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Rob Konrad's swim

I hate being so cynical but my BS meter is really clanging off the hook with this story.
WTC Free since 2010


Comments

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    I really wanted to post something snarky along the lines of: "Hey, Ironman athletes who're afraid of ever having their binky of a wetsuit taken away: your excuse is forever invalid." Even if his story is bullshit (which, like you, something doesn't add up here), I still felt like I needed to take a shot at those who feel the Chattanooga swim is "fair." Heaven fuck forbid that the swim is hard.

    Sorry, rant over.
    HSeeley14
    Resident Gear Guru
    Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
  • Options

    I hate being so cynical but my BS meter is really clanging off the hook with this story.

    link to the story for those who aren't in the know?

    seems like kind of an asshole =)

  • Options
    Resident Gear Guru
    Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
  • Options
    WadeCutterWadeCutter Member
    edited January 2015
    Theo said:

    I hate being so cynical but my BS meter is really clanging off the hook with this story.

    link to the story for those who aren't in the know?
    This is the gist of it
    http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/ex-dolphin-rob-konrad-recounts-16-hour-swim-survival-article-1.2075351

    WTC Free since 2010


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    yournotuniqueyournotunique Member, Rooster Endurance Member
    He's the ex football player who supposedly fell of his boat and swam 9mi back to shore in 16 hours.
    Aaron Webstey
    -I know it's wrong. Blame old AOL character limits. Illadelph |
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    ah yes, I saw that story but since American Football means jack-all to me, I didn't remember the name.

    I think the hardest thing about this whole story is that it will be impossible for anyone to know exactly where he fell off, how far "off-course" (i.e. not direct) he swam on the way back, and how much rest/swimming he did. So people can guess about all those metrics, but they'll only really be guesses. Personally I don't think any of it really matters, dude survived in the water for a f-long time, swimming probably more in one go than he has the rest of his life combined, so mad props to him for pulling it off.
    Aaron Webstey

    seems like kind of an asshole =)

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    HSeeley14HSeeley14 Member, Rooster Endurance Member, POTM
    rrheisler said:

    I really wanted to post something snarky along the lines of: "Hey, Ironman athletes who're afraid of ever having their binky of a wetsuit taken away: your excuse is forever invalid." Even if his story is bullshit (which, like you, something doesn't add up here), I still felt like I needed to take a shot at those who feel the Chattanooga swim is "fair." Heaven fuck forbid that the swim is hard.

    Sorry, rant over.

    "binky of a wetsuit" hahaha - love it @rrheisler. I am not the best swimmer, but have worked hard and just can't understand why they keep pandering to those who fear the swim or are super slow. Listen, it's a FUCKING RACE, if you can't do it in the alotted time and under the conditions of the day (yes, that includes currents, rain, cold, wind, swells and a couple thousand aholes bashing you along the way) then you shouldn't be doing this sport. It is not easy and it can be really effing scary, but isn't that why we are here? To challenge ourselves and go outside of our comfort zone? Ugh, so stupid. Work harder in your training, get your ass outside and conquer your fear, or just wait for IM to make up a new rule that for a small fee (of course) you can do the swim with water wings and tethered to a canoe.

    Aaron WebsteyHeatherLow
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    Aaron WebsteyAaron Webstey Administrator, Rooster Endurance Member, Rooster Endurance Officers
    When I started racing in '95, there was a guy who used to haul his kids along for the whole deal (Olympic distance only) - pulled one in a rubber dinghy on the swim, had a trailer on the bike, and converted that to a stroller on the run. He regularly finished in the top 1/4 of participants and smoked a 3-man team of local Mounties (they're like state troopers I think, in the US) in one race. If he can do that, the rest of us can swim without wetsuits.

    I understand race officials trying to encourage participation by making it easier to finish, but not sure I get why people bellyache about a race being too hard. It's fucking hard, that's the point! There are tons of easier sports out there; try golf or curling if you just want to participate without being challenged.
    TheoHSeeley14
    #KOAT
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    btw, curling rocks! The most fun I've had in a "team" sport ever!
    Aaron Webstey

    seems like kind of an asshole =)

  • Options
    I feel like one of the primary hurdles we have to overcome as a sport are races that insist on wetsuits being required, even if the water temps aren't all that cold. It simply creates a barrier to entry for beginners "oh, you HAVE to have this in order to be in the race." Fuck that noise. My first year in the sport, at Timberman, there was a chance it wouldn't be wetsuit legal (wound up being a degree under). I did a couple OWS without a wetsuit where a couple of tri club members thought I was batshit insane. (Shut up, I know I'm batshit insane.)

    I'm pro-inclusivity, of which one major hurdle is economic. I'm anti-make the race easier.
    Aaron WebsteyHSeeley14
    Resident Gear Guru
    Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
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    I used to do sprint races sans wetsuit anytime temps were above 70 deg. I suck swimming with or without a wetsuit but found sprints more fun if I didn't have to deal with them. Too much hassle.
    Aaron Webstey
    WTC Free since 2010


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    While the 9-mile out figure is hard to believe his injuries, trajectory and where his boat was found all add up. Unlikely is different than impossible - someone can almost always do something despite it being unlikely. There are far easier ways to drum up a press-profile than dehydrating and putting one's self into hypothermia. The truth is probably rooted in his tale but some of the details are being embellished.
    Aaron Webstey

    Great Uncle, Average Father, Mediocre Triathlete

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    As far fetched as Konrad's details are, it still is more sound than Robert Allenby's story!
    Scheck48
    WTC Free since 2010


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    interesting interview with Konrad today on Dan LeBatard's radio show. LInk on today's Lebetard twitter feed https://twitter.com/lebatardshow
    Investigation is closed, story is officially legit.
    Aaron Webstey
    WTC Free since 2010


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