TRIATHLON
triathlon 101: Train for your big race Swim, bike and run to better health
W
By Rick Hellard
HEN YOU MENTION the term triathlon, most people think: Ironman. “You know,” they say, “the one in Hawaii where that lady crawled across the finish line.” Yeah, Julie Moss inspired a lot of people that day in 1982, including me.
I figured I can do that, but without the crawling part. I’m better than that, aren’t I? And smarter. I’d never let myself get that far gone. More than a couple of decades later, I am happy to report that, although I’ve been reduced to walking a few dozen times, I have yet to crawl in any event that didn’t require it. I wonder if I’m just not tough enough to go that hard — to disregard all signs of bodily failure for the sake of a few seconds and possible victory. I hope never to find out, but I digress. Triathlon was born in 1979 when three men — a swimmer, a cyclist and a runner — suggested their respective sport required more fitness than the others. They challenged each other to a race combining all three disciplines and duplicated the distances and routes of marathon events held in Hawaii. The Ironman was born, and it was a big baby with a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.195-mile run, which is a full marathon in itself. The organizers didn’t realize that the 112-mile ride on that course was originally intended to be a two-day event. Fifteen people successfully completed that first Hawaii Ironman. Since that time, tens of thousands have completed an Ironman-distance
22
OTTAWAOUTDOORS SPRING/SUMMER 2005
triathlon. The sport has evolved considerably, but many things remain the same. Ironman-distance events are held all over the place now. They are still the same silly distance. There is still no drafting and everyone must be self-sufficient. The biggest thing that has changed is the equipment: it’s way more tricked-out…and expensive. Ironman is, and always will be, a life-changing experience for most NAME Try-a-tri Sprint
people who enter one. The level of psychological, physical, financial and scheduling commitment is substantial, if not as daunting as the event itself. In my opinion, if it doesn’t change your life in a big way, you did something seriously wrong. You missed the friendships, the hard days, the easy days, the whole experience of preparing for something that could leave you out on a highway, dehydrated in a pile of your own salt, and conquering it all. Triathlon has matured from being as long as imaginable into shorter events that are more achievable for a greater number of people. Triathlons are now set into relatively standard distances. The distances are rough guidelines because it’s hard to find exact routes that are more imaginative than the outand-back format. There are, however, many non-standard distance events on the calendar. As a triathlon coach for more than 12 years, I have had the pleasure to work with a variety of personalities and abilities. I’ve seen non-swimmers without bikes or running shoes sign up for a triathlon with a month to prepare,
SWIM (M) 1-200
CYCLE (KMS) 5-10
RUN (KMS) 2-3
500-750
20
5
Olympic
1500
40
10
Half Ironman
2000
90
21.1
Ironman
3800
180
42.195
For more information on triathlons in and around the National Capital Region, as well as Ontario, check out the following web sites: www.trirudy.com
for local happenings and discussion groups
www.sportstats.ca
for all race results and schedules
www.somersault.ca
for triathlons in eastern Ontario
www.ottawakidstri.com
for information on kids triathlons in the Ottawa area
www.triathlonontario.com
for official site of triathlon in Ontario
www.triathlonontario.com/kos
for information on kids triathlons in Ontario
www.zone3sports.com
for personal triathlon training
www.triathlonottawa.com
for triathlons in our Ottawa region
www.OttawaOutdoors.ca
