What is Triathlon?
A triathlon is an endurance race consisting of three sports - swimming, cycling and running which are completed back-to-back and usually in that order, over various distances.
Triathlon is not just for the skilled or elite athlete. It’s an activity for participants aged from seven years to 90 years and over, with many people choosing the sport specifically for its fitness benefits and to challenge themselves.
The sport is traditionally an individual time trial over the three sports, contested against other competitors in the same five year age bracket. However competitors can also participate in a team, with each team member completing a different leg of the race.
Other variations of the sport include ‘duathlon’, which involves cycling, running, and then cycling again, and ‘aquathlon’, which involves running, swimming, and then running again.
A competitor’s official time includes the time to complete each of the disciplines (also called ‘legs’), as well as the time required to “transition” (that is change clothes, shoes, etc) between the individual legs of the race.
As a result, proficiency in swimming, cycling, and running 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.
So why not gather some family, friends or co-workers together and give a triathlon a go. After all, you’ve got nothing lose and everything to gain!