- Triathlon, simply put is a summer endurance sport
consisting of swimming, cycling, and running
that are completed in that order.
Now it covers a huge spectrum of race distances,
starting off at the short end with super sprint or novice,
all the way up through to the iconic iron man
at the other end.
Well, today we are going to be covering
the key essential points that you need to know
to be able to tackle your first triathlon.
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Now we know that triathlon consists of
swimming, riding a bike, and running,
the question is how far?
Well, like many endurance sports,
there are quite a few different distances to choose from.
And in triathlon, they generally tend to be
grouped into short course and long course.
- Now, the shortest and most accessible event
for the triathlon newbie is usually referred to
as the novice or the super sprint,
which is very common for giving a go
as your first triathlon.
Olympic distance, or standard, is the most common event,
and that's where you'll see athletes competing
at the Olympic games every four years.
- So under the long course bracket,
you've got two different distances here.
And the first one being middle distance,
or half iron man, also known as 70.3,
that is because it's 70.3 miles in distance.
And you see more people now actually tending to do that
as their first race,
as it's part of a bucket list type event.
And then of course, you have the iconic full iron man.
Now, that is double the distance,
so I wouldn't recommend doing it as your first event
because it is a pretty big day out.
So it's a good idea to get a few smaller triathlons
under your belt before attempting that.
As we've explained already,
there's a whole range of events to choose from
in sport of triathlon.
But we here at the channel would highly recommend
to err on the side of caution
and stick to the shorter ones
like super sprint, or perhaps novice.
- Yeah, but if you are really confident in the water
then maybe you want to consider doing a sprint
or Olympic distance then.
But for your first one, it's probably best
you knock the easy one out.
- All you need to complete your first triathlon
is your trusty pair of trainers.
Now indeed, you might well have seen
people wearing these fancy shoes that can attach themselves
to their bike with cleats and such,
but these are things to aspire to later in the day
and you can progress to.
But to begin with, just to get through your first triathlon,
once you leave the pool, all you need is your trainers.
Now if we're doing a race in a pool,
for men, a pair of swimming trunks like these
is perfectly okay and of course for women,
a swimming costume.
Indeed, if I wanted to do a race
wearing a pair of board shorts like these,
then nobody's going to tell me that I can't,
but we have to remember that if it's an open water triathlon
then anything we're wearing in the water
is underneath that wetsuit anyway.
Of course, unless you're really lucky
to live in a part of the world where the water
is too warm to allow a wetsuit.
But in all likelihood, we'll be wearing a wetsuit
in the water if it isn't a pool based triathlon.
- Obviously, a triathlon does require a bike,
but there's no specifics as to what it needs to be.
You might see pictures of the professionals
on bikes that look more like rockets,
well a narrow bike like that isn't necessary at all.
Any bike will do.
So it could be even a commuter bike, a mountain bike,
or even a bike with a basket on the front.
As long as it works and it's safe,
that's what counts.
Another option could be to borrow a bike from a friend.
But just make sure that you're similar size to them
and you've had a ride on it beforehand
so you know that everything is working safely enough.
- Once you leave the water,
be that in the pool or in the open water,
you really can wear whatever you want.
More experienced triathletes will likely be wearing
a race suit and they will probably finish
the entire race in that, but don't be worried
if you wanna stop in transition, dry off, towel down
and put on a top and shorts like I'm wearing just now.
Even a jacket if it's cold.
The only thing you can't really be doing
is racing half naked.
- Tri bars aren't a necessity for a triathlon race,
but they're obviously designed to make you
more aerodynamic.
But that said, don't worry about those
until you're feeling very confident on the bike
and you've started to improve your bike handling skills
and then you can think about adding a pair.
The combination of more than one of the three disciplines
often gets referred to as a brick training session.
Now the most common version of this
is cycle to run.
So you'll see people leaving their run kit ready
as they head out on their bike ride.
So when they come back,
they can quickly put their trainers on
and you go straight out for a run.
And this is a great way just to help you get used to
that weird feeling that is referred to
as jelly legs for a reason.
- And practising swim to bike
is by it's very nature a really difficult thing
to set up and practise.
So I really wouldn't worry about it,
especially before your first triathlon.
In fact, I don't think I'd done it
until I'd been racing for quite a few years.
- If you're not sure as to whether
you can complete the full distance,
but you're really keen to give it a go,
great idea is to go and look up your local tri club.
You can then join in with their sessions,
which will help give you confidence
and also speak to age groupers who have been there,
done it, to get some useful tips.
Well as you now know, triathlon is continuously
swimming, cycling, and running under your own power.
But there are a few other rules
that aren't maybe quite so obvious.
- So phones.
You aren't allowed phones on a race course.
You can carry a phone with you
and if you have to make a call, then you can stop,
but you have to take yourself off the race course to do so.
- Well following on from that one,
headphones and music are also not allowed.
This is mainly for safety,
because if you've got music on,
you're not gonna be able to hear maybe a referee,
a marshal, or a volunteer trying to give you instructions.
- And drafting.
Now you might have seen professional bike racing
like the Tour De France or Elite I2 Distance triathlon
where they can draught,
but for the majority of racers, the age group racing,
you cannot draught and must maintain a gap
of roughly 10 metres between athletes.
Well I hope this has wetted your appetite
and given you some useful insights
and motivated you to get entered into your first triathlon.
And if that's the case, then please let us be the first
to wish you very best of luck.
- Yeah, and once you've done that first triathlon,
let us know how you got on.
And if you've enjoyed this,
hit the thumb up like button.
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And if you want more help or insight
into how to train for your first triathlon,
we've actually made a series of videos
and you can find those just here.