What exactly makes thousands of people take part in the triathlon events, where you have to swim 1,500 m, then immediately cycle 40 km and right afterwards run 10km - and all of that without a breaks?

Description

All triathlons consist of Swimming, Cycling and Running one after the other, but there are three different types: consists of 1,500 m swimming, 40km cycling, and 10km running.

  â€¢ The sprint: 750m swimming, 20km cycling, and 5km running
  â€¢ Long distance: 4km swimming, 120km cycling, and 30km running

History

The first triathlon was organized on the 25th of September 1974 in Mission Bay in San Diego, California, USA.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in May of 1989 in Avignon, France and the same town staged the first World Champoionships in August of the same year. In 1994, during an IOC session in Paris, it was announced that the sport had formally become part of the Olympic Programme. IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch wrote that the father of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, would have especially enjoyed the triathlon, during which he would have had to swim, cycle, and run. These sports have been a part of the Olympic competition schedule since the first Olympic Games in 1896. Coubertin (1875) himself said that the following: " we need a sport that combines swimming, cycling, and running which are all so popular; a modern, dynamic sport to celebrate the Olympic spirit of fair-play, endurance, force, ability and passion". The triathlon made its debut at the 2000 Olympic in Sydney where 500,000 spectoator watched the event for two days.

On the 28th June 1991 Asian Triahtlon Confederation was formed at Beijing, China and the first Asian Triathlon Championship was held Hasaki City Japan in 1992 and since the every year Asian Championships has been held. During the 14th Asian Games at Busan, Korea, the Olympic Council of Asia accepted Triathlon as one of the medal sport in the 15th Asian Games at Doha Qatar in 2006. South East Asian Games Committee accepted it as medal sports for the forth coming SEA Games in Manila, Philippines. Very soon this sports may be held in other Regional Games in Asia.

Disciplines

Swimming

The swimming takes place in open water(lake, sea, rivers). Buoys mark the course and it is usually triangular.

Start: The event involves a spectacular mass start from a beach, either in the water or from a floating pontoon. The use of a floating pontoon is obligatory in both Olympic Games and World Championships.

Tactics in swimming: the first meters are crucial. An athlete must be careful not to be blocked behind. After swimming as fast as possible in the first 400 meters, an athletes tries to swim at the heels of the faster ones. This is the best way to save energy. Besides, swimming is simply a "Warm up" process for cycling and running. End of swimming: Triathletes exit from the sea, either from a sloping ramp or from the beach.

Differences between triathlon swimming and classic swimming: swimming in open water is compeletly different from swimming in a swimming pool. It is important for athletes swimming in open water to be able to orientate themselves, to adapt to cold water (neoprene is allowed in temperatures under 20C in the elite category), as well as be able to swim in wavy sea with more athletes. Additionally, some athletes have to overcome their fear of not seeing through to the bottom of the sea or lake.

Cycling

The same bicycles are used as in Road cycling races and the same specificiations are valid. Tacties in Cycling: As soon as each athlete come out of the water, he/she haeds to the transition area, picks up his/her bicycle, and starts cycling to cover a 40 km distance. In this part of the Olympic triathlon, Cycling are allowed to cycle within a group (drafting). Drafting requires special training and coordination. Tacties vary among triathletes, depending on each athletes' relative skills. While breakaway may be the best tactic for triathletes good at cycling, engery saving through drafting is preferred by the ones better at running,

Running

The Running part of the triathlon differs from a running race, Triathletes run with reduced glycogen reserves (reserves of carbonhydrates in the body) and are severely dehydrated. When the body has run out of glycogen, it cannot work at high intensity; when dehydrated. When the body has run out of glycogen, it cannot work at high intensity; when dehydration is considerable, performance is reduced (2% triathlon coaches say that running after cycling " is equal to running up a hill as far as muscles are concerned".

Finishing Line

In most races, the training level of each athlete is the determining factor that decides the winners. The very last seconds of the race may be crucial. The athletes' feelings at the finishing line are mixed: for some it is the reward for their long training; for other a simple relief after an exhausting races.

Triathlon is a sport in which the mind plays a determining role: "if you think that you can, then you can. if you think that you cannot, then you are right".

In the Olympic Games, a male athlete cover 1,500m of swimming in an average of 16 - 18 minutes, 40km of cycling in an average of 54 - 58 minutes (depending on the difficulty of the route), and 10 km of running in a averge of 30 - 35 minutes.