What does a triathlete look like?
If you are new to the world of triathlon you probably have preconceived ideas of just what the average triathlete is like. In this blog Coach Denise takes a look at triathletes and the results may surprise you.
If your main experience of triathlon is watching the sport on the TV at the Olympics or the world series then you probably believe that all triathletes are young, slim and super fit. Alastair and Jonny Brownlee are still two of the most recognisable names from the sport and certainly fit that description, as do more recent UK based competitors such as Alex Yee, Vicky Holland and Sophie Coldwell.
You may also have heard of Ironman, a long distance endurance race where competitors swim 3.8km, cycle 180km and run 42.2km (otherwise known as a marathon). All of this will leave you with the impression that triathlon is not for mere mortals and is something you could only ever dream of participating in.
This is to miss the point of one of the most enjoyable sports around. Just as every runner is not Mo Farah, not every triathlete will be racing at world level or completing an Ironman. Going to any Parkrun will demonstrate that runners come in all shapes, sizes and ages. The same is true for triathletes.
To look at events first, there is a huge array of triathlon distance events. Novice, or Super Sprint events are a 400m swim, 10km bike and 3km run.
The main distances are:
Event type Swim distance /m Bike distance / km Run distance / km
Other distances do exist, such as Ultra or Deca events. There are also a whole array of races which combine different sports such as Aquabike (swim / bike), Aquathon (swim / run), Duathlon (bike, run, bike).
The shorter distances are certainly achievable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. When I entered my first triathlon I could swim about 100m of breaststroke continuously. I wanted a challenge to raise money for charity and taking on a sprint triathlon seemed like a reasonable challenge. My first goal was to be able to swim 750m continuously, and I went with breaststroke for that event, as did several other competitors. Then I needed to get back on a bike and ended up doing the event on a borrowed race bike I’d only ridden twice before, but I was hooked.
Looking at who participates in events shows that not all those who take part are in the visually super fit league, though looks can be deceiving. There will be those taking part in any event who are looking to win their race, or come within the top 10, but there will be a lot of others for whom taking part and completing is the challenge.
Certainly training for three sports does improve overall fitness and body shape (and Coach Philip has looked at training demands), but there is a huge range of age and body type among all triathlon race participants. Pictures from a recent Outlaw Middle distance event show the range of people taking part, completing and really enjoying themselves while also embracing the significant challenge of the middle distance.
In fact, one of the most enthusiastic members of the Tri Training Harder training squad which I run in West Lothian admits herself that her body shape is far from what others may perceive as ideal for racing. She enters a wide number of events including sports and runs as well as triathlons up to, and including, middle distance events. Her view is that she gets value for money from races by being out on the course for longer and has a chance to enjoy the area she is competing in.
One of the huge attractions of triathlon for many athletes is the need to train for three different sports, meaning that the sessions are more varied than when training for one discipline alone. Adding in other sports helped to keep training varied as well as balancing strains on the body, reducing risk of injury.
So if you’ve been thinking that a triathlon sounds like fun but have been put off by images and thoughts of super athletes, then it’s time to change that thinking. Working with a coach can help to get the most out of the time you have available to train by setting realistic goals, setting a balance of training across the three disciplines, and most importantly, help you to learn how to get the most out of yourself, whatever your background and goals for the event. Most importantly – Go for it and have fun!!
Denise has been coaching triathletes since 2019 as a coach at her local triathlon club in West Lothian. Between 2019 and 2022, Denise was the Head coach in the club, working with a team of coaches to support and develop triathletes with a wide range of capabilities, completing her BTF Triathlon Level 2 coaching qualification in 2021.
Denise joined Tri Training Harder as a coach in 2021, building on the qualifications through the experience and knowledge passed on by the coaching team.
In 2019 Denise set up and continues to run her own Jog Scotland running group, a mixed ability group of runners who meet weekly. This delivers on her passion for helping people to do much more than they think they can.
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