Can you handle a faster partner?

Hey everybody

John from Chicago sent through this question: Would you ever date a woman that was faster or more well known than you in your sport? Say for example Chrissie Wellington or another top pro?

Further more, (maybe a forum question, definitely a hot topic)-- Is it emasculating to date or marry a woman that can beat you at a discipline? Or an an entire triathlon? How about being married to a woman that is faster than you and brings home the bacon?

Love your work John.

Kia Kaha

Bevan and John

Comments

[Fegan]

What joy a partner that also trains - bring it on tampon!

I don't think it would bother me, if anything having a stronger training partner on tap would be excellent.

I'm secure enough not to care. The only worry I'd have was that she'd be boney to get a decent cuddle. I mean, I'd rather her soft bits were soft and not rock solid. Hmmm with comments like that I doubt she'd stay my partner for that long anyway.

[Thomas Peoples]

As I'm already dating, no, I would not! After seeing a picture of the 'top pros' as well... http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/userpix/13899_img_2575_2.jpg

What about Stephen and Bella? Does Bella earn more for her female podium finishes than Stephen does for his 4/5th places? Hmm...

[ed ahwkins]

defo, my wife was a national swimmer in her youth when i started ironman what did i do when i started training got her to be my swim coach -

result - out the water in 60 minutes at IMUK and countless hours of a swim coach that cost me nothing!

However i now beat her in pool (but i let her win sometimes its all about balance isnt it ;-)

[Chris Legg]

My wife kicks my arse in swimming events even if she doesnt bother doing any training, she can't run or bike for toffee though!

[Vince]

If you were dating a pro & not one yourself then it would come with territory, I'm sure Mrs Newsom doesn't worry about not being able to kick John's arse on the bike?
As for us age groupers, that's different!

I put on the last blog that my girlfriend now kicks my arse in the pool, last September we did an Olympic as an end of season race, I came out of the water to be greeted by her wetsuit hanging on the rack & her bike was gone!!
My initial reation was 'crap, what happened there?' But after 10k of time trialling to get her back I had formulated all the excuses I needed (I was less buoyant, she has a better wetsuit than me etc), joking aside I was delighted for her, I had had an ok swim, she had smashed her pb, there's no greater joy than the joy taken by the people you love :-)

Things have moved on now though & she's getting quicker on the bike too. I'm using this as my motivation, not only racing against the guys in my group but pushing myself as hard as possible at all times. If Caroline is to beat me then I have enough respect for her both as an athlete and a person to ensure she beats me at my best - no excuses!
After just a couple of years of Tri though she has been asked by one of the UK organisers to appear in their adverts, so now I'm just the guy who dates the girl from the Big Cow Events adverts, imagine what that's like? Opening 220 magazine every month to see my other half smiling at me! (although she's not keen on being known as Miss Big-Cow 2008)

[wonderboy]

I am a MAN, which means I am competitive. If I were in the situation where it was a possibility that she was better than me I would not let my girlfirend be better than me and would do anything and everything to keep it that way - more training or even cheating!!!!

Luckily I have the bestest girlfriend and son in the world who both support me from the sidelines better than I could do!

Actually thinking about it I once dated a girl who turned out to be a much better snowboarder than me - we didn't last very long!

[Dan Trepod]

It would be great for me as long as she wasn't too fast for us to train together!

[Mudman]

As long as she can still cook & clean, it wouldn't be a problem.

[edlcsre]

Alright chaps

good question. Seeing as Ironman is supposed to be an individual sport, then i'm guessing that having some rivalry with your other half would actually be quite good; having a partner faster than you would surely cause you to up your game and improve yourself. I used to run 10k road races against my sister, and they were always pretty competitive, so i guess there would be the same sort of thing with another half.

Mind you, just about everyone is faster than I am, so i'd certainly have no issue with dating someone who was faster than I was, either in individual events or the whole thing.

Having said that, surely if you're going to date someone better than you, they should be much better (sporting wise and looks wise) than you. Anyone know if Hilary Biscay is single at the moment!? can't blame a man for dreaming ;)

Perhaps you should start trying to interview partners of famous Ironmen and Women to see how they cope with that side of things...

keep up the excellent show! Good to know that even if my triathlon training goes off the boil for a few months you guys are still there bringing quality to my life when i do finally re-emerge into training again!

[AndyS]

I have no problems being beaten by a woman, if that's what she's in to (but she'd have to be worth it).

[bender]

I've dated a swimmer before. 1st date was dinner, 2nd date was a run, and third date was a swim, and that was the end of that.

Ive dated a cylcist before, and that was great for a year, till she decided to give up one of her jobs, and train for the national cycling team and do 25hrs per week, while I was stuck on <10. She came out with the "My training is more important than yours" line one day, and then it was all over.

Now dating a runner, with a marathon PB 2 minutes worse than me, but I'm hoping to nail her down at ChCh marathon soon, and put a stop to my bad run of getting beat.

If that fails, i'm gonna hook up with the next fat girl that just glances in my direction. They need love too!

[Brooklin]

Bring it, nothing hotter then a woman that can kick ass! (as long as she does not look like a man!!)

[t-rex]

Some of us have to take what we can get... faster, slower, two heads, 7 arms, fat, thin... if they bat their eyelids at me I'm not being fussy!

It's not like they're forming a queue.

T-rex

[Short Bus]

Do you really think a woman that can smoke you is going to clean up after you?

You'll be home taking care of the kids while she is swimming 5k in open water.

Can you say Mr. Mom?

[Jay]

Spousal domination of the dojo would do nothing but increase my mojo. Michelle Dillon could kick my ass six ways to Sunday and I'd still think she was the hottest thing in spandex since Joanne Ernst. I'd not only bring home the bacon, I'd cook it and serve it with Coffees of Hawaii...

(NOT the Jay in L.A. with kids and a wife)

[Brad]

An active sporty wife + children = conflict over training time.

Marry a couch potatoe.

[10spd]

Depends if you like being the tea towel boy!

It all good until you start trying to do your own thing!

It's like would you date someone who was smarter than you!?!

[Short Bus]

10 Spd has it spot on.

[Annette]

I don't see many posts here from women but then I guess this week's topic wasn't meant for the girls, it's 'bloke stuff'. From my perspective, I love to see my husband wake up one morning and say, "That's it, I'm sick of being the support, I'm going to kick your arse at triathlon'. I can live in hope, but then who would rescue me when I'm having a blonde day 90km from home. See tere are advantages to having a fit wife, you blokes get to play knight in shining armour.

[Seano the Porno]

Defo, no problems from my part. I would put my hand up to be that training hack!
"Sure honey, we can go cycling and I'll be your domestique".
With the level of support I get as an age grouper from my girl, its hard to say that you would never give the same support back to someone.

Its about balance isn't it?

[Vince]

Seano,
I'll comment on the balance after the weekend, It's been announced tonight that my other half is riding with me on Sunday, which I think means sitting on my wheel until the foot of every climb & then dropping me like a stone! Good job it's a brick session I can get my own back at the end :-D

[Rondell Holmes]

F yeah, i would! In fact, do you have Desiree Ficker's phone number?

[Carlos]

C'mon fellas this is a coachjohnnewsome no brainer. Would you date a fit woman who made good money, who might ocassionally give you her last seasons race wheels supplied by one of her many sponsors, and lets you carry her bags at fabulous IM destinations worldwide. If the ego was struggling you could always find a husky mistress to visit while your girl was doing her long rides in the weekend. On an unrelated note I had a full ironmantalk multimedia experience on the plane to Rarotonga recently - was listening on my ipod and opened the in-flight mag to see Bevan staring pensively off into the distance contemplating the beauty of his merino cardigan.