Triathlon: what is it, swimming, cycling and running stages. Summer Sports

In this article we will answer several questions: triathlon - what is it, sports discipline, what is the peculiarity of this ambiguous direction and how to prepare yourself for the marathon? After all, triathlon is a relatively young sporting trend, which has not yet become widely known.

It includes three main summer sports: swimming competition, cycling race and running according to the classical scheme. Moreover, it turns out that there are many varieties of this discipline.

The scheme

Usually summer sports start at the end of spring, and the triathlon competitions begin with krol-style swim. But before proceeding to water procedures, athletes first perform a mass start and after a short race jump from the pontoons into the pool. By the way, the water in it should be at least 25 ° C. And if there is no opportunity to warm it up, then an additional sports equipment is used - a suit for triathlon.

The standard scheme provides for a swim along a certain route with the arrangement of special signal buoys. If the distance has been reduced arbitrarily, then the judges have the right to charge penalty points in the form of additional seconds, which upon completion will be deducted from the total time.

Bike ride

After water discipline, a bicycle race is followed, to which participants are trained in a specially designated place called the reserve area. It should be said that along the route of the arrival there are numerous food points, in which you can eat and quench your thirst. But at the same time, any help for professional athletes at these points is unacceptable and punished with penalty points.

If the judges have designated the cycle track as short, then the participants use a classic bike for the triathlon. And for non-standard races (such as Ironman), their racing species are considered acceptable, and in this case the start will be already separate. Such arrivals are considered long.

According to the legal norms of the International Sports Federation, a triathlon bike can be equipped with short steering wheelchairs, but within the limits of the brake levers.

During the Olympic race at this stage, group leadership is permissible, while in Ironman it is forbidden - racers are obliged to move separately from each other, which greatly increases the efforts of athletes. But this applies only to a single discipline, and the Olympic direction is an ordinary triathlon. What are the norms and types of triathlon, we will consider later.

Run

The last stage of the race is a race on a hard road surface. Now before the athletes is a simple, but at the same time difficult to accomplish the task - to keep their positions, which they have achieved in the two previous stages.

Punishment on this site is the warning or stopping of the athlete, and in rare cases - disqualification (if there is obvious help or other scam). It should be said that in a discipline such as Ironman, the requirements are much tougher than those imposed by the usual triathlon (what is Ironman, consider below).

Stop, as a rule, not more than 30 seconds, and the main and often occurring violation at this stage is deliberate interference with a running sportsman.

Types of disciplines

Today, the described direction is quite popular, and, unlike other sports, there are different types of competitions. Therefore, you can not clarify, speaking about triathlon, what is tristar, supersprint and its other varieties:

• Tristar. In this form, all distances at each stage are considered to be short, that is, a 100 m swim, a 10 km bicycle race and free running at 1 km.
• Supersprint. Also refers to short distances, but with a slightly increased distance: the swim - 400 m, the race - 10 km, and the run - 2.5 kilometers.
• Ironman. Translated from English, the word means "iron man", and the standards in this form are appropriate: a swim for 1.5 km, a bicycle race of 40 km and a run of 42 km.
• Ultras triathlon. Distances here can be confidently called marathons. The kilometrage at each stage increases several times and is carried out not one day, according to standard rules.

Equipment

To the athlete successfully passed all the stages of the triathlon, he needs special equipment, which is designed to greatly facilitate the passage of the entire route. Triathlon and its varieties are summer sports, but this does not mean that it is possible to approach the choice of sports equipment with carelessness. Any detail here is extremely important, and quality equipment will significantly increase the chances of winning.

So, at the stage of the swim you need a comfortable suit for triathlon. By the way, there are few of their varieties, and the main criterion of choice is the distance of the stage and the temperature of the water. At a distance of less than 1500 meters, for example, the use of sports swimming trunks is allowed, which is much more rational, due to the small distance and weight of hydrosupply. And for marathon distances or in cases when the water temperature is below 25 degrees, the use of heat is unacceptable. Only wetsuits that protect athletes from hypothermia are allowed.

It should be noted separately that the thickness of this kind of sporting equipment should not exceed 5 mm: this is quite enough for carrying out all the necessary thermoregulatory functions.

Equipment for bicycle race

Competition in the triathlon at this stage is not much different from the classic bike race, so the equipment here is appropriate.

So, for the passage of the distance you need to have:

• The helmet is streamlined. In addition to the protective characteristics, it provides proper aerodynamics, which is especially important on steep slopes.
• Glasses. In addition to the blinding sun, glasses protect the face from insects, dust and dirt.
• Footwear. Here the main calculation for the bike racer and reliable grip with the pedals. The optimal option for this stage will be contact pedals, which attract the pedal after the foot, greatly facilitating the passage of the entire distance.
• Costume. Just like a helmet, a suit helps to overcome aerodynamic resistance. In addition, quality fabric prevents skin friction against the saddle. Yes, and weather conditions, good material must cope, providing the rider maximum comfort.

Running outfit

A critical factor at this stage was and remains shoes. It is selected specifically for the current coverage and individual characteristics of the runner. The best option for this stage is sneakers.

We select quality footwear - strictly in size and preferably from a venerable brand like Adidas or Asiks. Saving on sneakers is more expensive, especially since ultrathriathlon and Ironman will not forgive you.

Summarizing

The only way to increase your stamina and reduce the painful consequences of each stage is training. And this moment concerns literally all summer sports. The main stage, which ends the triathlon competition, is a run, so the main emphasis is to be made on it. Cycling, as well as swimming, develops the entire bouquet of muscles that is affected during running, which means that long and high-quality trainings on the running segments will help you significantly in the remaining stages.

Once you achieve success on the treadmill, you can make variety in the route, alternating jogging with biking. And the more often the running and the bicycle alternate, the easier it will be for an athlete to overcome the entire distance. Well, it's over, it's worthwhile to spend some time in the pool.