Crowie just announced his retirement from the full IM distance racing. A true legend and gentleman of the sport.
Nothing but the highest respect for him. A true sportsman.
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Total respect. Thanks for the ride Crowie. It has been fun being inspired by his career. And he goes out with an 8:05 and the FASTEST run of the day in 2:43. How’s that for your “retirement” race! Also very nice to see both Dirk and Marino bag some good KPR points after zero at Kona last fall and especially Marino running 2:52 after those injuries.
Ending all speculation that he will be racing Kona. Good.
I’ve loved watching Crowie race, I don’t want to watch him come 20th at Kona again.
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Say what you will about other pros and the way they act or what they say. The only thing you can say about Crowie is that he’s a pure gentleman. Sad to see him no longer racing IM.
Ending all speculation that he will be racing Kona. Good.
I’ve loved watching Crowie race, I don’t want to watch him come 20th at Kona again.
Great to see him go out with a 2:43 marathon. He can retire in peace going out at “full speed”, not with a “jog” (relative)
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I watched his Melbourne post race interview and I think he had to dig really deep to get that fifth. After his 2013 Kona post race interview I though he was already giving up the 140.6 distance but I was wrong.
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Pure class.
Enjoy your much deserved family time, sir. You’ve earned it!
A sad day for the sport… but a well earned “t3” for the master.
In my opinion it’s very difficult to identify another athlete that sets a higher standard for our sport. The first thing previous posters here all are calling out-- his unceasing, unflappable class after major wins or crushing failures, is something each and every one of us ought to emulate before during and after every race. The sport would be significantly better for it.
Yet you could also make a very strong case that he is IM’s greatest athlete of all time, winning more consistently against deeper fields than anyone else. He got the first 70.3/140.6 double, wrecked the crazy deep field at IM Melbourne in under 8 hours, and set the all time course record at Kona, against a mark that had dated back, as i understand it, to the days before EPO testing. no question that he has been a class act, but i don’t think that over the last 5-10 years there has been an athlete with more grit and competitive focus. To keep going back to the well, figuring out how to dig deeper when you’re already so close to maxed, in addition to reformulating the game plan late in the career and then putting in the epic efforts in training and on the course to execute it for major wins… incomparable.
As much as his class seems to be the first thing everyone thinks of, for me it’s that in combination with his relentlessness, grit, and that ice cold execution that made Alexander a thrill to watch. Who can forget the truly epic battles with Lieto… Go back and read about Boise 70.3 where Craig ran down Chris with a mind boggling 4:40 final mile to win by two seconds. Do it now. http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/The_Alexander_-_Lieto_Duel_869.html
The class, the determination, the execution and the unanswerable speed… these things make Alexander someone who will remain a major source of motivation and inspiration for me pretty much every time i head out to train or race.
Thanks Craig.
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Thanks for the example you set. As they said “class act”.
He announced he was finished racing Kona last year, not the Ironman distance. I know he said he wanted to focus more on the half-ironman.
A true class act and an example for (all) sports/athletes to follow!! Doubt he’s completely going away just yet (thank goodness).
This may be a good thing for the sport. He will continue to grow the sport. A gentleman and champion that is well loved will be involved in the sport. He went out in style! Great race. I am excited to see what he does in the future. I am sure he will be at races. I am a true fan.
He is one of the reasons I got into triathlon. I have a signed hand drawn Dan Parravano picture of Crowie on my wall. As the Crow Flies is one of the books on my coffee table for friends and guests to check out and then I talk about him and triathlon until I see their eyes glaze over. I really hope to meet him one day! As echoed by many already, true class act and a privilege to watch compete.
Ending all speculation that he will be racing Kona. Good.
I’ve loved watching Crowie race, I don’t want to watch him come 20th at Kona again.
Great to see him go out with a 2:43 marathon. He can retire in peace going out at “full speed”, not with a “jog” (relative)
Idk if he is going in “peace” but I know what you are trying to get at, problem with Crowie is that top 5 isn’t what he wanted, he is a competitor and wants to win.
That all said it is always tough in sport to watch the moment when an athlete realizes it’s over. Yesterday at Melbourne Crowie had that moment and you could tell it was hard for him to take in.
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Ending all speculation that he will be racing Kona. Good.
I’ve loved watching Crowie race, I don’t want to watch him come 20th at Kona again.
Great to see him go out with a 2:43 marathon. He can retire in peace going out at “full speed”, not with a “jog” (relative)
Idk if he is going in “peace” but I know what you are trying to get at, problem with Crowie is that top 5 isn’t what he wanted, he is a competitor and wants to win.
That all said it is always tough in sport to watch the moment when an athlete realizes it’s over. Yesterday at Melbourne Crowie had that moment and you could tell it was hard for him to take in.
I wasn’t there to watch, but I am sure that he is much more happy to step away from Ironman racing closing the career with a 2:43 and within 4 minutes of the win than going out running a 3:xx marathon in Kona and an entire time zone out of the win. This one was watching a warrior stepping away having fought right to the last punch of the 12th round. Sure it would be exciting to have seen him win this one, but it looks like the swim delta, and missing the train did him in. When he won in Melbourne 2 years ago, he was able to close up that gap.
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I was watching the swim, and for whatever reason the entire 12ish man 2nd back turned at the turn boy, and instead of going straight, went out at like a 45* angle, and that went on for atleast 20-30 secs (so 1 min just to correct the mistake). I would be curious to know what happened there, as it was obvious the guys were just following each other, wonder who flubbed that one.
Coolest most down to earth World Champion I ever met!! Can honestly say he is/was my all around favorite triathlete. Good luck for what’s next!!
Sad to see him go. I hope he stays in the sport (as does my wife, who thinks he is the hottest male triathlete).
But does anyone realize that he did an 8:05, with a 2:43 marathon—AT THE AGE OF 40!!! That is just the most mind boggling part for me. I am sure he would have prefered the win, but has anyone ever done an IM that fast past the age of 40 before?
Salute!
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Speaking from a race director’s perspective, I also agree that Crowie is one class act, in all phases of his life. The year he was entered to do Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake he suffered an injury the week before and had to withdraw. However, in support of his training buddies who were also entered, he came to Lubbock at his own expense and was available to the event through out the weekend. He was at the awards ceremony, expo and never ask for a thing. He was a complete gentleman and was at the finish line all day rooting for ALL of the athletes as they crossed the line. He will be missed on the long course, but will makeup on the 70.3 course and for sure will continue to build on his remarkable legacy!