I recently completed my 5th triathlon and I am exhausted. The three events in this particular competition were walking, clapping and taking pictures. There also might have been some sitting in a lawn chair sprinkled in between each of these events.
While cheering on my wife and her best friend, Danette, during the Monster Triathlon in Keller, Texas this morning I made some observations and came up with five categories in which most spectathletes can be placed.
Spouse (solo) – This person does not cheer for anyone other than the athlete with whom they live. They can be seen leaning against a tree for most of the race then rising to snap photos when their sweetheart appears in the distance. This is me.
Spouse (with child) – Usually pushing a stroller or maybe trying to stick a straw into a juice box. Sometimes both. They’re up against the barricade with a front row seat and you can count on them to cheer almost every athlete that passes. Every once in a while they’ll have to trot onto the course to pull their little one out of the way.
Friends – They make signs. Sometimes they’re a little bit funny but often it’s an inside joke that no one else quite understands. The friends spend most of their time wondering aloud where their athlete is and how much longer the race is going to last.
Athletes – These folks are taking the day off from racing but probably finished a training run twice the distance of the actual race run…before 6:00 am. Many of the athlete-spectathletes wear their marathon jackets and t-shirts from previous races. They can be heard talking about split times and other technical mumbo-jumbo.
Dog people – I have no doubt that my dog is cuter than your dog and I’m sure you feel the same (or is it opposite?). Many of these pets aren’t exactly the best behaved but they’re all adorable. If you fit into the dog people category please remember to bring a plastic bag, or two.
As spectathletes we all have one thing in common, we love to support our athlete. We’re willing to wake up at the crack of dawn, stand out in the cold or heat for hours and we get so excited when our loved one passes. We all know how much time, effort and dedication our athletes put into training for a triathlon and it is our obligation to support their commitment.
A tip of the hat to all of the athletes and to their spectathletes!
TAGS: triathlon, cycling, swimming, running, race, athlete, spectathlete
Bill Yates is a partner with the mergers and acquisitions firm Sports Advisory Group he also serves on the board of directors for Splash Management a marketing firm in Fort Worth, Texas. Yatesie’s blog includes his view on a variety of topics.
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