This is part 1 of a 4 part series on triathlons! Tri season is upon us and there are many reasons why you should considergiving them a try (if you haven’t already). Instead of me telling you why you should do a triathlon, I decided to reach out to a few age-group triathletes for their opinion….here’s what they had to say:

JEREMIAH J.
WHY: variety of multi-sport training; new challenges; welcoming/supportive community; mystique of the sport
FIRST RACE: Splash Triathlon, at Sea World in San Antonio, TX – September 2004

NANCY E.
WHY: I made a deal with a friend of mine that if she did a marathon that I would do a triathlon. I hardly back down from a challenge.  It was a real challenge to learn to swim and ride a bike again. I had to finish what I had started.  Little did I know how far I would take it.
FIRST RACE: Splash! Triathlon in 2004 at Sea World in San Antonio, Texas

LOGAN D.
WHY: To prove to myself that I could do it; All the cool people were doing it; I was bored and looking for something else to do.
FIRST RACE: Cactus Challenge in 2005

GORDON M.
WHY: (1) Had quit smoking and wanted to get fitter. (2) Always been a swimmer, cyclist. (3) Someone at work challenged me to do my first sprint
FIRST RACE: Chester Sprint Triathlon, in Chester, England

JESS K.
WHY: I chose triathlons because I liked all three sports and I wanted to see if I could do them all at once. I was training for a marathon and wanted a break from just running.
FIRST RACE: I did the Rookie as my first because I knew that i would not be the only first timer out there…then the whole Texas Tri Series in practice for my first Ironman the same year.

AMANDA M.
WHY: (1) Friends/family who had done one before - without that I’m not sure how I would have heard about the sport. (2) Looking for a new challenge (3) Fantastic training programs available in the community.
FIRST RACE: Danskin

LAURA H.
WHY: My aunt is a lymphoma survivor and I wanted to raise money and race in honor of her.  I felt very stagnant with no purpose outside of work and decided I wanted to get in shape.  I wanted to meet new people with different interests other than mine.
FIRST RACE: Memphis in May, Olympic distance in 2002

Everyone has their own reasons for getting started in the sport of triathlon. Figure out what will drive you to take the leap!

There are 4 main distances in the sport of triathlon:

SPRINT: (also comes in the ‘super-sprint’ variety, with even shorter distances). Most sprints are:
Swim: 750 meters
Bike: 20 km (12.4 mi)
Run: 5 km (3.1 mi)

OLYMPIC:
Swim: 1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Bike: 40 km (24.8 mi)
Run: 10 km (6.2 mi)

HALF IRONMAN-distance:
Swim: 1.93 km (1.2 mi)
Bike: 90 km (56 mi)
Run: 21.09 km (13.1 mi)

IRONMAN-distance:
Swim: 3.86 Km (2.4 mi)
Bike: 180 km (112 mi)
Run: 42.2 km (26.2 mi)

For most beginners, it is recommended that you get your feet wet by starting with the sprint distance. If you are feeling nervous about any of the specific legs of the race, there is also often the ability to do a triathlon as part of a relay. Get 3 friends together, split the race up amongst you, and compete together!

Here are a few great resources for locating your first (or next) triathlon event:

http://www.jackandadams.com/Calendar.asp
http://www.runtex.com/web/4-2.asp
http://www.trifind.com/
http://www.active.com/triathlon/

Stay tuned to part 2 of this series, where we talk about training ideas and tips for preparing for your race.

Are you training for an upcoming race? We’d love to hear about it.
Are you training with a specific training group? Which one?

There are a number of great triathlon training groups and coaches in town, check them out here: http://www.myfitlist.com/find/activity/triathlon