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Triathlon

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A triathlon is an athletic event made up of three contests (from the Greek). In contemporary usage, the name triathlon is mostly applied to a combination of swimming, cycling and running, in that order. In most modern triathlons, these events are placed back-to-back in immediate sequence and a competitor's official time includes the time required to "transition" between the individual legs of the race, including any time necessary for changing clothes and shoes. As a result, proficiency in swimming, running, and cycling alone is not sufficient to guarantee a triathlete a competitive time: trained triathletes have learned to race each stage in a way that preserves their energy and endurance for subsequent stages.

History

According to some sources, the Triathlon is based on a race in France during the 1920-1930's that was called "Les trois sports", "La Course des Débrouillards" and "La course des Touche à Tout". Nowadays, this race is held every year in France near Joinville le Pont, in Meulan and Poissy. In 1920 the French newspaper "L´Auto" reported on a competition called "Les Trois Sports" with a 3 km run, 12 km bike and a crossing of the channel Marne. Those three parts were done without any break. There are articles in French newspapers about a race in Marseille in 1927. There is a 1934 article about "Les Trois Sports" (the three sports) at the city of Rochelle about a race with three components: (1) a channel crossing (c. 200 m), (2) a bike competition (10 km) around the harbor of Rochelle and the parc Laleu, and (3) a run (1200 m) in the stadium André-Barbeau. Since the 1930's, very little was heard about triathlon until its re-invention in 1974 at San Diego's Mission Bay in Southern California, where a group of friends began training together. Amongst them were runners, swimmers and cyclists and before long training sessions turned into informal races. Directed and conceived by Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan, the first Mission Bay Triathlon was held on September 25th 1974 and welcomed 46 athletes. This date is celebrated as the day modern triathlon began.

The first modern long-distance triathlon event (2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) swim, 112 mi (180.2 km) bike ride, and a 26.2 mi (42.2 km) run) was the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon, the idea for which arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay (a running race for 5-person teams). Among the participants were numerous representatives of both the Mid-Pacific Road Runners and the Waikiki Swim Club, whose members had long been debating which athletes were more fit, runners or swimmers. On this occasion, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins pointed out that a recent article in Sports Illustrated magazine had declared that Eddy Merckx, the great Belgian cyclist, had the highest recorded "maximum oxygen uptake" of any athlete ever measured, so perhaps cyclists were more fit than anyone. Cdr. Collins and his wife, Judy, had taken part in the triathlons staged in 1974 and 1975 by the San Diego Track Club in and around Mission Bay, California, as well as the Optimist Sports Fiesta Triathlon in Coronado, California, in 1975. A number of the other military athletes in attendance were also familiar with the San Diego races, so they understood the concept when Cdr. Collins suggested that the debate should be settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.862 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.219 mi./42.195 km). It is worth noting that no one present had ever done the bike race; Cdr. Collins calculated that, by shaving 3 miles off the course and riding counter-clockwise around the island, the bike leg could start at the finish of the Waikiki Rough Water and end at the Aloha Tower, the traditional start of the Honolulu Marathon. Prior to racing, each athlete received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation: “SWIM 2.4 MILES! BIKE 112 MILES! RUN 26.2 MILES! BRAG FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE®!" With a nod to a local runner who was notorious for his demanding workouts, Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." Of the fifteen men to start off the in early morning on February 18th, 1978, twelve completed the race and the world's first IRONMAN®, Gordon Haller, completed in 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 58 seconds.

Today, a number of triathlon events over varying distances are held around the world, but the Kona event still represents the "original triathlon with the finishers called 'Ironmen'." The Hawaii Ironman Triathlon now serves as the Ironman world championship, but the entity that owns the race, the World Triathlon Corporation, hosts other triathlons around the world that are also called Ironmans. Long-distance multi-sport events organized by groups other than the World Triathlon Corporation may not officially be called "Ironman" races. Such triathlons may be described as "Iron-distance" or "Half-Ironman", but the "Ironman" label is the official property of the World Triathlon Corporation.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in 1989 as the international governing body of the sport, with the chief goal of putting triathlon on the Olympic program. The ITU has never officially sanctioned the Ironman Triathlon. Some believe that the Hawaii Ironman should be recognized as the official world championship for the sport as a whole, and as such should be sanctioned by the ITU. For its part, however, the ITU has expressed little interest in supporting longer distance triathlon, choosing to retain its focus instead on the shorter races geared toward the Olympics.

The sport made its debut on the Olympic program at the Sydney Games in 2000 over the Olympic Distance (1500 m swim - 40 km bike - 10 km run).

Since its founding, triathlon has grown significantly and now includes thousands of races with hundreds of thousands of competitors worldwide each year.

Standard race distances

Name Swim Bicycle Run Notes
Super Sprint 375 m 10 km 2.5 km Distances vary, but this is a standard Super Sprint course.
Sprint 750 m 20 km 5 km A 500 m swim is also common. The Sprint Distance is the fastest growing triathlon race distance in the United States.
Olympic 1.5 km 40 km 10 km Also known as "international distance", "standard course", or "short course".
Half-Ironman 1.2 mi (1.9 km) 56 mi (90 km) 13.1 mi (21.09 km) Also called a "70.3", or "medium distance".
ITU-Long Distance 3.8 to 4.0 km 120 km 30 km The ITU accepts a 5% margin of error in the distance of the cycle and run courses.[1]
Ironman 2.4 mi (3.8 km) 112 mi (180 km) 26.2 mi (42.195 km) marathon Also known as "iron distance" or "long distance".[2]

The official triathlon world cup is a series of olympic distance races organized and sanctioned each year by the International Triathlon Union, in 2004 it included thirteen events. These world cup races are conducted in a draft legal format for the bike leg. Many other non-official triathlon races have adopted the olympic distance format.

Though there can be some variation in race distances, particularly among short triathlons, most triathlons conform to one of these five standards.

  • Equilateral Triathlon: A triathlon, proposed by Wainer and De Veaux (1994), in which each leg would take an approximately equal time. For example, their "Olympic" triathlon, run as a relay, should take three world-record holders each about 28 minutes per leg: 2.7 km swim / 22.4 km bike / 10 km run.
  • Formula One (F-1) Triathlon: An event that consists of a swim-bike-run combination in multiple groups. For example, a swim to bike to run followed by another swim to bike to run combination done in one event or as a group of events. Another variation example would be a swim-exit-swim followed by a bike to run and another bike to run (looped courses). Typically these events allow bike drafting for age group triathlete entries (note: bike drafting is typically reserved to only pro/elite level triathletes).
    • The F-1 frequent transitions between swim, bike and run does not make it a practical format for large groups of bikers to draft as frequently seen in other bike draft legal versions of triathlons where bike drafting is typically limited to pro level triathletes. The F-1 format was created to maintain a reasonably safe format for the development of drafting skills for age groupers. This is specially true for those at the junior level wanting to compete at the draft legal Olympic level in the future.
  • Ultraman Triathlon: An event held annually in Hawai'i over a three day period and covering a total distance of 320 miles. 10 km (6.2 mi) ocean swim / 421 km (261 mi) cross-country bike / 84 km (52.4 mile) ultramarathon run. Ultraman Canada, held in the Penticton area of British Columbia, is another Ultraman event.

Nonstandard variations

Winter variants of triathlon, raced in snow-covered conditions, can include (in order):


Another popular variant are so-called off-road triathlons that consist of swimming, mountain biking and trail running. The best-known series of these races is known as XTerra.

Aquathlons are two-stage races consisting of a swimming stage and a running stage. Duathlons comprise a running stage, a cycling stage and another running stage. A new event, Aquabike, a swimming stage followed by a biking stage, has risen in popularity in recent years. Having multiple events on one course allow a race organizer to maximize the venue to its fullest as well as bring competitors into the sport who can only complete 2 disciplines.

Recent decades have seen the development of a wide variety of so-called "multisport" events, of which triathlon is now considered only one major type.

How a triathlon works

In a typical triathlon, racers arrive at the venue about an hour (or more) before the race is to begin, to set up their spot in the "transition area". Here they will generally have a rack to hold their bicycle and a small area of ground space for shoes, clothing, etc. In some races, the bicycle stage does not finish in the same place it begins, and athletes will set up two transition areas, one for the swim-to-bike transition, and one for the bike-to-run transition.

Racers are generally categorized into separate professional and amateur groups; amateurs are often referred to as "age groupers" who form the great majority of triathletes. One feature that has helped to boost the popularity of such a complex time-intensive sport is the opportunity to compete against others of one's own gender and age group. The age groups are typically set at between five and ten year intervals.

In some triathlons, amateur athletes may have the option to compete against others in heavier-weight divisions. "Clydesdale" athletes are those men generally over 200 pounds, while "Athena" athletes are women generally over 150 pounds. This is not officially sanctioned in any of the professional or Olympic events.

There is usually (as in most marathons) a lower age limit (typically 18) for the longer triathlons (all of the 5 events listed above) but many shorter races have been organised to allow children and teens to compete in triathlon.

After transitions are set up, the athletes don their swim gear and head to the swim area - usually a lake, river, or the ocean - for the race start. Depending on the type and size of the race, either all the athletes will enter the water at a single signal ("mass start", traditional in Iron-distance races), or in waves spaced every few minutes, usually by age group (wave starts are more common in shorter races where a large number of amateur athletes are competing).

The swim leg usually proceeds around a series of marked buoys and exits the water near the transition area. Racers run out of the water and attempt to change from their swim gear into cycling gear as rapidly as possible. In some of the earliest races, tents were provided for changing clothes. In the modern day, however, competition and pressure for time has led to the development of specialized triathlon clothing that is adequate for both swimming and cycling, meaning many racers' transitions consist of little more than removing goggles and pulling on a helmet and cycling shoes. (In some cases racers leave shoes attached to their bicycle pedals and slip their feet into them while riding.)

The cycling stage proceeds around a marked course and finishes back at the transition area, where racers rack their bicycles and change quickly into running shoes before heading out for the final stage. The run finishes at a finish line usually near the start and transition areas.

In most races, "aid stations" located on the bike and run courses provide water and energy drinks to the athletes as they pass through. Aid stations at longer events will often provide various types of food as well, including such items as energy bars and gels, fruit, cookies, and ice.

Rules of triathlon

Traditionally, triathlon is an individual sport: each athlete is competing against the course and the clock for the best time. As such, athletes are not allowed to receive assistance from anyone else inside or outside the race, with the exception of race-sanctioned aid volunteers who distribute food and water on the course. This also means that team tactics, such as drafting, a cycling tactic in which several riders cluster closely to reduce the air resistance of the group, are not allowed.

This has begun to change with the introduction of triathlon into the Olympic Games. Many Olympic-distance races including the Olympics themselves and ITU World Cup events now allow drafting during the cycling stage. Although this change sparked extensive debate among the triathlon community, it has been grudgingly accepted as the standard format for professional-level ITU events and the Olympics; in any case the format appears to be here to stay. However, the majority of amateur events retain the non-drafting format.

Having pro races be drafting races, some argue, makes for better television viewing, as no riders have to be pulled over & penalised for drafting. Others argue that drafting runs contrary to the whole ethos of the sport and denies the viewing public the opportunity to watch individual triathletes compete on their own terms without any outside influence. Drafting transforms an individual time trial, within an individual challenge event, into a road race. This leads to strong riders being chased down by the peloton and team tactics may come into play. The viewer is denied the spectacle of slow swimmers who are strong on the bike making their way up through the field as slower cyclists who were among the first out of the water concede time and places to these faster athletes. Ultimately, drafting denies the viewer the spectacle of seeing through from start to finish the many individual stories of achievement determined by each individual's strengths, weaknesses, nutrition strategy and tactical decision making.

Triathlons are timed in sections: 1) from the start of the swim to the beginning of the first transition; 2) from the beginning of the first transition to the end of the second transition; 3) and finally at the end of the run, at which time the triathlon is completed. Results are usually posted on official websites and will show for each triathlete his/her swim time; cycle time (with transitions included); run time; and total time. Some races also post transition times separately.

Other rules of triathlon vary from race to race and generally involve descriptions of allowable equipment (such as wetsuits, which are allowed in the swimming stage of some races), and prohibitions against interference between athletes.

Professional competitions

The world of professional triathlon is primarily split into three circuits:

  • The "short course", or Olympic-distance competitive circuit, run by the International Triathlon Union (ITU), which includes the ITU World Cup series and ITU World Championships. In 2004, the ITU World Cup included over 75 different events.
  • The "long course", or "Ironman" circuit, run by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), which culminates each year with the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. These races are not recognized as "official" by the ITU, but are unquestionably the best-known series of races in the sport.
  • The XTerra off-road triathlon championship series.

In addition, the ITU has a Long Distance Triathlon series, with races slightly shorter (except for the swim) than the Ironman standard. This circuit is a new addition, with four annual events as of 2005. Many of the same athletes compete in Ironman and ITU Long Distance races.

The term Ironman Triathlon is a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation and refers to the series of races organised by the WTC. Races of this distance which are not organised by the WTC are commonly referred to as Iron Distance Triathlon.

Triathlon and fitness

Triathletes tend to be extraordinarily fit, and many amateur athletes choose triathlon specifically for its fitness benefits. Because all three events are endurance sports, nearly all of triathlon training is cardiovascular exercise. In addition, since triathletes must train for three different disciplines, they tend to have more balanced whole-body muscular development than pure cyclists or runners, whose training emphasizes only a subset of their musculature.

Specialization of swimming, cycling and running in triathlon

Each of the elements of triathlon is a little different from if those sports were encountered alone. While amateur triathletes who also compete in individual swimming, cycling or running races generally apply the same techniques and philosophy to triathlon, seasoned triathletes and professionals have specialized techniques for each discipline that improve their race as a whole.

Swimming

A U.S. Marine emergening from the swimming portion of a triathlon

Triathletes will use their legs less vigorously and more carefully than other swimmers, husbanding their energy for the cycle and run to follow. Many triathletes use altered swim strokes to compensate for turbulent, aerated water and to conserve energy for a long swim. In addition, the majority of triathlons involve open-water (outdoor) swim stages, rather than pools with lane markers. As a result, triathletes in the swim stage must jockey for position, and can gain some advantage by drafting, following a competitor closely to swim in their slipstream. Triathletes will often use "dolphin kicking" and diving to make headway outward against waves and body surfing to use a wave's energy for a bit of speed at the end of the swim stage. Also, open-water swims necessitate "sighting", raising the head to look for landmarks or buoys which mark the course. A modified stroke allows the triathlete to lift the head above water to sight without interrupting the swim or wasting energy.

Because open water swim areas are often cold, specialized triathlon wetsuits have been developed. In addition to warmth, wetsuits add buoyancy and smoothness, both of which increase swimming speed. Wetsuits are only legal in sanctioned events with a water temperature equal to or below 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). Some events allow wetsuits regardless of water temperature, and sometimes they are required. Or, in a single event, wetsuits may be allowed for age groupers but not for professionals, as the temperature rules differ slightly between the two groups.

Cycling

Triathlon cycling, with the exception of Olympic triathlon and ITU World Cup races, is very different from most professional bicycle racing because it does not allow drafting, and so racers do not cluster in a peloton. It more closely resembles individual time trial racing. Triathlon bicycles are generally optimized for aerodynamics, having special handlebars called "aero-bars" or "tri-bars", aerodynamic wheels or other components. Triathlon bikes use a specialized geometry including a steep seat-tube angle both to improve aerodynamics and spare muscle groups needed for running (see also Triathlon equipment). At the end of the bike segment, triathletes also often cycle with a higher "cadence" (revolutions per minute), which serves in part to keep the muscles loose and flexible for running. It is believed, though, that the primary benefit to spinning in a triathlon is the strain of the effort being placed disproportionately on the slow twitch muscle fibers, preventing the athlete from accumulating an oxygen debt before the run.

Running

The primary distinguishing feature of running in a triathlon is that it occurs after the athlete has already been exercising in two other disciplines for an extended period of time, so many muscles are already tired. The effect of switching from cycling to running can be very profound; first-time triathletes are often astonished at the bizarre sensation in their thighs a few hundred yards into the run and discover that they run at a much slower pace than they are accustomed to in training. Triathletes train for this phenomenon through transition workouts or "bricks": back-to-back workouts involving two disciplines, most commonly cycling and running. (The term "brick" has multiple claims of origination/derivation. Among those is the derivation from a partial anagram of Bike-Run. Also, it is simply a descriptive term of how your legs feel for the first part of the run. Another is given credit to Mark Sisson and Scott Zagarino (1988) who associated the term brick to the idea of "Just another brick in the wall"... as noted in a song by the group "Pink Floyd". Another association of this term has been claimed to originate from a New Zealand athlete by the name of Matt Brick.)

Legendary and well-known events

Hundreds (perhaps thousands) of individual triathlons are held around the world each year. A few of these races are legendary and/or favorites of the triathlon community because they have a long history, or because they have particularly grueling courses and race conditions. A few are listed here.

  • Hawaii Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii. First held in 1978, only five years after the sport of triathlon was founded. The cycling stage of the race covers more than a hundred miles over lava flats on the big island of Hawaii, where mid-day temperatures often reach over 110°F (43°C) and cross-winds sometimes blow at 55 MPH (90 km/h). The race is often challenging even to competitors with experience in other iron-distance events.
  • Escape from Alcatraz, San Francisco, California. This non-standard-length race begins with a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) swim in frigid San Francisco Bay waters around Alcatraz Island, followed by an 18 mile (29 km) bicycle and 8 mile (13 km) run in the extremely hilly terrain of the San Francisco Bay area. The run includes the notorious "Sand Ladder" -- a 400-step staircase climb up a beachside cliff. In recent years, the race has included a fourth event: a one-mile (1.6 km) "warm-up" run between the swim and bike leg to reduce the incidence of hypothermia.
  • Wildflower is a Half-Ironman distance race held on or near May 1st at Lake San Antonio in Southern California since 1983. Known for a particularly hilly course, it has expanded now to include three races of different lengths and is one of the largest triathlon events in the world, with over 8,000 athletes attending each year.
  • Life Time Fitness Triathlon. Offering the largest professional prize purse in triathlon, this event draws international triathlon talent in large numbers. Pros and amateurs alike are welcome to Minneapolis, MN in late summer to enjoy this exciting race conducted in "equalizer" format.
  • HP Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. The race is the world’s toughest iron-distance. It is also the northmost iron-distance, taking place at the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. The race travels through some of the most beautiful parts of Norway, and is far from a regular circuit-race. HP Norseman starts in one of the beautiful fjords on the West Coast and finishes inland at 1,850 meters above sea level. Total ascent is 5,000 meters.

  • Enduroman "Arch to Arc Challenge" This ultra-distance triathlon starts with an 87-mile run from London's Marble arch to Dover on the Kent coast, then a cross-channel swim to the French coast, and finishes with a 180 mile bike from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The clock starts at Marble Arch London and stops at Arc de Triomphe Paris. Only 3 athletes have ever completed the challenge, the current record being held by Enduroman's Eddie Ette and currently standing at 81 hours and 5 minutes.

Notable triathletes

Men

Women

Beginner Triathlon Training

When most people think of triathlon, images come to mind of the elite Ironman triathlete, swimming, biking and running for hours in the heat and humidity of Hawaii, or the famous crawl to the finish as displayed on NBC's coverage of The Ironman Hawaii. Few realize that the sport of triathlon consists of mostly amateur athletes, many coming to races with the goal of finishing the race rather than competing for a prize. To complete a race will give a great feeling of accomplishment. But those in the beginner level looking for the best way to get started, there are limited resources out there to help. Some examples of resources for beginner triathletes include:

  • Local triathlon clubs. Many cities have these and typically they can be found by doing a internet search. Tri clubs are a place to go to find training partners, and some advice on where to start or how to improve.
  • Books. There are two approaches with books. Some triathlon books cover a broad overview of the sport with sections on each discipline: swim, bike run, but no specialty. Examples of generalized books like these include Workouts for Working People, by 6-time Ironman Champion Mark Allen and his wife, professional triathlete Julie Moss, and Triathlon Training in just 4 Hours a Week by Eric Harr. The second approach is sport specific books which beginners that are already comfortable with one or two of the disciplines may find more helpful. Swimming tends to be the sport that most athletes have more difficulty with. Resources here include The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming by Kevin Koskella and The Triathlete's Guide to Swim Training by Steve Tarpinian.
  • Magazines. The magazine directed at beginner to intermediate level triathletes is Inside Triathlon. This magazine is full of tips and articles directed at the amateur triathlete. It also includes race information and equipment reviews. 220 Triathlon is another magazine, based in Great Britain, that covers a wide array of triathlon-related material, focused more on England and the European triathlon scene. For a look at what the pros are up to, try Triathlete Magazine.

Footnotes

  1. ^ International Triathlon Union (2003). "ITU Competition Rules" (PDF). Retrieved 2005-12-13.
  2. ^ Because "Ironman Triathlon" is a registered trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), only races licensed by the WTC may be called "Ironman." As a result, other races of the same distances are called "iron" or "long" distance.

References

  • Tinley, Scott, & Plant, Mike. (1986). An Underground History. In Scott Tinley's Winning Triathlon, pp. 1-13. Chicago: Contemporary books, Inc. ISBN 0-80902-5116-5
  • The Triathlon Hall of Fame [1]

See also

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