Last Sunday at Galveston 70.3 Pro Triathlete Michael Lovato (who is a 26-time Ironman Finisher) had a difficult time on the run course with a pretty severe calf cramp/strain. When the calf issue hit him he was a few places behind the leader and was on pace to finish in the money. This caused Lovato to stop running to stretch out the cramp and knocked him completely out of contention.
In the past under similar situations many a pro has called it quits. Not Lovato, he decided it was time to Cowboy Up and limped to the finish line instead of dropping out and taking a DNF.
Love & Respect this!
Check out Lovato's Race Report - Here.
Oh, and make sure to bookmark his blog. He has some very informative and inspiring posts!
What do you think - should he have bailed and saved his legs for another day or does he get mad props for finishing what he started?
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
he just went to a notch hire in my book , it was tough out there!
ReplyDeleteHe gets nothing but respect from me for finishing what he started knowing full well, he was not going to win. I understand the argument that pro's have about DNF'ing and saving it for another race but I don't agree with it. Finish what you start ...unless of course, your Achilles snaps or something freaky like that happens and you really can't finish.
ReplyDeleteI agree...finish what he started...unless it was career threatening...
ReplyDeleteI left him a comment on his blog. Gave him kudos and wished him a quick recovery! Thanks for posting this! Very inspirational.
ReplyDeleteI give him mad props for continuing the race. I think he was in touch with his body enough that he knew he wasn't doing much more damage to it. That's awesome and not very frequent for the pros.
ReplyDeleteProps for finishing regardless of not getting the money. Its nice to see it happens to them as well as to us!
ReplyDeleteAgree w/ @Kristin 100%. Good to see him finish the race. Proves to everyone that pros are just like the rest of us...and have cramps, sometimes get injured, etc.
ReplyDeleteI snapped my calf this week too.
ReplyDeleteI admire that he finished. I think he should have bailed but I don't know how he felt. I hope he didn't damage his leg and gets better quickly.
He just gave you a shout out on twitter - how cool is that!
ReplyDeleteHe's an idiot. He should have bailed.
ReplyDeleteHe has already proven himself many times. He has placed in the money in the past. If he is going to hang around just to enjoy the event, then get on a support wagon and cheer on some of the little people behind him that will never finish "in the money". Cheering is a lot more fun than coming in mid-pack.
He totally gets mad props for finishing!
ReplyDeleteGood for him for going for it. So many times you here of the pros dropping out so early due to even small things, but he's one tough guy and a real athlete in my eyes!
ReplyDeleteI give him mad props for finishing! I understand the whole "saving the body for another day" with pro athletes, but I think making every attempt to finish bumps them up in my book.
ReplyDeleteI like Mike and love that he Cowboy uped! He knows his body better than anyone and I am sure he would not have done anything to hurt his body!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely more respect for him! :)
ReplyDeleteMan, I've been getting the follow-up comments and everyone is letting Lovato get away with being selfish and ego-centric.
ReplyDeleteI still claim it would have been a great time to give back to his fans. Cheer on the little guys. Generate a little more buzz for his sponsors.
danny did Lovato pick on you in high school or something? sounds like you got an ax to grind?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think he didn't stay and cheer on the AGers after his race? Lovato and many other pros do that often.
whatever, your opinion is just that and in this case you are in the vast minority.
Great job, Michael! I'm proud to be your teammate...
ReplyDelete"Cheering is a lot more fun than coming in mid pack" huh? Guess I should just give up multi sport now, aye?
ReplyDeleteI give ML major kudos for sticking it out. It irritates me when pro's give up the second they realize they are out of the running for a win. Seems very unsportsman like to me, and almost disrespectful to the rest of us behind them, who fight with every ounce of our being just to finish, period.
But what would I know, I'm just a measly ol' no fun having middle of the packer ;)
I've always held a higher respect for the pros that will take the walk to finish the race instead of taking a DNF. The walk probably helped him stretch his calf out! :) Every race is a lesson, and I'm sure he was thinking through EVERYTHING that could have attributed to this outcome. Good on him, I say.
ReplyDeleteMichael gets huge props for sticking it out in a race injured. Like many other pro's i've seen who whine and drop out of a race where it's not going their way or they're having an "off" day.
ReplyDeleteDanny-my question to you is, are you confusing Michael Lovato with someone else, another pro perhaps that rubbed you the wrong way?? I know Michael personally and I can attest to the fact that he is absolutely, undoubtedly one of the NICEST, most "cheering for middle-back of the pack" people/pro's you will EVER meet.
His challenge to finish his race at Galveston is WHY HIS SPONSORS probably LOVE him. He's dedicated and proves that through anything he can work hard for a finish.
Additionally, he probably WAS cheering people who were running along with him!
Danny, he may be just a "pro" to you, but for those of us who are "middle of the packers" and have been on the other end having Michael cheer for us in races (as I have, several times)-----who know him, you're just completely mistaken in the type of person he is.
ML ROCKS :)
I like to see the pro's finish the race. A pro can cheer on the age groupers while he is walking in a finish. Proud of ML and liked his blog post about the race where he was able to come away with all the positives about the race!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read ML's race report, my immediate reaction was good for him! For finishing what he started, for being humble enough to put it out there that he didn't have the best day!
ReplyDeleteHave always thought ML was a class act guy. I've been following him for a long time since his first IM Cd'A victory. I was there watching and so impressed at the kind of person he was. There was no faking there. He's the real deal and I'm glad you posted this!
ReplyDeleteML is 100% a class act - thanks for posting this Jeff. I give him complete props for finishing, he is a great role model for us AGers - in his performance on and off the race scene.
ReplyDeleteI follow his blog and am a big fan - before I was a Trakker.
Who peed in Danny's cherrios?
incredible effort to finish it off...most Pro's would have been thinking of next race up and pulled a DNF
ReplyDeletehe took the MUCH harder route!
D
I believe I have found a new pro to root for. In this day when pro athletes in any sport are looking for the easy way out, he went ALL OUT.
ReplyDeleteHe pushed his body and really his mind to be better and I have a lot of respect for that.
Thanks for pointing out his blog.
Props to him for finishing. I know people say save yourself for another race, but they can also run at recovery pace and still be faster than a majority of people out there.
ReplyDeleteI love how the comment calls ML ego-centric and selfish. I see it quite the opposite, he came to race, and is fulfilling that for his sponsors. Sure he didn't place in the money, but he was still out there racing, and even has stirred up controversy from his RR.... More people and traffic to his blog = more sponsor traffic.
Guy has guts. Mad respect earned from me.
ReplyDeleteI dont care about pros, everyone knows that I think the age groupers are the heart and soul of this sport. But the fact that he still finished what he start, I will tip my hat to him, he earned my respect
ReplyDeleteprops for finishing. it's a business for so many pros that they see miles spent on a race they don't win as "wasted." glad to see a pro with age-grouper worthy character.
ReplyDelete