Bobby Brown: should have no place on a sports website, but this Bobby Brown has done some things that make marrying Whitney Houston seem sane. He has run across Australia, the US and now Europe, but by far the silliest thing he has done is compete in the 1997 World Deca-Ironman Championships. For the uninitiated, that involves swimming 24 miles, before cycling 1120 miles, and then running 262 miles... without stopping. "Eventually, after 8 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes, I crossed the line to finish the toughest endurance race in the world. I had broken the old world record by 6 hours and set a new British record by some 20 hours." He finished fourth.
"It took me 2 years to recover from the race in Mexico. My health suffered from the supreme effort I had given and from the amount of painkillers I consumed." The winner, Jaroslav Pavelka, is also the World record holder for the 15 x Ironman. That's half as long again. Some people are just weird.
posted by JJ at 11:04 AM on May 26, 2006
Grum - no way did you already read that link - what are you? Rainman?
posted by JJ at 11:04 AM on May 26, 2006
Grum - no way did you already read that link - what are you? Rainman? I read up on the Deca-Ironman, not the entire article. Like I said, I needed to relax after just reading up on it. I'll get to the rest later. /lays down
posted by grum@work at 11:13 AM on May 26, 2006
JJ: Grum - no way did you already read that link - what are you? Rainman? No, not Rain Man. Evelyn Wood. I hear he's an excellent driver, though.
posted by L.N. Smithee at 11:24 AM on May 26, 2006
I rationalize people like this in my mind by assuming they Have Issues, though I could be wrong. But I'm not, am I. Still, if Bobby Brown wants to be cruel to his body for kicks, it's his perogative.
posted by chicobangs at 11:28 AM on May 26, 2006
JJ: Bobby Brown should have no place on a sports website, but this Bobby Brown has done some things that make marrying Whitney Houston seem sane. I think you got it reversed. Marrying Bobby Brown was insane. Whitney was still a clean-and-sober superstar before she hooked up with has-been Brown. But that was her prerogative.
posted by L.N. Smithee at 11:30 AM on May 26, 2006
Beat me to it, chico. Darn.
posted by L.N. Smithee at 11:31 AM on May 26, 2006
Typical - I try to raise the tone around here by posting something slightly off the wall to encourage some intelligent commentary about the psyche of extreme sportspeople, and all we get is a summary dismissal of them as having "Issues", followed by an in-depth analysis of Bobby and Whitney's culpability with regard to their disasterous marriage... with puns!
posted by JJ at 11:40 AM on May 26, 2006
Why the f would anbody do that to their body? Like grum, I got tired just reading about it. After about 4 trips to the fridge for a beer, I was able to finish the article. My idea of a rough 8 days is taking a road trip with the wife and kids. (Which I need planty of beer to get through also.) I couldn't imagine training that hard let alone actually doing something that strenuous. More power to the people who can do such things. It sets the bar so high, that I can actually walk right under it and head to the fridge for another beer.
posted by grabofsky74 at 11:44 AM on May 26, 2006
I try to raise the tone around here by ........encourage some intelligent commentary about the psyche of extreme sportspeople Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh Uh don't be cruel
posted by Bill Lumbergh at 11:51 AM on May 26, 2006
grabofsky74 and Bill, you guys rock! Beer is King and Bobby Brown is the King of R&B, as his graceful queen stated a while ago! It takes great will and determination to accomplish something like that! Man, it's hard for me to run a mile, I could not imagine running more than 10 in a day, maybe even a week!
posted by bkdet at 12:08 PM on May 26, 2006
Ri-goddamn-diculous. I can't fathom that kind of exertion. I get tired watching other people get tired. First swim around Lake Ontario twice, then hop on your bike and go to Sudbury and back, then run to Kingston. (this will only make sense to fellow Toronto Spofis).
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:40 PM on May 26, 2006
I got stuck in traffic on the DVP...
posted by smithers at 01:04 PM on May 26, 2006
"Bobby Brown should have no place on a sports website" Digging a "doodie bubble" out of your wife's butt isn't a sport? (cite)
posted by mr_crash_davis at 02:57 PM on May 26, 2006
This Bobby Brown has taken the "running man" to a new level! E-ver-y step I take!
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:07 PM on May 26, 2006
I knew that the maximum amount of sleep I was going to get in one go during the race would be 1 hour. So to get used to sleeping for an hour I used to go to bed at night say at 10pm and set my alarm for 11pm. When I woke up at 11pm I used to set my alarm for 12pm, wake up at 12pm and then set my alarm for 1am. I would then do this all night until it was time for me to get up. After 6 weeks of doing this I didn’t even need an alarm. My body clock had adjusted itself to sleeping for exactly 1 hour at a time. The very first thing he 'did' to train would kill me. Jesus.
posted by justgary at 03:10 PM on May 26, 2006
JJ: Typical - I try to raise the tone around here by posting something slightly off the wall to encourage some intelligent commentary about the psyche of extreme sportspeople, and all we get is a summary dismissal of them as having "Issues" OK, JJ, fine. I am now at my franchised "Dr. Lucy Van Pelt Psychiatric Help Center" stand. The Doctor is IN.
posted by L.N. Smithee at 03:33 PM on May 26, 2006
*pays* That's what I'm talkin' about. Nice work, doc.
posted by JJ at 05:44 AM on May 27, 2006
Just reading about the Deca-Ironman makes me feel exhausted.
posted by grum@work at 11:03 AM on May 26, 2006