The Ironman Tattoo
I wanted to talk about the Ironman Tattoo. I am a fan of tattoos and actually have a few. I have completed 4 Ironman races and DON'T have an Ironman tattoo. I hope I don't offend anyone reading this who does have the tattoo. I feel the need to express my opinion (that is surely a surprise)! If you are one of the many with the tattoo please keep in mind I say all this in fun and I will still like you even if you have one. I might make fun of you but I like you. You might ask, what I have against the Ironman tattoo? I think there should be a disclaimer that a person has to sign when they get an Ironman tattoo. They should have to agree to complete an Ironman at least every five years for the rest of their life. If they don't agree to that they should not be able to get one! Too many people get the tattoo and then suddenly stop training and get fat. If you do one Ironman and get the tattoo then suddenly don't workout are you still an Ironman? Then some people gain a ton of weight but still have the tattoo. Is that really a good representation of an Ironman? I think not! If anyone wonders what the tattoo looks like at the top of the blog is the Mdot (that is what they call it) logo. My client Hollie has a ton 
of tattoo's and she agrees with me about the Mdot tattoo. I like her tattoo pictured here. It is on the backs of her arms and says "I love to run". I like it but I am not gutsy enough to get a tattoo on my arms. I figure if I ever go back to work in the corporate world that would be a problem. I don't plan on it ever going back to work in the corporate world but you never know.
of tattoo's and she agrees with me about the Mdot tattoo. I like her tattoo pictured here. It is on the backs of her arms and says "I love to run". I like it but I am not gutsy enough to get a tattoo on my arms. I figure if I ever go back to work in the corporate world that would be a problem. I don't plan on it ever going back to work in the corporate world but you never know.If you want to represent the fact that you did something amazing it should be unique. It is so funny to go to an Ironman event and see all the SAME tattoos. Who wants to get a tattoo that everyone else has? At some point I plan on getting a tattoo that shows my love of the sport. It will be unique to me and my personality and will not contain the Mdot!
When we finished Ironman St. George Christian and Jimmy were all ready to get their tattoos. Neither of them have any tattoos but plan on getting this one! Whatever! I told them not to get it really big, so that it covers their entire calf! That cracks me up when people don't just get the tattoo but they get it so big that it looks even more ridiculous. Even better are the people that get one for each of the Ironman races they have done. The BEST (or Worst) is actually one of my on/off clients Adan. I love Adan (and hope he still loves me after this) but he got an Mdot tattoo and has only done a half Ironman not even a full. He did put 70.3 next to it so at least he is being honest but really?
I am feeling great since doing Ironman St. George last week. I had some issues with my calf for a few days but that was it. Here is a picture of me being helped out of the water after the swim. I was in such pain from cramping in both my legs. It is pretty funny! I will not forget that. Maybe I should get that picture tattooed on me! Just kidding.
I hear you, I saw many Mdot tatooed especially on the right calf of other fellow IronMen like you and I in Nice.
ReplyDeleteThe IronMan philosophy is inside you and you don't really need a tatoo... having said that, I will keep the orange bracelet with my BIB as long as it doesn't break and I found your page by searching for the Mdot logo.
Now I am going to print it, cut it out and then use a crayon to make me a fake tatoo.
Why fake? Because I hate tatoos! :) :) :)
You are an IronMan too, dude! HOOOAAAAAHHH !!!
Completing an Ironman is an accomplishment and at that point in time they ARE an Ironman. Choosing to stop training and getting fat doesn't lessen what someone had to go through during training and the race itself. Your comments about continuing to complete an Ironman race every 5 years for the rest of their lives are ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteYea I don't agree with you. I'm getting M-dot tattoo on upper right thigh. I've only ever done one triathalon and it was ironman Louiseville. May not ever do another triathlon again. Doesn't mean i'm not an ironman. I want it to remind me to carry the fortitude and guts it took to accomplish Ironman into whatever it is I decide to do next, in life, athletics, and beyond. Maybe I'll do a double ironman next and get the M-dot with a little squared symbol top right of it. That would be funny.
ReplyDeleteNick hit the nail on the head. Whatever you do after your Ironman does NOT diminish what you have already achieved.
ReplyDeleteIt's your prerogative to choose a sedentary lifestyle after Ironman. Trying to lessen somebody's accomplishments because of that fact is flat out disrespectful.
After completing my first IM, I stopped competing in tris. I simply got burnt out on the sport. Instead, I'm focusing on ultramarathons, which are way more satisfying for myself. You're suggesting that I'm not an Ironman just because I don't plan to keep up with triathlon? Hope I'm interpreting you wrong.
I personally don't sport the mdot tat, but for different reasons. We're all individuals. I don't want to discount that fact by plastering a corporate logo on my body. (Yes, Ironman is a business. A brand. Compliments of the WTC)
Others, however, simply view the mdot tattoo as a good way to remind themselves of their hard work. That's awesome, and I have no problem with that.
Congrats on your St. George finish. That course is a tough one.
When you cross the line after 140.6 the announcer says "INSERT NAME HERE, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" They don't say you are an IRONMAN and by the way if you get fat you have to give back the medal.
ReplyDeleteSport is meant to be inclusive and fun - shame on you for discounting others' accomplishments! Your elitist attitude is what keep "fat" people from pursuing sports in the first place - because they fear being judged by self-righteous ignorant people like you. And who says fat people can't be IronMans?!?! I'm 'fat' and run marathons, I'd like to do an IronMan - it's in my 5-year plan...
ReplyDeleteGet over yourself
I agree. But I am still getting my M-Dot. Not only do I now belong to the .01% of the population that has completed an Ironman, but because it feels like the last step in my long journey. Having said that, I do not plan on getting a traditional M-Dot, but signifying it as being from Ironman Wisconsin and altering the dot a little bit. However, I do believe in committing to the ink like committing to your training. If you get your "M", it's a lifestyle. You don't stop training, you don't stop competing, and you keep getting faster. I am getting my "M" to remind me of always wanting more, getting to Kona and going after my pro card. You can walk and finish Ironman, but unless you rank the top 100 overall, are you really trying?
ReplyDeleteBody art is just that "ART" We all like different things, Im 43 years old and no tattoos, I for me I think their dumb............
ReplyDeleteWell now im going to kona in a few weeks to do the world championship ironman and yes I now have a whole new outlook on tattoos.
I will get my m-dot after I finish.
If all the tattoos on everyones body have such deep meaning then I've been thinking very shallow and I get it now.
Does a soldier have to keep going to war to earn the right to retain his medal? Does a high school graduate have to go back to high school to remain a graduate? Does an Oscar winner have to win another Oscar for the right to keep the first one?
ReplyDeletePeople stop training for various reasons. Their badge of honor tells a story of what they once achieved.
That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Now I think I'll get the tattoo just to piss people like you off!
ReplyDeleteSo what about the fat man who completes an ironman? Is he not one because he crossed the finish line fat? Think about what you said and realize how rediculous you sound! To each his own my fiend....
ReplyDeleteI have just had an M dot tattoo. It's only small on my left leg. Although its small it represents a big commitment. It's represents a journey that started with my first triathlon 6 years ago. It is a reminder that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. It is also the start of a new journey of pushing the limits, never giving up and all of the sacrifices that I have had to make to get there. A small reminder that in my later years I can tell a tale to my grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteRead everyone's post. I'm an Ironman. Ive done over 10. No tattoo. But kudos to anyone who competes for themselves. No one should feel obligated to do these endurance sports in order to feel like they have to constantly earn acceptance. Triatheletes, I hope are a communitty of non-elitists... So to read otherwise is dissappointing. Whether we choose to continue or not, for every IM accomplished, even just once, is enough to be proud of your whole life.
ReplyDeleteFinishing an IM is not as special as some folks seem to think. Shame on you for being so prideful yet so average!
ReplyDeletelove your statement on Mdot tattoos. It's the same to me as the kid bragging of his participation trophy. Where is the heart and attitude of the ironman. I've done KONA twice, but don't have one. The Ironman is about challenging yourself and respecting the spirit of the big island, not bragging and self promotion. Why do you need validation from others. The sport was not created to brag about yourself, it was to challenge yourself - inside and out.
ReplyDeleteI do not know if it's just me or if perhaps everybody else encountering problems with your blog. It appears as though some of the text within your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a issue with my internet browser because I've had this happen before.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Here is my web-site; "demography"
My web page - 55527
where can you get the fake ones at?
ReplyDeleteSome day you will be old, and most likely fatter than you are now. It happens to everyone eventually. That is life. Just because someone stops training doesn't diminish what they accomplished in the past. People stop training for many reasons such as illness or injury. Too each his own. I have a lot of respect of anyone who has accomplished the feat of an Ironman. But you my dear just lost my respect.
ReplyDeleteNo one helped me out of the water. What do you "Coach" ?
ReplyDeleteA lot of self-righteous, pretentious haters seem to have put their subjective opinions out there for all to see. If you want the M-Dot or other variant, get one; if not, don't. There are no requirements to continue training or competing.
ReplyDeleteI have two tattoos, both of which mark milestones and accomplishments in my life. I have the M-Dot; got it after IM Florida. I got another one when I earned my black belt. These don't mean anything to anyone other than myself.
I've done 5 Ironman Distance races. 4 were WTC Franchise races and 1 was an "off-brand" but found the course to be as difficult if not more difficult than the Franchise races. It also happened to the the USAT National Ultra-Distance Age Group Championship and I won my division. I don't have a tattoo of any kind. I would feel prideful if I tattooed my accomplishments all over my body for everyone to see. I am more than the Ironman races that I've done and don't feel the need to be identified by that one accomplishment. These M-dot tattoos remind me of vanity plates on cars. I have friends that get 'em after one IM and I have friends that have been to Kona more times than I can count and will never get one and I love them all the same. I also believe that if I can do an Ironman, that anyone who decides to do one and prepares for it can accomplish it. If you doubt me, sit at the finish line with your slice of pizza from 11pm to midnight and be prepared to be humbled and brought to tears. Those are the truly inspirational warriors of Ironman. And they get the exact same finisher medal. If you feel the need to get a tattoo for yourself, then get one for yourself regardless of what anyone's first impression will be, favorable or unfavorable. Don't do it for anyone else but yourself because after 90 seconds of your story, don't rely that anyone else cares.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that an Olympic athlete that makes it to the games when they are at their peak performance (and perhaps decides to get a tattoo signifying it) needs to be able to return every 5 years? It's a symbol, yes albeit a corporate symbol, that signifies something special to those that decide to add it to their journey - could be the beginning and their first, or it could be the end and their last... everyone has their own journey.
ReplyDeleteWhat a douchey post. I'm sure your inner circle find you funny, but your humor comes off as elitist and not at all funny. If you're a coach and you're getting paid for your services, I feel sorry for any potential client that walks through your door, as you seem like the type of person that judges them against your own accomplishments before deeming them worthy or not worthy of your services. There are a lot of good people at races of all brands. Those that are just doing it as a hobby, or doing it to create positive change in their lives, or those that have adopted it as a lifestyle. And then there are people like you. People who view all of the aforementioned participants with disdain for not dedicating their lives to what is, unless you're winning races and making a living from it...a hobby. Your attitude isn't limited to the tattoo...it's reflects your attitude toward every amateur aspect of the sport. If you feel so strongly that getting a tattoo is bragging about a race you ran in the past, then you should feel equally as strong about all those people that wear shirts from previous IM races at the one they're about to run. Or, wear a race shirt ANYWHERE after the race.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the guy that gets a tattoo to mark finishing the only IM he'll ever be able to do? Maybe life is about to get in the way. Maybe he or she has a terminal illness and knows it's now or never.
So, yes...you wrote this in humor. In the end, it's about as funny as a fat joke, told at the expense of someone that's overweight. I'm pretty sure you offended people that do and DON'T have the tattoo. Good job, "coach".