This past weekend, I decided to get out of town and train. Put in quality miles away from home. I've had a stressful month, family, work, and team issues, that need my attention, but sometimes can overwhelm my focus. So, I packed up Friday afternoon and headed North, yes you read that right, North, to get in some work. Its seems counter-intuitive for an athlete to go someplace colder to train, however, I wasn't simply seeking warm weather; I was looking for open roads, both familiar and foreign, the joy of training and suffering in solitude, found in doing in the opposite of the norm. And to that end, I succeeded. But my mind, always going, didn't stop to take the time to make peace with some things that I found myself still struggling with when I came home.
The purpose of the hard training is to prepare for the pro long course National Championships, this year to be held at the Powerman, AL venue. I have waited years for the opportunity to race a National Championship as a pro, and I was extremely excited about the prospect of doing well enough to represent my county at the World Championships in the pro field. Then, the news came through, this year there would be no long course duathlon world championships. In a single instant the governing bodies that be, decreased the value and importance of not only Powerman AL, but the amatuer National Championships, in Auburn, CA. This same entity that has been beating the drum about "saving duathlon" put all their eggs in one basket, and backed the short course national championship in Richmond, VA, turns and basically diminshes the value and importance of the long course versions of the sport.
The phrase that pops to mind (at least the only one that is suitable for print) is "cut off your nose to spite your face." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what has happened. Yes, supporting the short course national championships is necessary, but, there are a large number of athletes, just like in triathlon, who prefer the longer distance racing. They are now shut out, with a championship event, that doesn't provide the opportunity to challenge themselves against the best in the world. I specifically changed my schedule to go long, enjoying the longer training sessions, learning the difference in the pain from long to short, looking to become a more complete athlete. On a personal level, that won't change, but, I'm not alone, and its for all of us, that I write this - USAT YOU HAVE ONCE AGAIN MISSED THE MARK.
And they didn't just miss it by failing to back the longer events, they diluted the race experiences firther for both pros and amatuers by seperating the championships. Pro Long Course is in Alabama, amatuer - California. Over a month apart. California will not have a pro field. Why? The race is harder, the challenge greater and what a better way to help promote the sport than by watching the pros you admire racing side by side with you? Same can be said for short course. With all the hoopla surrounding the Amatuer Short Course Champs, there is no pro field, instead we are sent to Minnesota to have our own championships a month later. Why can't the pros enjoy the feeling of being around probably the biggest crowd the US has had in quite some time for duathlon? And in turn, why can't we put on our best for the amatuers to see? If we are to be truly united, then don't seperate us; instead encourage us to race together, on the same course, under the same conditions so we can see the future of the sport develop in front of us.
Am I ranting? Well, yes. But its not without purpose. As a duathlete, I constantly feel like that song "Don't Give up on Me", by Solmon Burke, pleading for USAT and fans to stick with us, b/c our sport is fun and sexy too! Just come look! There are bikes and prizes and everything, even a nice venue!
I hope I'm wrong. I hope its me that has missed the mark. I hope that what is being done by the top brass of our sport creates a renewed interest in our sport and shows a sharp increase in participation and viewing. I want to be wrong. But more than that, I wanted the chance to represent the USA in a long course world championships as a professional. Its a good thing I come from Chicago, where the phrase, "Wait till next year" is a part of every Chicago sports fans vernacular.
Thanks for letting me vent, and to those who didn't like the post, a much nicer, and gentler version is on its way. The moral is, we can be faced with tremendous adversity and disappointment constantly, and for many we are, but, what makes us true men and women, is how we rise above that, pick ourselves up daily, dust ourselves off, and dive head first right back into the fray. This sport is made for grnders as much as it is the graceful. Anyone from the Midwest knows that. We don't back down, and we won't quit. Just ask us. So, Worlds or not, I'm going to Alabama with a lot to prove, and a lot to do. To those who have their own "Alabama" be it in work, in sport, or in life in general, don't quit. No matter how dark, don't quit. I can't promise the light is at the end of the tunnel, but if you quit, you'll never find out.
Stay strong,
Guy
