The coverage drives me nuts.

I wish they'd treat it as a sporting event... show some time splits, a leaderboard, run down the top 10 out of the water, after the bike, etc.

Instead it's a 90 minute infomercial for triumph over adversity. :P Yes, we get it, it's hard! And lots of people have overcome a lot to be there. Now cover the race, please!

Sorry, just venting.

jono

triNick... same rant, two different forums? :P

I enjoyed it....

Some of it was OK... the camera work at the start really captured the swim well, gave me goosebumps!

But I was just watching the 1994 coverage the other day (downloaded it to fill trainer time), it was quite a bit better. Phil Liggett was on it, they talked more about what was going on in the actual race...

And last week they had the Muskoka 70.3 on TV here in Canada... it was great, none of that filler stuff, almost all actual race coverage. Where are the leaders, who is ahead, by how much, who can make it up on the run, etc.

jono

Watching NBC Kona coverage one might get the impression that the race for able-bodied athletes, who aren't running to dedicate this race to a dead relative, raise money for research for some disease, or to compensate for some lost body part or to commemorate surviving some terrible affliction in their childhood, was actually a backdrop for the cripples and the fundraisers.

Beautiful coverage that trashes a serious sport. Would they spend 50% of an NFL Sunday game on the various charitable endeavours of the Middle Linebackers and the Quarterbacks of the two teams, in between rehashing the knee operations and braces of the linemen?

Quick another shot of that bloody knee before we replay the last touchdown..

PoC

Although I didn't see it this year, (stupid VCR) the last few years seem to be following the same script. From the above comments it seems this year was no different. I have enjoyed watching in the past, and it is what put the idea to do an IM in my head but maybe it is time to change up the way it is presented.

What's a VCR?

I know I know. I don't have an Ipod either.

I have become "accustomed" to the editorial direction given to the NBC coverage. I've watched tri coverage on the VS network and those are definitely more "dry" and cover the play by play. I not only do not mind the NBC coverage style of Kona, I kind of have a soft spot for it. I buy it all - hook, line, and sinker - the teary eyed stories of people missing limbs, old geezers finishing in the dead of night, using the race as emotional compensation for not having a teddy bear while growing up, etc.. For me, the human interest stories, the beautiful edit and camera work, the polished voice narrating more than doing sports commentary - it's an enjoyable show.

I love watching the ending where they do show a few age groupers crossing the finish line in various states of disrepair. This year they really played up the "this race will kick your ass" theme! You could play a drinking game based on how many interviews featured the word "suffer" and you'd be dead of alcohol poisoning by the end of the first half.

Yeah, I know.
but I love children and small animals, I really do.

I've been watching the NBC coverage for ~20 years. I was a journalist in 1993 and was in Kona for Mark Allen's 5th consecutive win. And I've been back since. I always watch the December edited version and am invariably disappointed.
The formula hasn't changed in decades.
I admire the technical excellence of the helicopter cameras, and the moto coverage, the editing, and, Al Trautwig admittedly has a gift in his cadence and tonality.

OTOH, Ironmanlive is broadcast by people who have done the event and understand it viscerally. The commentators: PNF, Welchie, Huddle, Fuhr, Michellie, et al, have nearly a hundred Ironman WINS among them.
The NBC broadcast looks like it was put together by a bunch of geniuses NONE of whom have ever done an IM, much less won one, and it looks it.
Which means they are pretty good at putting bums in their seats and selling cars, but totally don't understand the event.

They can't perceive the drama of Chris and Big Matt, of AG athletes who have devoted time, energy, relationships, souls into this event, put careers on hold or even in the tank in order to do it. The film editors can't see the outrageous grace of common people doing extraordinary things before their very eyes.
They can't discern competition within AGs and have never thought it was important enough to figure out how to track it despite the fact that we all have chips on our ankles.

It's easy to see the guys out front, the first 3 or 4 females, the guys in wheelchairs and the folks with prosthetics and the people with SEALS or NYFD on their shirts, so that's what they shoot.

But are they the ones the race was created for? Do they, collectively, represent more than 3% of the people in the race?

(Actually, the SEALs are the ones the race was conceived by and for)

NBC made their choice - they shoot the people who are easily identifiable as having a cause.
They determined their priorities - to sell cars and get ratings, and I understand all that. Actually I expect nothing less from them, because at the Olympics they run around among the athletes to find someone whose mom has died in the last six months and is dedicating her race to her mom's memory.

I think it is crass exploitation.

It doesn't mean I have to like it. It does mean I have to speak up in favour of improving the coverage.
My first suggestion is that they hire a director who has actually done an Ironman distance triathlon.

Start with that.

PoC

Wait a minute... television contains crass exploitation?!

PoC, longest and most correct post I've read on these forums :). I couldn't agree more.

I think they keep the same director, just hire a producer who's done one. I like the dramatic effect they use, they just need to change PoV.

I used to watch it before I started triathlons and it sucked me in, I loved to watch it.
It is one of the reasons I decided to give it a 'tri'.

I have to say now that I have a bunch of triathlons under my race belt and have finished a couple of IM's I see it differently.

I still watch it because there isn't that much triathlon coverage on TV.
I am more critical of it but it doesn't lessen the acheivement of those that do it.

It would get a facelift if they could get a production staffer that has been there and completed it.
Having Greg Welsh, Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Scott Tinley, Scott Molina or Paula Newby-Fraser oversee would be great.

If nothing else, seeing the coverage in HD on the 42" Plasma sure as hell beats the tiny window I watched the live coverage on. One thing I did notice while watching the other IM's on VS was that if you weren't a triathlete, watching a triathlon can be a little boring. I enjoy it b/c I can relate. But to your average viewer it can be pretty dry. But the NBC coverage goes in the opposite direction. They make it seem like a charity race at some points and skip over huge chunks of the Pro/AG races. The artificial drama added was fun at times, watching Wellington fly by Granger on the bike at the aid station was exciting.

Dissapointed not to see the Lietos. NBC can show me the twin Germans finishing together but can't show one of the most well known and marketable triathletes meet his brother at the finish line knowing everything that Matt has gone through to get there? Weak! Still my favorite moment from the live broadcast and I was dissappointed when the NBC broadcast ended with no mention of Tribro's bros (they did show Chris a little).

I understand the connection that IM has with the SEALs but I thought that it was played up a little too much compared to the other military athletes. No mention of the military division at Kona, each service sends 4 male and 1 female to compete. Biggest dissapointment was not seeing Maj Connors, the Marine who trained in Iraq after he finally got a lottery slot after about 12 years of trying. Ironman had an article online about his training but no mention of him during the broadcast (NBC or live stream, unless I missed something). It was great that the SEALs jumped in and then did the race, but it hardly compares to what Maj Connors did. Not only did he train in Iraq, he road the bike leg in uniform, complete with combat boots and kevlar helmet. And then he ran the marathon in uniform and combat boots. Now that is motivational (okay, maybe just for us military type). Beads would be proud, that was one hardcore Marine, maybe a little crazy, but hardcore none the less.

I'll probably watch the broadcast a few more times b/c watching the pros do what they do motivates me to keep at this tri thing, those guys/gals are simply amazing at what they can get their bodies to do. Agree that they need to get some IM experience behind the scenes, would probably tighten up the broadcast.

Oh, and what in the hell was with all of the carnage. My wife is now freaked that I'm going fall over dead at IM Canada b/c half of the broadcast played out like an old Vietnam movie with everyone being taken out on stretchers.

He got a celebrity entry I'm assuming since he is well known at least to baseball fans, but I don't think that necessarily means he was going to get coverage...I think that was a separate decision by NBC, since they had name recognition with him.

After watching it, it didn't so much look like she didn't know how to use the canister as much as she was in a rush and just opened it prematurely by accident. As to the assistance, it was debated on many tri-boards, but I think the gist was she was assisted by someone IN the race, which doesn't count as OUTSIDE assistance. The other people around her were mostly just standing around watching her yell at passing bikers, but if they were helping her, they had to be race officials or tech support