Even NYC is home to ultra-distance athletes. Read how they live, work and train.
How someone is trying to convince me that Wii Fit haspotential to replace “real” exercise.
Call Diet.com and get all the info you need about the fast food you're eating.
I have never been a fan of
golf. I’ve tried to play it many times and I can safely say that there is
nothing about it that appeals to me. I imagine that the reasons I’m drawn to
running and triathlon are the same reasons I’m turned off by golf.
I like to get my heart rate up. I like to feel tired in that really satisfying way. I also believe that golf courses suck up a serious amount of resources. Do you know how much water it takes to keep grass green in a desert? Neither do I, no one would get back to me with up-to-date numbers, but you can imagine it’s a lot.
So I was intrigued when I saw an article in the New York Times in February bemoaning the sinking interest in golf. In a nutshell, the article claimed that the number of golfers in the country is declining, possibly due to people wanting to spend more time with family, not being able to talk on a cellphone for the hours it takes to play a round (which frankly, I would find blissful) and the sheer cost of a game. I read the article and didn’t give it another thought. But later that night the thought finally came to me: “How do so many people have time to train for triathlon—especially Ironman—and not have the time to play a round of golf?” It certainly isn’t the case that people are reducing the amount of time they spend being active—so what gives?
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking then your first thought is well, golf isn’t really active. True, though I’m sure golfers will write in to tell me otherwise. I think it’s safe to say that compared to triathlon or running a marathon, golf is, actually, a walk in the park (or a golfcart ride in the park). But in terms of time, folks training for Ironman are spending big blocks of time on long bike rides that take as long as a round of golf. It certainly costs as much as golf if you add up race entries, travel, equipment and equipment maintenance, not to mention club membership, coaching and nutrition.
Time is something that no New Yorker has an excess of, and yet our city is on the radar as one of the fastest growing triathlon communities in the country. When I met with the Ironman folks last year they pointed out that New York is now one of the top-five most represented states at the Kona world championships. In a list that includes Hawaii, California, Texas and Colorado, we’re one of two cold weather states. Forget time, forget weather, the Wall Streeters are out on their bikes in the park at 4 a.m., the tri clubs are bursting at the seams and the local races are selling out in less than a day. Does this mean triathlon is the new golf?
As someone steeped in the local active scene, I posed this question to Earl Walton, partner and product experience coach with Rolldog Communications and Coach for TriLife. Walton thought the similarities between the sports were hilarious: “Bright, some might say gaudy, clothing choices—check,” he joked. “An above average knowledge of metals such as graphite, carbon, titanium—check. The ability to chat and discuss business throughout the workout/game—check (note most triathletes are not very good swimmers).” But in all seriousness, his last point is a good one. For decades the golf course was where businessmen bonded, where networking turned into partnerships and where men could compete against one another outside of the office with a numerical result that told the world whom was better. Now, that numerical result is a finish time, and women are more than welcome, unlike in a surprising number of golf clubs—still. Corporate teams (amateur ones) are pretty common and most companies are more than happy to sponsor their employees who take on charity goals. “The real similarity,” Walton says, “is that in order to be a good golfer or a good triathlete you must be focused, a real student of the sport. The drive to succeed, to hit the perfect shot, to nail your nutrition plan is very similar to the drive that makes a successful business man or woman.”
But we still haven’t explained time element. If anything, a faster-paced corporate world leaves less time for training. Lee Silverman, owner of JackRabbit Sports think it has to do more with time of day, than time “The time you have to play golf is specific time that must be scheduled with other people, and you can only play when courses are open,” he says. “Triathlon doesn’t limit you. You can squeeze in workouts because they fit into holes in your schedule better than golf does, especially in NYC. People in big cities need activities they can fit into little windows in their schedules, and you can do that with swimming, biking and running.” All of this is food for thought, but whatever the reasons, I embrace the change to a more active, healthy and inclusive sport.
| Comments |
|
