What would you want to watch?

It all depends on the quality of the coverage , if you compare the television pictures of the Tour, you see how a sport is meant to be covered . Most IM races seem to have a locked off picture of the finish line to watch online. Highlights of ITU races show the speed of the sport, but lack quality commentary . In the end ... set up the turbo trainer in front of the TV and just enjoy any coverage we can get

As muchas I like to watch an IM, to be fair the 45 min swim is boring to watch, tx can be exciting watching where people place and following the bike is a bit of a bore and best dipped in and out of. The run is similar, depending upon the dynamic of the race, take IMLP, with a 16 minute lead off the bike there's no real mystery in who is going to win.

With ITU you've got a sub 2 hour condensed version, but unless there's a breakaway on the bike it's really down to as Brett Sutton calls it "a wet runner's race".

An edited highlight of the IM would be good watching, just as the edited highlight of the Tour is good too.

If I could only watch one hour - I'd rather watch a one hour highlights of an Ironman race than 1/2 (or 2 X 1/4 for mens and womans seperate races) an ITU Standard distance race.

If I had to choose Id prefer an ironman race but I am not that interested in the sob stories - i took Bobs point - but I want it to be about the front of the pack.

great Bobby Mcgee interview - love your work ;-)

PS I have a gadget i would like to see a aero helmet for bike computers (flip top lid) as those computers must be a least 0.0005 ms per hour.

If i it was only the racing probs about the same as ironman has all the kit but ITU is faster/ cloeser

Andy

I think the ITU world cup video podcasts (Click for the Link ...) do a fairly good job of highlighting the race in a 3 to 4 minute timespan. It would be nice if these were extended by a few minutes, but an hour would be too long for such a short race. For the ironman, 30 minutes would be plenty to highlight the pro race in my opinion. But if I had to choose ... I suppose I would have to go with the ITU. Although harder for me to relate to, it would hold its entertainment value longer as watching ironman would get somewhat boring after a while.

As a spectator sport, ITU wins hands down. It is exciting racing with amazing athletes. The sprint finish in Des Moines this year was a heart stopping sports moment. There are many other examples as well. I don't get why people slam this version of triathlon. It's not better or worse than non-drafting its just different and in my opinion more exciting to watch.

I'd definitely prefer to watch an Ironman race. While quick races like one-day bike races, ITU triathlon events, etc. are fun to participate in, there is a ton of luck involved and pivotal moments occur very quickly, which aren't always caught for the footage. In Ironman, nothing happens fast, which really drags the action out. I definitely prefer a slowly unfolding drama to a quickly unfolding drama, for watching on television anyway. (Also why the Tour is sweet.)

Though my brain says that ITU races are probably better television since it's a shorter, faster, closer race I have to admit that my heart still prefers the long course stuff. If the coverage is well done I just really enjoy seeing the accomplishment of an Ironman.

And I agree that I wish there wasn't quite so much of the "Joe didn't think he would live after he lost the entire left side of his body in a bizarre vacuum cleaner accident and now here he is doing the Ironman while his proud parents watch" stuff. But I also do like seeing the age groupers finish - especially folks doing their very first Ironman. It's sort of inspiring to see the 12-hour crowd staggering in. Not sure whether they should collapse or jump for joy.

I haven't watched as much ITU stuff but to me that seems like watching an Olympic 10K. It's a bunch of pros going really fast on a short course - everybody knows they'll finish it's just a question of who can outsprint whom. Good stuff, but I still prefer long course.

That said I would gladly watch an ITU race over almost anything ESPN has on at any given time. (Poker is a game, not a sport!)

Ben "The Running Man" Schorr

ITU races could be condensed into 2 mins of the run, nothing happens on the swim or bike. A 1 hour show would be dull.

With Ironman coverage, they could do it properly like the TDF, with the time gaps shown on the screen, when the catch may occur and do that great camera work they do on the big climbs when someone gets shelled out the back or blows up. Thats great TV during a marathon.

It's a no-brainer John: 1 hour of ITU isn't highlights - it's 1/2 the bloody race!

I'd happily watch 10 - 15 min highlights of ITU, but any longer than that turns into a yawn-fest. 1 hour of IM for me any day.

The ITU live full length webcasts this year have been very amateurish (camera work), the 2 minute video podcasts they release after each event via iTunes pretty much capture any exciting bits! The ITU video on demand coverage is somewhere in between, but you have to pay for that. I have never seen all day coverage of an Ironman, but really enjoy the hour long highlight shows that eventually get aired on UK TV. But on the whole I just want to watch triathlon coverage, so at the moment in the UK any is better than none!

All the best, love the show - Steve Casson

I'd rather watch Ironman, the only interesting bit of an ITU race is the last 1km or so of the run, otherwise not a lot really happens. Wouldn't be so bad if at least they had decent breakaways on the bike.

I don't believe that ITU races are boring; OK, you mostly see big groups ride for 40k; But Ironman is that same, only with a bit more distance between the riders. You often see attacks during ITU races (Hamburg Ladies race) that make the race interresting. You also do have the big stars at every race, not just at the "world champs" like at Ironman.

I also don't believe that winning an ITU race is luck; Or did Brownlee and Moffat have luck several times this year?

Hhhhmmmm....tricky one this. It's a bit like asking if you prefer one day cricket, or the tests. But really your only asking me if I would prefer a highlight show of either?

I prefer iron distance racing personally, so a 1hour highlight show of the ironman is of more interest.

However, if you were to say, would I prefer to watch an ITU race or an Ironman race in entirety? With an ITU race I would have it on in the background then run in for the last couple of k's of then run, but with an Ironman there's so much more to film. The pro's, then the age groupers, the stragglers, the punctures, the peeing on the bike, the people drafters on the bike.....People blowing up on the run, People going through bad spells, then recovering! I could go on! Plus there's much more strategy in iron distance racing which keeps me fascinated. But coverage is very low budget. They could do so much more, I mean if they can make test cricket coverage interesting then they can do it with Ironman?! Sharpen up broadcasters!

PS. Interview for Kona? Whoever comes last!

I think I would watch the ITU, except if it is an IM I actually was in. But at the end of the day it comes down to the report itself. There was some really awful IM coverage in TV recently which might put me off for ever. That guy talked about position changes in the lead pack as if they were all trying for the front instead of working together.

Alot of what makes packaged tv highlights exciting comes down to the skills of the back room crew, cameramen,producers especially as well as the commentators.

Packaged tv is telling a story and it's about getting good footage then using the right footage. The best version of the Hawaii Ironman I've watched was the 1994 version when Greg Welch beat Dave Scott for the first spot in the men's race. There was a two hour feature on UK tv and despite knowing the result it was edge of your seat stuff because of how it was put together.

I find that alot of packaged tv misses out on the key moments of the race and instead we just get to see the race leader not the moment that they take the lead or the key moments of the race.

Personally I don't have a preference only that the coverage is good.

It would depend on the race. I would rather watch the World Championship in Kona any day over an ITU race. But with the increased money in ITU racing and the pros that are now in ITU Some days that race would be much better to watch than IM which takes forever especially if there is no action going on between rivalries.

Kona everytime, and in particular the last hour of the marathon when there is buckets full of HURT going down range. The only caveat to this is that watching the Olympic Tri gets first equal.

My interest is in endurance multisport but unfortunately with the ironman, the top competitors are so often isolated by minutes between them it's hard to create great TV without using all the sob stories. More motorbike coverage like the Tour de France could explain the race better.

Although the move to drafting turned me away from triathlon to multisport in the 90's, I must admit with the sprint finishes this year in ITU it has me glued to the box as the winner is often only decided in the last few hundred meters and with the pack riding there are always the crashes to look forward to.

Sorry to say though but the best multisport on TV was a few years ago with the Live Coast to Coast race, with GPS tracking of top racers and aerial shots of the athletes battling the mountain terrain as well as the competitors were awesome. Too bad the rubbish weather hampered alot of the coverage back then or it may have continued.