Newbie Tips
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Find out what it is, how to get ready for your first race and what gear you need to buy or borrow.  |
| Triathlon is an exciting multi-discipline sport for all ages and abilities. It offers you fitness, fun and friendly competition. It originated in the US in the 1970s and it is now an Olympic sport, having made its debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.A triathlon involves a swim, followed by a cycle ride and then a run - a continuous race against the clock and fellow competitors. Triathlons are held over a variety of distances, including the famous Ironman distance of a 2.25 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and a full marathon run! Most national and international competitions race the "Olympic" distance of a 1500m open water swim, a 40k bike ride and a 10k run. Sprint distance triathlons are held in swimming pools or open water and have distances of between 400m to 800m swim, 16k to 30k bike and 5k to 8k run.Some people prefer duathlon which involves only two of the disciplines, usually run-bike-run or swim-run. There are also quadrathons, which add kayaking to the swim-bike-run, and off road duathlons and triathlons. Triathlon can be an expensive sport. Your first visit to your local triathlon shop can be daunting. The cost of high-performance clips, pedals, shoes, cages, bottles and BIKES can literally slap a newcomer back onto the couch. The sport of triathlon certainly sounds like a fun and healthy way to live the rest of your life, but there are some people (you may be one of them) who just don't enjoy it. Your goal is to spend as little money as possible until you are certain triathlon is the sport for you. |