The Stages of an Obsessive Competitor

Stage 1: You participate in a triathalon with friends. You're happy that you finished and that not too many people from the groups that started behind you passed you. Later that day, you check online to see if your times are posted. You note your times, how you did in comparison with your age / sex group, and how your times were in relation to your friends. This stage is also called the T Stage.

Stage 2: You participate in a triathalon with friends. You're disappointed that you came in second out of the 3 "friendly competitors." As soon as you get home (before showering) you check to see if your times are posted (they aren't, of course). When they finally are, you put them into an excel spreadsheet along with all of your past triathon times to compare your running, swimming, and biking paces, transition times, and placement w/n your age / sex group with previous races. This stage is sometimes called the J Stage.

Stage 3: You participate in aa triathalon with friends. You are constantly looking behind you in case your "friends" are right behind you. You made sure that no one passed you, and if someone did pass, you hurt yourself to catch up with that person if possible. You found the race splits that were posted at the finish line and compared your times with your friends, and noted how you placed in the overall race. When you found the times online, you discovered that one of your friends had the 5th fasted second transition time (which you must have spent a lot of time figuring out), and wondered how that was physically possible. This stage is the C Stage.