Q#2
What is a biathlon/duathlon?
A biathlon/duathlon is an athletic contest in which participants
compete two (or three) events in succession. Usually these events are
bicycling and running. Basically a biathlon/duathlon is a triathlon
without the swimming. The general distinction between a biathlon and a
duathlon is that a duathlons often split up the run so as to be a
run-bike-run event.
Q#3
What are the distances for triathlons?
There are no set distances for triathlons. Many triathlons use various
distances that conform to the land/water available to them.
There are, however, a few "common" distances:
Name Swim Bike Run
Sprint .75km 20km 5km
Olympic or International 1.5km 40km 10km
Long Course 2.4m 112m 26.2m
The terms "short course" and "long course" generally refer to
distances less than and greater than Olympic distance respectively.
Q#4
Is triathlon an Olympic sport?
Triathlon made its Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Sydney in 2000.
Q#5
What are the governing bodies for triathlon?
The international governing body for triathlon is the International
Triathlon Union http://www.triathlon.org/ (ITU)
The U.S. governing body for triathlon is USA Triathlon
http://www.usatriathlon.org/ (USAT)
Q#6
What are the rules of triathlons?
Triathlon rules vary by race and governing bodies. For individual
triathlons, check the race packet for rules for the race.
For ITU races, the rules can be found at
http://www.triathlon.org/rules/index.htm
For USAT races, the rules can be found at
http://www.usatriathlon.org/Frames/fs_rules.htm
Even if your race is an ITU or USAT event, you should still check the
race packets for changes/exceptions to the rules.
Q#7
Should I buy a wetsuit? What kind of wetsuit should I buy?
Whether or not to buy a wetsuit is a personal decision. If you are not
sure you may want to check local bike/run/tri shops in the area to see
if they have one you can rent. If you live in a warm climate there may
be no reason to buy one, however if you live where the waters are
often in the 70s or colder you should probably consider one
If you are going to buy a wetsuit, make sure you get one that is made
for triathlon. A dive/jet ski/etc wetsuit will not give you the
freedom of movement you need to swim effectively. Triathlon wetsuits
generally range from about $100 to over $400 depending on the type and
quality. There are several types of triathlon wetsuits on the market:
TypeDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantages
Shorty: No sleeves with short legs
Cheap, easiest to remove in transition
Least exposure protection and speed improvement
Farmer John: No sleeves with long legs
Improved warmth over Shorty without sacrificing range of motion
Less speed improvement than a full suit, slower transitions than Shorty
Full Suit: Full sleeves with long legs
Fastest suit with best exposure protection
Arm movement somewhat restrained, slowest transition, most expensive
Q#8
Where can I find a place to train?
Most suburban areas have pools available for lap swimming. The YMCA
and health clubs are a good place to start. Many areas have city
recreational centers that also offer lap swimming. Often local high
schools or colleges will have a lap pool, call and ask if they allow
public use.>/p?
If you don't know about any in your area, US Masters Swimming offers a
searchable list of swim locations at
http://www.usms.org/placswim/search.php
A great international list can be found at
http://www.swimmersguide.com/.
Finding a place for open water swims in your area can be more
difficult. Many areas have lakes with public beaches but the swim
area is often cordoned off to a small, easily life guarded space. The
best bet is to ask other triathletes in your area where they train.
Q#9
Where can I find information on swim training?
The best bang for the buck is probably to find a masters group in your
area. For information on masters swimming in the US refer to US
Masters Swimming http://www.usms.org/.
Many people have had tremendous success with Total Immersion
http://www.totalimmersion.net/. The general consensus is that if you
are not already a good swimmer who is just looking for refinement, TI
is a good place to start.
Q#11
Should I buy a road bike or a triathlon bike?
You don't need a triathlon bike to do triathlons. Modified road bikes
are very common in triathlons. If you already own a road bike or plan
on doing other types of riding you may be better off with a road bike
with clamp on aerobars. The advantages of a triathlon bike are in the
posisitioning. They are setup to keep you more comfortable when in the
aero bars and to work the quads less, saving them for the run. Often
triathlon bikes are more aerodynamic than road bikes.
Q#12
Where can I find information on bike maintenance?
Sheldon Brown has a great website devoted to bike maintenance and
other bike related issues at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/repair/index.html.
Q#13
How do I avoid cramps during the run?
Two good suggestions to avoid cramping when you start the run:
Stay hydrated on the bike.
During the last couple of miles on the bike stretch your calves by
standing on the pedals and dropping your heel down.