triathlon related question - age group, or????

I'm doing my first triathlon in just over a week. It's a super mini tri, which I figure is a good way to "get my feet wet", work through transitions, etc, without too much stress of distance.
My question is, where should I race - in my age group (35-40), or in the "Athena" class for "larger" athletes? (so NOT embarrassed about being an Athena - at my most fit, I'm 150)
I just wonder where I'll compete more on my level; there are some wicked fast age groupers out there, so I thought I might fare better in the Athena group - I've read quite a bit on how much weight affects speed.....but I also know a lot of bigger, muscular people who are quick. I assumed they created this special group to put heavier people against each other to level out the playing field.
Suggestions???

I'm not an expert here by any means, but if we were competing, and I'm in the age group above yours, and also Athena, although I'm around 230...you'd ride rings around me and others like me. I think you'd do better in the Athena group, given your age and comparative fitness.

Good luck!

Roxy

Thanks, Roxy. Having never done one before, I have no idea what to expect :)

Before I was an athena I had no choice. Now that I have a choice- I'll race as athena when it's offered. There are some fast chickies in the athena, tho. Some of them are size 4's and super fit, but because they are so tall they can qualify as an athena (so not fair, IMO). I wish they had a "short and chubby" category so I could really compete with my peers. :p

Good luck on your race!!! Be sure to check back in and let us know how it went!!:D

Having just done my first tri as an Athena last weekend, I say race as Athena! You can always compare your times to those in your AG if you want to know how you'll compare later, but it's fun to race and know that if you give it an extra effort, you might actually place. At least, that was my feeling when I was racing on Saturday. I'm not yet competitive in my AG (usually MOP), but against the other Athenas, I actually got second place! The woman who had first was taller, fitter and MUCH faster than me, so there was definitely lots of stiff competition.

I hesitated when I signed up because I was afraid that there would only be a few of us and I'd podium by default and I did NOT want that. I checked to see who had signed up before me and there were 6 Athenas already, so I did it. There ended up being 10 of us in the masters Athena class on race day (I'm over 40).

It was a great experience and I now know that I'll continue to sign up for Athena for as long as I qualify. :)

Another reason to rock the Athena category is to vote with your dollars. If people race in that category, race organisers are more likely to keep it. ;)

I raced Athena all last season, which likely was/will be my last Athena season. I never placed 1st, and the woman who did was always like a foot taller than me (Amazon Woman). ;) There was one race where the girl that placed just behind or ahead of me was pretty much my size, which was great (but we were both beat by an Amazon). Anyway, I think it's a fun way to level the playing field for those of us who have to (or choose to) lug that weight around. It's darn near impossible for someone in the Athenas, even an Amazon or borderline Athena, to finish as fast as the people who finish top 3 in the race, and sometimes top 3 in their respective age groups. :)

Well, I certainly qualify as an Athena and entered in that category once last year, but I hated it. I feel way more kinship with the other people in my age group (50-54) than the 20-something Athenas. Since I'm not going to come close to winning in either category, I'd rather start in a wave with my peers.

And an added bonus is that in all but one of the tris I've done, the old ladies start early (after the pros and elites) while the Athenas start about an hour and a half later. I hated standing around getting nervous while the temperature got hotter and hotter.

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Originally Posted by colby

Another reason to rock the Athena category is to vote with your dollars. If people race in that category, race organisers are more likely to keep it. ;)

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Bingo.

I raced Athena when I qualified. It was my way of saying "HEY, yes, we're out here and we're rockin' it!"

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Originally Posted by divingbiker

Well, I certainly qualify as an Athena and entered in that category once last year, but I hated it. I feel way more kinship with the other people in my age group (50-54) than the 20-something Athenas. Since I'm not going to come close to winning in either category, I'd rather start in a wave with my peers.

And an added bonus is that in all but one of the tris I've done, the old ladies start early (after the pros and elites) while the Athenas start about an hour and a half later. I hated standing around getting nervous while the temperature got hotter and hotter.

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Good perspective - some races do not differentiate Athena and Masters Athena when it comes to the start, and there are usually fewer Masters Athena racers so you're right about the youngins. I think my mother in law might agree with you - more fun starting in her age group vs. Athena. I don't think she's had the choice yet, though, so far she's only done the Danskin which doesn't have a separate Athena category.

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

...Some of them are size 4's and super fit, but because they are so tall they can qualify as an athena (so not fair, IMO). I wish they had a "short and chubby" category so I could really compete with my peers. :p...

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Amen.

Roxy