gets easier, you just go faster" -Greg Lemond
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ChunkyB posted 22 weeks ago.
kylie wrote:
Chunky -- Lance was a triathlete before he was a cyclist (and I believe came into it as a swimmer)... And I bet he'd be able to get a media slot if he wanted one ;)
Yeah. Didn't he win the junior triathlon championships of some kind when he was a kid. He was mostly a triathlete until he was almost 20 wasn't he? That would honestly be so awesome if he did Kona.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
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ChunkyB posted 22 weeks ago.
packtrisam wrote:
Saying Lance is a decent cyclist is like saying that breaking your fibula is moderate impediment to training or being poisoned would slightly increase your chance of dying. He can average over an Ironman bike spilt speed over 3 weeks! (not one day mind you). A sub 3 hour marathon? not a problem. Sucking on the swim? Started his competitive career as, guess what? a triathlete. Plus, the training and preparation he puts in would crush other mortals. He'd probably move to Hawaii just to train on the course. I would love to see him do it. It would probably rival my favorite Lance moment of the mountain stage in the 2003 TDF where he crashed on the final climb and went on to win the day.All in my dreams though.
I said he's a decent cyclist, and I'm sticking with that. He might be able to pass a few people on the bike, I'll give him that.
I don't know why, but that fibula thing reminded me of that Brian Regan joke about how breaking your femur is the only thing that qualifies as a 10 on the 0-10 pain scale. So freaking funny.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
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Anton posted 22 weeks ago.
It's all relative. Compared to Eddie Merckx, LA is (was) a decent cyclist.
Charity slots for Kona...sure, why not. A great idea..they do it for all the IM races. (Community Fund) WTC is a private corporation anyway, it's their "World Championship," so the can sell slots, give them away for free or make you qualify.
Now, if someone auctioned off slots to the Olympics...!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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tbs_craig posted 22 weeks ago.
im sorry, theres no relativity about it. saying LA is decent is silly and ridiculous.
you can argue he isn't the best ever just like you can anyone...
but you would never say michael jordan, or tiger woods, or joe montana were decent at what they did. and you can t say it about lance.
and i also would love to see him Tri again
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Anton posted 22 weeks ago.
Unfortunately there is no icon for tongue in cheek...Ok, LA is an excellent cyclist...but there is no hero worship on this end. The only thing you can say about his career as a bikie: He is the greatest Tour de France rider ever...and that is about it. His career list of major wins pales in comparison to a least a dozen riders I can think of...but that's all relative. ;)
Anyway , back on topic...while charity is great (I"m doing a charity event in two weeks) If I had 40k to spend for charity I'd spend it on the local needy, not ones six thousand miles away.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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ChunkyB posted 22 weeks ago.
tbs_craig wrote:
im sorry, theres no relativity about it. saying LA is decent is silly and ridiculous.
you can argue he isn't the best ever just like you can anyone...
but you would never say michael jordan, or tiger woods, or joe montana were decent at what they did. and you can t say it about lance.
and i also would love to see him Tri again
Okay, I thought you'd pick it up the second time around. How could you not tell that I was being sarcastic, especially after I said "he might be able to pass a few people on the bike".
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
Ironman is auctioning six slots to the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship. The auction will begin on Sunday, April 13. The minimum bid for slots to the event will begin at $10,000. The average selling price for slots is approximately $40,000.