Sport Of Triathlon Research Articles

The arena or E-games triathlon as a unique real world and virtual mixed-model endurance sports event.

The sport of triathlon has evolved to become a discipline comprising races of different lengths and formats. It has also undergone significant growth in popularity and exposure with several variations in format from the classic swim - bike - run combination attracting significant television and media coverage. Since 2021 an original and unique format called the Arena Games Triathlon (or in 2024 the E-Games) has evolved that involves athletes competing against each other in swimming, cycling and running combining both the real and virtual worlds in one race. This model of endurance sport is currently unique, provides instantaneous data on performance and has the potential to be a tool for performance prediction, talent selection and sport development. The goal of this perspective paper is to provide context around the emergence of the Arena Games Triathlon series, describe the format of this type of racing, outline how it has the potential to drive training and evaluation of triathletes and discuss the attractiveness of its future inclusion as an Olympic discipline.

Futureproofing triathlon: expert suggestions to improve health and performance in triathletes

BackgroundGiven the multi-modal nature of triathlon (swimming, cycling, running), training for a triathlon event has numerous potential health benefits including physical fitness. However, triathletes also have a high prevalence of health issues including overuse injury, illness, fatigue, and burnout. To address the ongoing prevalence of health issues, roundtable discussions were organized at the International Triathlon Union Science of Triathlon 2017 conference to develop strategic objectives deemed necessary to “futureproof triathlon”. Futureproofing as a concept serves to design new approaches and ways of thinking to reduce consequences in the future. In this case, the futureproof process aimed to develop key recommendations for triathlon.MethodsThis qualitative study had 22 participants including athletes, coaches, practitioners, academics, and policy makers who participated in roundtable discussions at the Science of Triathlon conference. Seven of these participants completed follow-up semi-structured interviews on the same topics. The data collected from the roundtable discussions and the semi-structured interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsFive main themes were produced: “Critical appraisal and application of knowledge”; “Integrated approaches to developing, disseminating, and using research and expertise”; “Appropriate development and use of measures for monitoring training and recovery”; “Knowing your athletes and adopting holistic approaches to athlete/person-development”, and; “Challenging accepted cultural and sporting norms”. Participants indicated the need to reduce the knowledge gap between research and practice as well as a more collaborative approach to triathlon research development amongst coaches/practitioners and academics. It was stated that current monitoring tools require more research to determine which are most useful to informed decision making for coaches/practitioners. It was cautioned that data driven assessments should be used judiciously and be athlete centered. Triathlon as a sport should also have a greater focus on healthy participation and development of youth athletes.ConclusionsA series of applied implications were developed based on these five themes as guiding principles for how to futureproof triathlon. Additionally, roundtable and interview participants who held varying positions and opinions within the sport of triathlon agreed that the unique challenge of training for and competing in a triathlon should not be forgotten in the futureproofing of the sport.

Ready To Tri: Characteristics Of Recreational Triathletes

PURPOSE: The sport of triathlon has been increasing in popularity, especially among recreational athletes. As triathletes compete in races ranging from around 16 miles to 140.6 miles or more and train in 3 disciplines simultaneously, it is difficult to identify consistent risk factors for injury among these athletes. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics of a group of recreational triathletes in regards to their medical history, training habits, and musculoskeletal injuries. METHODS: Endurance athletes were recruited for participation from local triathlon clubs and upon presentation to the University of Miami Sports Medicine clinic. Triathletes over the age of 18 years were considered for participation. After consenting, they were sent a link via e-mail to complete an online survey. RESULTS: Twenty-two triathletes completed the survey. The average age was 46.5 years old (range 24-60 years). Seventy-three percent reported an injury in the past year, and 32% reported multiple injuries. The lower extremity represented 66% of injuries. The knee accounted for 27%, followed closely by the hip at 23%. The back and shoulder accounted for 15% each. Other reported locations of injuries were the foot, ankle, leg, and neck. Athletes spent the most training time per week biking at 4.9 hours, followed by running at 3.9 hours, and then swimming at 2.3 hours. Almost 60% reported weight training for an average of 2 hours per week. Of these, 77% reported at least 1 injury, but only 23% had multiple injuries. Only 14% participated in some type of yoga or Pilates. The majority of athletes, 59%, trained with the help of a coach. Only 18% reported working with a nutritionist, and less than 5% reported working with a sports psychologist. Thirty-six percent reported having a current, chronic medical condition. The most common conditions were asthma and anxiety. Sixty-four percent used some type of vitamin or supplement, with multivitamins being the most common (35%). A gluten free diet was followed by 21%, and 16% reported following a vegetarian or vegan diet. CONCLUSION: Establishing a better understanding of the characteristics of recreational triathletes along with trends in their training habits can help guide further research on injury risks and lead to training recommendations for injury prevention.

Badass Athena triathletes: Athletic performativity and embodiment

ABSTRACTEmbodied subjectivity and athletic performativity require both mind and body to work together to achieve athletic goals and move beyond cultural barriers. This is perhaps best demonstrated by Athena triathletes, the category of women racers who compete at a weight of at least 165 lb. The experiences of Athena triathletes remind us of the very real structural barriers that mainstream culture produces to constrain, limit, and reduce women’s bodily capacities, rendering women’s bodies as objects. Athena interviewees in this study demonstrated a strong sense of self-empowerment and attributed it to their experience as members of active triathlon and multisport communities. Profiling this empowerment is a focal point of this study. A secondary focus describes Athena racers’ athletic performativity in terms of their embodied experience while training and racing. The author also explores how competing as Athena category racers makes them feel and how triathlon has influenced what they say or think about their bodies. Finally, the author discusses the structural barriers faced by Athena racers inside the sport of triathlon and within the context of U.S. culture.

Hosting Triathlons on a College Campus: Perceived Health Outcomes and Satisfaction

Multisport, endurance racing, and obstacle racing (e.g., Spartan Run) have gained significant traction recently (Case, Hill, & Dey, 2009; Hill, Ridinger, Shapiro, & G.mez, 2012). In fact, youth participation in triathlon is at an all-time high (USA Triathlon, 2015). On any given weekend, triathlon events are being held in communities throughout the United States. Hundreds of triathlons are held at local, regional, and national levels. The sport of triathlon has grown to the point that international competitions are held worldwide and every 4 years world-class triathletes compete for medals at the Olympic Games. In 2014, women’s triathlon became an NCAA sport, and in December 2015, the $2.6 million USA Triathlon Foundation Women’s Triathlon Emerging Sport Grant became a reality (USA Triathlon, 2018). However, little research exists on smaller, more accessible triathlons held in college-based communities.Subscribe to JOREL

Enacting Masculinities in a Contemporary Subcultural Sporting Event: A Gendered Critique

ABSTRACTSport participation and alcohol consumption have been widely examined in analyses of masculinity and implicated in perpetuating hegemonic masculinity in Western cultures. This article addresses a variant of the “Beer Mile,” a ritualistic event that has emerged as an ancillary to major triathlons in Australia. In this context, the Beer Mile is an unsanctioned event simultaneously fusing sport participation and alcohol consumption, intended as a jocular celebration of athletic achievement. This research utilises a case study research design employing multiple qualitative methods to critique gender-based discursive practices and online discourse surrounding the Beer Mile. Analysis revealed the Beer Mile as a masculine-dominated space reinforcing normative assumptions on gender binaries and hierarchies. Numerous constraints to women's participation and implicit endorsement of the sport-alcohol nexus were identified, which may undermine broader efforts in promoting the sport of triathlon through notions of egalitarianism, inclusiveness, and healthy lifestyles.

Triathlon Magazine Canada and the (Re-)Construction of Female Sporting Bodies

This paper provides a critical look at the ways in which the female sporting body is discursively constructed within Triathlon Magazine Canada (TMC), Canada’s only triathlon-exclusive magazine. By exploring both visual and narrative representations of the athletic female sporting body, this paper exposes some of the discursive tensions that seem to persist in this popular triathlon-specific text. Both the sport of triathlon and the bodies of triathletes may each be understood as sites where essentialist ideas about the body can be effectively disrupted or challenged but TMC represents a façade of gender progressivism insofar as it (re)produces many of the same heteronormative representations of gender found in other popular sport magazines.

Crocodiles, Fancy Dress and Zebra Rock Souvenirs: Triathlon the Katherine Way

Embedded in the sport of triathlon is an uneasy relationship between the independence and individualism fostered by the nature of the sport and the sporting collectivism needed to safely stage triathlons, establish accepted measures of high performance and secure government, media and Olympic recognition. This tension is highlighted in remote locations where local identities and recreational communities tend to present stronger forces in the shaping of triathlon practice than the sport’s governing institutions and its rules and regulations. Katherine, a landlocked town in Australia’s Northern Territory situated approximately 300 km from Darwin, offers a colourful and useful example of the divergent priorities of sporting and local recreational communities. This paper draws on interviews, newsletters, cuttings and triathlon ephemera as well as scholarship regarding sports clubs and social capital, the process of sportification, and the potential role of the natural and built environment in shaping local sporting practice. It examines the rise and fall of organized triathlon in Katherine and proposes that the rule of triathlon law gained only a temporary and tenuous hold most likely due to the strength of geo-spatially defined recreational identities and practices.

The impact of triathlon training and racing on athletes' general health.

Although the sport of triathlon provides an opportunity to research the effect of multi-disciplinary exercise on health across the lifespan, much remains to be done. The literature has failed to consistently or adequately report subject age group, sex, ability level, and/or event-distance specialization. The demands of training and racing are relatively unquantified. Multiple definitions and reporting methods for injury and illness have been implemented. In general, risk factors for maladaptation have not been well-described. The data thus far collected indicate that the sport of triathlon is relatively safe for the well-prepared, well-supplied athlete. Most injuries ‘causing cessation or reduction of training or seeking of medical aid’ are not serious. However, as the extent to which they recur may be high and is undocumented, injury outcome is unclear. The sudden death rate for competition is 1.5 (0.9–2.5) [mostly swim-related] occurrences for every 100,000 participations. The sudden death rate is unknown for training, although stroke risk may be increased, in the long-term, in genetically susceptible athletes. During heavy training and up to 5 days post-competition, host protection against pathogens may also be compromised. The incidence of illness seems low, but its outcome is unclear. More prospective investigation of the immunological, oxidative stress-related and cardiovascular effects of triathlon training and competition is warranted. Training diaries may prove to be a promising method of monitoring negative adaptation and its potential risk factors. More longitudinal, medical-tent-based studies of the aetiology and treatment demands of race-related injury and illness are needed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0244-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Emergent models of sport development and delivery: The case of triathlon in Australia and the US

Sport development is a core concern for all nations as they seek to enhance elite performance and cultivate opportunities for mass participation. In the sport of triathlon, new models for sport development have been shown to exist where third party organisations have a critical role in the delivery of it. Using institutional theory as a framework, the purpose of this study was to explore the emerging models of sport development in triathlon. A case study of triathlon in Australia and in the United States was used. The results illustrated emerging models of sport development in both the US and Australia. Third party organisations as well as local councils have become increasingly involved in the creation and implementation of programmes and activities that would normally be the responsibility of a governing body. As such, the organisational fields and institutional logics in triathlon are rendering governing bodies irrelevant. Governing bodies are grappling with finding relevance and legitimacy in triathlon. Implications for sport management research, practice, and education are discussed.

Ten‐minute chat

Emma Pearson took up triathlon sports as a hobby in 2009, and it wasn't long before she qualified to compete for Great Britain. Last year she won a gold medal in the European Sprint Triathlon in Eilat, Israel. She works part time as a small animal vet in Morpeth, Northumberland

Training on a Knife’s Edge

The sport of triathlon offers athletes the chance to build and/or maintain cardiovascular fitness across 3 endurance disciplines. Swimming, biking, and running each have a host of overuse injuries that can occur as a result of overtraining. High running mileage, a history of previous injury, inadequate warm up or cool down, and an increase in the years of triathlon experience are a few of the factors that have been linked to triathlon overuse injuries. Early identification of overtraining symptoms and a corresponding reallocation of balance between each discipline, perhaps with an emphasis on increasing swimming, may help prevent many overuse injuries.

Exploring new models of elite sport delivery: the case of triathlon in the USA and Australia

There is a growing body of knowledge that examines the tasks and processes for successful sport and recognizes that sport development activities undertaken within the framework of recruitment, retention, and transition should vary between sports and contexts. There has been little research that has examined newer models of sport development in emerging sports. This research examines elite sport development structure and delivery in the sport of triathlon in the USA and Australia. The research team conducted interviews with representatives responsible for the delivery and development of triathlon. The results show three overarching elements in elite sport development: (1) the sport development process, (2) the sport development setting, and (3) outsourcing delivery of sport development. Triathlon has different processes and settings for sport development between the USA and Australia. However, both countries share a core similarity in how they deliver elite sport through a third party organization. A discussion of the implications for the development of new models of elite sport development ensues.

Neuromuscular Adaptations to Training, Injury and Passive Interventions

Performance in endurance sports such as running, cycling and triathlon has long been investigated from a physiological perspective. A strong relationship between running economy and distance running performance is well established in the literature. From this established base, improvements in running economy have traditionally been achieved through endurance training. More recently, research has demonstrated short-term resistance and plyometric training has resulted in enhanced running economy. This improvement in running economy has been hypothesized to be a result of enhanced neuromuscular characteristics such as improved muscle power development and more efficient use of stored elastic energy during running. Changes in indirect measures of neuromuscular control (i.e. stance phase contact times, maximal forward jumps) have been used to support this hypothesis. These results suggest that neuromuscular adaptations in response to training (i.e. neuromuscular learning effects) are an important contributor to enhancements in running economy. However, there is no direct evidence to suggest that these adaptations translate into more efficient muscle recruitment patterns during running. Optimization of training and run performance may be facilitated through direct investigation of muscle recruitment patterns before and after training interventions. There is emerging evidence that demonstrates neuromuscular adaptations during running and cycling vary with training status. Highly trained runners and cyclists display more refined patterns of muscle recruitment than their novice counterparts. In contrast, interference with motor learning and neuromuscular adaptation may occur as a result of ongoing multidiscipline training (e.g. triathlon). In the sport of triathlon, impairments in running economy are frequently observed after cycling. This impairment is related mainly to physiological stress, but an alteration in lower limb muscle coordination during running after cycling has also been observed. Muscle activity during running after cycling has yet to be fully investigated, and to date, the effect of alterations in muscle coordination on running economy is largely unknown. Stretching, which is another mode of training, may induce acute neuromuscular effects but does not appear to alter running economy. There are also factors other than training structure that may influence running economy and neuromuscular adaptations. For example, passive interventions such as shoes and in-shoe orthoses, as well as the presence of musculoskeletal injury, may be considered important modulators of neuromuscular control and run performance. Alterations in muscle activity and running economy have been reported with different shoes and in-shoe orthoses; however, these changes appear to be subject-specific and non-systematic. Musculoskeletal injury has been associated with modifications in lower limb neuromuscular control, which may persist well after an athlete has returned to activity. The influence of changes in neuromuscular control as a result of injury on running economy has yet to be examined thoroughly, and should be considered in future experimental design and training analysis.

The Relationships Between Science and Sport: Application in Triathlon

The relationships between sport sciences and sports are complex and changeable, and it is not clear how they reciprocally influence each other. By looking at the relationship between sport sciences and the "new" (~30-year-old) sport of triathlon, together with changes in scientific fields or topics that have occurred between 1984 and 2006 (278 publications), one observes that the change in the sport itself (eg, distance of the events, wetsuit, and drafting) can influence the specific focus of investigation. The sport-scientific fraternity has successfully used triathlon as a model of prolonged strenuous competition to investigate acute physiological adaptations and trauma, as support for better understanding cross-training effects, and, more recently, as a competitive sport with specific demands and physiological features. This commentary discusses the evolution of the scientific study of triathlon and how the development of the sport has affected the nature of scientific investigation directly related to triathlon and endurance sport in general.

The Effect Of Wet Suits On Heat Storage And Peak Vo2 Of Female Triathletes

In the sport of triathlon, swimming can be the most technically oriented aspect of the three sport event. The buoyancy of each individual as well as the drag created from both movement and body surface can impact forward propulsion through the water. Wet suits have been shown to provide an increase in insulation in addition to an improvement in buoyancy and reduction in drag. Although wet suits have been shown to improve swimming performance, the impact of the additional insulation on heat storage and subsequent cycling needs to be investigated. PURPOSE The current investigation was designed to determine the effect of wet suits (WS) on heat storage (HS) and peak VO2 (PVO2) following a 30 min tethered swim (TS). METHODS Two female triatletes (age=42.5, height=163.8 cm, weight 59 kg, %fat=14.5, PVO2=63.8 ml/kg/min), completed two testing sessions (cold water-CW- 15.5 °C; warm water-WW-28.5 °C): 30 min TS, at an intensity greater than 80% of a predetermined cycle PVO2, followed by a cycling PVO2 assessment. During CW and WW a 2–5 mm neoprene WS was worn. Core temperature (Tc) was assessed rectally, and skin temperature (Ts) was assessed by surface thermisters (Ramanathan, 1964). Following a 180 s swim to cycle transition, a cycling PVO2 test was administered. Expired gases were analyzed via a SensorMedics 2900 system. RESULTS Post CW Tc=37.8 °C, Ts=25.5 °C, mean body temperature (Tb)=33.7 °C, HS=−1.55 Kcal, and PVO2=59.9 ml/kg/min. Post WW Tc=38.2 °C, Ts=35.2 °C, Tb=37.2 °C, HS=.98 Kcal, and PVO2=56.3 ml/kg/min. CONCLUSIONS From these preliminary data, a trend toward an increase in HS can be observed following the utilization of a WS in WW. A trend toward a reduction in PVO2 between CW and WW can also be observed. Even though wet suits are allowed in water temperatures up to 28.8 °C, usage of a WS may negatively impact on the cycling segment of a triathlon.

The Effect Of Wet Suits On Heat Storage And Peak Vo2 Of Female Triathletes

In the sport of triathlon, swimming can be the most technically oriented aspect of the three sport event. The buoyancy of each individual as well as the drag created from both movement and body surface can impact forward propulsion through the water. Wet suits have been shown to provide an increase in insulation in addition to an improvement in buoyancy and reduction in drag. Although wet suits have been shown to improve swimming performance, the impact of the additional insulation on heat storage and subsequent cycling needs to be investigated. PURPOSE The current investigation was designed to determine the effect of wet suits (WS) on heat storage (HS) and peak VO2 (PVO2) following a 30 min tethered swim (TS). METHODS Two female triatletes (age=42.5, height=163.8 cm, weight 59 kg, %fat=14.5, PVO2=63.8 ml/kg/min), completed two testing sessions (cold water-CW- 15.5 °C; warm water-WW-28.5 °C): 30 min TS, at an intensity greater than 80% of a predetermined cycle PVO2, followed by a cycling PVO2 assessment. During CW and WW a 2–5 mm neoprene WS was worn. Core temperature (Tc) was assessed rectally, and skin temperature (Ts) was assessed by surface thermisters (Ramanathan, 1964). Following a 180 s swim to cycle transition, a cycling PVO2 test was administered. Expired gases were analyzed via a SensorMedics 2900 system. RESULTS Post CW Tc=37.8 °C, Ts=25.5 °C, mean body temperature (Tb)=33.7 °C, HS=−1.55 Kcal, and PVO2=59.9 ml/kg/min. Post WW Tc=38.2 °C, Ts=35.2 °C, Tb=37.2 °C, HS=.98 Kcal, and PVO2=56.3 ml/kg/min. CONCLUSIONS From these preliminary data, a trend toward an increase in HS can be observed following the utilization of a WS in WW. A trend toward a reduction in PVO2 between CW and WW can also be observed. Even though wet suits are allowed in water temperatures up to 28.8 °C, usage of a WS may negatively impact on the cycling segment of a triathlon.

Expertise in Ultra-Endurance Triathletes Early Sport Involvement, Training Structure, and the Theory of Deliberate Practice

The theory of deliberate practice (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Römer, 1993) is predicated on the concept that the engagement in specific forms of practice is necessary for the attainment of expertise. The purpose of this paper was to examine the quantity and type of training performed by expert UE triathletes. Twenty-eight UE triathletes were stratified into expert, middle of the pack, and back of the pack groups based on previous finishing times. All participants provided detailed information regarding their involvement in sports in general and the three triathlon sports in particular. Results illustrated that experts performed more training than non-experts but that the relationship between training and performance was not monotonic as suggested by Ericsson et al. Further, experts' training was designed so periods of high training stress were followed by periods of low stress. However, early specialization was not a requirement for expertise. This work indicates that the theory of deliberate practice does not fully explain expertise development in UE triathlon.

Factors associated with triathlon-related overuse injuries.

Descriptive correlational investigation. To assess the incidence of, and potential risk factors associated with, overuse injury in triathlon. The sport of triathlon is rapidly increasing in popularity with a concomitant rise in the prevalence of injuries sustained by triathletes. The training and injury patterns of 131 triathletes were surveyed over a 10-week prospective period during the triathlon competition season. A complementary retrospective 6-month analysis of training history and prior overuse injuries was conducted. Fifty percent of triathletes sustained an injury in the 6-month preseason at an injury exposure rate of 2.5 per 1000 training hours. Thirty-seven percent were injured during the 10-week competition season at an injury exposure rate of 4.6 per 1000 training hours. Overuse accounted for 68% of preseason and 78% of competition season injuries reported. Increased years of triathlon experience, high running mileage, history of previous injury, and inadequate warming-up and cooling-down regimes appeared to have individual associations with injury incidence. When interactions were included in a multiple logistic regression model, increasing years of triathlon experience was the most significant predictor of preseason injury risk and a previous history of injury and high preseason running mileage increased the risk of injury during the competition season. The results indicate that in assessing triathletes, a full training and competition history is required by the sports clinician for a comprehensive assessment of the factors that may contribute to overuse injury.

Triathlon and the multisport athlete.

The sport of triathlon is a rapidly growing arena for athletic competition and training. Men and women of various fitness backgrounds have become involved in this sport that involves the disciplines of swimming, cycling, and running. Training for multiple sports has the advantages of providing the athlete with a variety of means of maintaining fitness in the event of an injury. On the other hand, multisport training may also contribute to a special category of injuries, those related to the cumulative effects of cross-training. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature regarding triathlon training and injuries. A survey of a local triathlon club regarding the incidence of injuries is presented, and comparisons are made with previously published surveys. Finally, this paper attempts to outline the training conditions of the triathlete and to provide readers with strategies for injury management.