TriathlonA 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.
HistoryThis form of triathlon was first held by the San Diego Track Club in 1974, and was a run-bike-swim event. In most modern events, the three stages are held in the opposite order, primarily for safety reasons. The first major triathlon event, the Ironman Triathlon, was organized in 1978 and held in Hawaii. Today, a number of Ironman events are held around the world, and the original course in Kona, Hawaii, serves as the unofficial world championships for Iron-distance racers. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in 1989. ITU has never officially approved of the Ironman Triathlon on Hawaii, so there is no official world championship on the Iron-distance. This has been the subject of some controversy. The sport made its debut on the Olympic program at the Sydney Games in 2000. Since its founding in 1974, triathlon has grown significantly and now includes thousands of races with hundreds of thousands of competitors each year. Types of triathlonThere are a number of standard triathlon race distances, including
Though there can be some variation in race distances, particularly among short triathlons, most triathlons conform to one of these five standards. Nonstandard variationsA winter variant of triathlon, raced in snow-covered conditions, usually consists of cross country skiing, mountain biking and running stages (in that order). Another popular variant are so-called offroad triathlons that consist of swimming, mountain biking and trail running. The most common series of these races is known as Xterra. 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 worksIn a typical triathlon, racers arrive at the venue about an hour before the race is to begin, to set up their "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 5 and ten year intervals. 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.
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' transition consists of little more than removing goggles and pulling on a pair of cycling shoes. (And in some cases, racers leave shoes attached to their bicycle pedals and put them on while riding.) The cycling stage proceeds around a marked course and finished back at the transition area, where racers rack their bicycle and change quickly into running shoes before heading out for the final stage. The run finishes at a finish line also usually near the start and transition. Rules of triathlonTraditionally, 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 is now gaining acceptance among the community and in any case appears to be here to stay. 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. Very long races may 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 competitionsThe world of professional triathlon is primarily split into two circuits:
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 refered to as Iron Distance Triathlon. ITU has a Long Distance Triathlon series too.
Triathlon and fitnessTriatletes tend to be very fit - their aerobic fitness and endurance is comparable to or greater than long distance runners, and perhaps only long distance crss-country skiers are fitter. Specialization of swimming, cycling and running in triathlonEach of the elements of triathlon is a little different from if those sports were encountered alone: triathletes will use their legs less vigourously and more carefully than swim specialists, husbanding their energy for the cycle and run to follow; specialized triathlon wetsuits add buoyancy and smoothness, as well as warmth, and thus help less accomplished swimmers to move faster; the swim stroke may also be modified to allow for turbulent aerated water, to allow for waves, and in consideration of the sometimes long distance to be swum. Any stroke or combination of strokes may be used. Wetsuits are mandatory below a certain water temperature; and prohibited above a certain temperature. Bicycles designed for triathlon (essentially "time trial" bikes) expect the cyclist to be in as aerodynamic a position as possible (for a long time), using aero-bars (= "pursuit bars"; "tri-bars") and a steep seat-tube angle to both maximise cycling efficency in aero- position and, hopefully, to spare the legs a little for the up-coming run. A moderately quick cadence also helps spare the legs. Almost any bicycle may used in a triathlon though. Nutrition and hydration must always be a concern in all but the "sprint" events. The beginning of the run must allow the legs to change from cycling mode to running mode as easily as possible - to facilitate this triathletes practice "bricks" - workouts where cycling is closely followed by a run. Legendary and well-known eventsHundreds (perhaps thousands) of individual triathlons are held around the world each year. A few of 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.
See AlsoExternal Links
da:Triatlon de:Triathlon et:Triatlon es:Triatlón fr:Triathlon nl:Triatlon ja:トライアスロン pt:Triatlo
Categories: Endurance sports | Individual sports | Olympic sports |
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