Focus on Fashion

Fashion serves many purposes, but when you are an athlete or a relative of one, fashion has a whole different set of rules.

Rule 1: Be easily identifiable.
Rule 2: Crazy, bright colors are encouraged.
Rule 3: There will always be an outfit crazier than yours.

On Sunday, Aug. 28, an Ironman Triathlon took place in Louisville, Ky., and the triathletes came ready to compete.

Every piece of clothing, sip of liquid and bit of food was chosen to help the participants go beyond their expectations.

For triathletes, clothing must endure harsh conditions and provide a level of comfort to the wearer. Some triathletes wear their favorite gear, such as lucky socks, while others dress like the professionals, but each item of clothing has a certain quality that make the wearer believe they will perform better.

Professional athletes wear their sponsors on their sleeves — literally — and don’t have many options for their outfits.

Their fashion statements are, in fact, moving billboards for the other contestants and spectators to see, which will hopefully influence them. Any product associated with an athletic superstar must be useful.

But the men and women who don’t professionally dedicate their lives to a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run come out in all kinds of attire. They have the luxury of participating as a hobby and can thus
express themselves openly.

Many of these regular Joes wear bike shorts like the professionals, but they also personalize things such as the bikes, helmets or the colors they wear.

Some people wear the dorky-looking tear-shaped helmets, which have been said to shave off 30 seconds from an Ironman triathlon. Others wear the regular helmets with ventilation holes. It’s a choice between saved time and a necessary cool-down.

The athletes also choose the colors they wear. This weekend I saw neon green shirts, red running shoes, bright pink Trek bikes and, at the finish line, a man wearing a straw hat.

These small things are used by the families to spot their athletes in the mob of fellow swimmers, bikers and runners.

And the families join in the fun, as well.
Some families go all out in their craziest attire so the person they’re rooting for can get a glimpse of them in the ocean of bright colors and people vying for attention.

A few examples from this weekend were two women in personalized goldenrod T-shirts, an entire family dressed in green carrying balloons and “Go Ryan!” signs and a gaggle of ladies in tutus and crazy wigs.

Fashion isn’t cut and dried when you’re in an event like a triathlon.
It’s a means to encourage others, no matter how silly you may appear. It’s a way to say, “Here I am; you can make it to the end.”

­— samkirby@indiana.edu