Saturday, November 12, 2016

Useful Information On Triathlon Training

By Scott Bailey


In triathlon, competitors complete multiple-stage competitions in a continuous and consecutive manner. It is an endurance sport testing how fast one can move while enduring the hardship involved in the races. Running, biking, and swimming are the three activities that make up the competition. Time spent while transitioning from one activity to another is also counted towards the final time taken. The root of the term is in the Greek language. When the term is translated to English, it means three sports which is a consistent definition with the sport.

Athletes are provided with a transition area for them to change their gear between the various events. Transition areas provide an area for transitioning from swim to bike and bike to run. Athletes keep their bikes and performance apparel among other accessories in the transition area. Triathlon training is usually very intensive and endurance-oriented in order to prepare athletes better for the race.

The first transition entails moving to biking from swimming and it labeled T1. The second transition, which is labeled T2 involves transitioning to running from biking. Athletes spend some time in transition and it is added to their final time. The number of participants is a huge variable, so the size of transitions areas also varies a lot. Transition areas serve as social headquarters before the beginning of races.

Triathlon began somewhere in the 1920s. However, its modern variant began in California in San Diego. The event held in California happened on 25, Sept, 1974 and entailed people biking, swimming, and running. Credit for conception, and directing of the event is given to Don Shanahan and Johnstone Jack. Both Johnstone and Shanahan were members of Track Club of San Diego.

In 1989, a worldwide regulatory body was founded to take on the government of the sport. The body is named as the International Triathlon Union, abbreviated as ITU. Its goal has changed from what it was at the beginning. Initially, the goal was to make triathlon an Olympic game and that was achieved. Competition levels in this sport are three, that is, junior pro-athletes, age-group athletes, and elite pro-triathletes.

To take part in an event, one needs to register and sign up before the actual race happens. When one registers, they are provided with a race number, timing band, and a colored swim cap. Timing bands are only provided in races where electronic means are used for timing. Rules, course of motion, and any problems that athletes need to be aware of are communicated in good time.

In major events, it may be a requirement for athletes to have their bikes checked-in at the transition areas in advance. Security is maintained in the transition area after bikes have been checked-in. Several different techniques have been devised for starting races. One of the methods is mass starts where competitors start competing at the same time when the start signal is given.

Wave start events entail athletes beginning the race in smaller groups. A start signal is made after every few minutes. Short races tend to favor wave starts than long ones.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment