The "Lance" factor...

When you tell someone you're a triathlete, the usual response is "Oh, like that race in Hawaii that I watch on NBC?"  The short answer is "yes...but"  That is ONE race completed for ONE distance in a sport that is much more than Kona.  However, it is the goal of 99% of all triathlete's to be able to tow the line one day at Kona and race the lava fields on THE legendary course.

The problem with NBC's coverage of the Ironman World Championship is that it is produced to keep the everyday athlete intrigued.  Don't get me wrong, they do an amazing job showing profiles of age-groupers overcoming all odds and breakdown the pain & suffering that everyone goes through.  But, by the time it airs, two months after the Champions are crowned, most triathletes know everything about the race from splits to watts to gear and everything in between.  Most of us have already watched the coverage multiple times on the trainer in our basements before the general public even sees an ad for it.

But that may all change...Bloomberg news is reporting that WTC is in talks with NBC to potentially show live coverage of Kona...because of the Lance factor.  After finishing second a few weeks ago at an Ironman 70.3 event, Lance has shown that he is not just a cyclist.  He can hang in the front of the swim, bike with anyone, and still have the legs to run.  He's not Michael Jordan playing minor league baseball...Lance can truly compete with the best pros in the sport of triathlon (or at least he showed he's capable after one race).

I'll pay attention to Kona, and every other major triathlon, including the 2012 Olympics, but if Lance will allow me to sit in front of my HD tv and watch Kona live, i'm psyched!  I just hope that when he retires again from this sport, NBC sticks with the live coverage...and maybe even add another race or two.  Who knows how many more people you'll pull off the couch and get in the pool!!