SIZE DOES MATTER....or does it??

This is the most relevant topic to me, due to my size......193cm or 6'3 on the old scale & 92kgs or 205lbs.

After doing a little research, and I mean a little, I have some found some evidence that being BIG does not neccessarily mean not being competitive. Ideally 5'9 and weighing between 145lbs & 165lbs would be ideal, however some of us are not meant to be that small.

After the Ironman last year where I went 9hrs 27 odd mins and a mate of mine went just under 1 min slower (both the same height) it has made me more aware of "bigger" athletes and their performances. So, at Kona I set out to photograph some athletes who fit my criteria and monitor their performance. Here is what I found:

This big unit: Ain Alar Juhanson #13 (13th overall last year, now thats not bad!!) Was well placed until the run, where he blew up. However to race as a pro at this size is some feat in itself.

Ain blew out to an 11hr + Ironman after a 1hour swim and 4hr 31min ride.

Ryan Barnett: #1341 (Big guy at the back of the 3) Was competing in his 2nd Ironman in 6 weeks after only qualifying recently, had a solid race finishing in 9hr 53min.

This guy: Doug Clark #1022, Won his age group, all of 6'7!!! Wow, the guy can move. Yes he is very lean, however at that height, he is still carrying more weight than the smaller guys.

His time of: 9hr 22min including a 3hr 15min marathon.

The above 3 who all raced at Kona is enough for me to say that Size doesn't matter, yes it helps being a little smaller, but you can only use what you are equipped with. Too many people make excuses for under performance, "lost my nutrition" "bike failure" "went to hard on the bike" etc. However, you don't hear many bigger people complain cause of their size, they just get on with the job at hand, even if it is slowly!!

If you put the work in, you can achieve what you desire.

For now...

X-Man