By: Lisa Izzi English 1103

By: Lisa Izzi English 1103

Background • What is a triathlon? • a race consisting of swimming, biking and running • Ironman • The hardest triathlon there is • It involves swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, running 26.2 miles • Different types of Triathlons • Super Sprints, Sprints, Olympic, Half Ironmans, Ironmans, Off Road Triathlons • Popularity had drastically increased since triathlons were put in the Olympics

What Makes Triathlons So Popular? • USA Triathlon Membership has gone from 50,000 to 135,000 annual members of the past 5 years • Most of it was women • There are triathlons just for women • Rambling Rose • Why do people like triathlons? • Sense of accomplishment • Many athletes like to enter triathlons because to them a triathlon is like overcoming a difficult “quest” • Triathlons are not easy, (they are a true test of your fitness level) especially if you have never been physically active your entire life • Some people decide that they are going to get in shape, so they enter a triathlon, train hard, and then attack the triathlon which to them really means that they have accomplished their goal of getting into shape • I think that this a great way to train and complete a triathlon and I know many people, including my mom, who have entered triathlons especially for that reason • Spiritual and mental benefits • Cross training Triathlon Hot Fitness Trends Among Women

Gender and Triathlons • Gender differences in triathlon performances are known to differ between modes of locomotion adopted for both elite and non-elite athletes. (Juan) • Rambling Rose • Swim: 250 yards Bike: 9 miles Run: 2 miles • Some people come to win while others come to have fun with friends • Great way to meet new people • You knew friend could become your future training partner • Main Purpose of the Race: to make women feel comfortable and confident enough to do a triathlon • Great not to have the pressure of racing against men • Not intense

Age and Triathlons • Age associated changes in triathlon performances are also related to the total duration of the triathlon races ( • Create age group so that 60 year olds are not competing against 20 year olds • Triathlons are starting to realize the differences between gender and age • They have made accommodations for this • Rambling Rose; Gender and Age groups (R. Leapers, B. Knechtle, PJ Stapley)

Why Triathlons • Many people, but especially women are becoming aware of the importance of exercise • Why then do a triathlon instead of going to the gym • You can train for it with a group of friends, which women tend to enjoy a lot more then men do • You do not have to focus on a specific sport, there is a variety of sports to train in • Becoming a Multi-generational sport • Gives a total body fitness • Workout plans emphasize cardiovascular conditioning; works all the major muscle groups; builds the kind of full-body strength a runner lacks; tons of variety to the workout (Triathlon Training Benefits) • Maintain Motivation • Diversity prevents burnout • Creates productivity • There is so much training involved that you do not have a lot of time to sit around and do nothing (Eric Harr)

Cross Training • What is cross training? • Training in two or more sports in order to improve fitness and performance, especially in a main sport • Triathlons involve training for swimming, cycling, and running (Running Research News) • What are the benefits to cross training? • Reduce the amount of stress related injuries • Distributes the stress evenly to your bones and muscles and develops a more balanced fitness as opposed to running where you are constantly putting stress on your knees and ankles (Eric Harr) • Are triathletes more injury prone than a runner? • They have a higher rate of injuries • They train to hard to fast instead of easing into their training • Triathlons do not cause injuries more than running does, but the drive and passion that triathletes have causes the injuries due to overtraining • Overall Triathlons do not produce more or less injuries in their athletes than running does • Although there are differences in the types of injuries that each sport creates they have the same injury rate

Safe Training • Exercise is addicting • Entering your first triathlon gives you a drive to train as much as possible so that you do well • Instead of starting off with two-a-days ease into the workouts and eventually make your way into two-a-days • Do not push through your injuries like many triathletes do; instead acknowledge that you have one and rest • Cross training burns an enormous amount of fat from every area of your body and makes your body injury proof (Eric Harr)

Health Benefits • Triathlons are healthy for you • We need to reduce Americas problem with obesity • American College of Sports medicine says that regular exercise can lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, heart disease and certain caners and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and depression • The more training that you do the more momentum you have to continue training • Continuous training gives you a will to eat better and healthier • Eating right makes you feel better and more energetic which allows you to do the things you love with ease (Eric Harr)

Kids and Triathlons • Great way to reduce childhood obesity • Kids who are physically active have more energy and overall better health than those who are less active • According to USA Triathlon in 2008 it has 23,500 members who were under 18, which is up 36% from 2006 • IronKids • Eight different races for children ages 6-15 • This is the new generation and we need to start them young and get them involved in the sport • It is important to install good habits at a young age • Need to be careful that they do not burn out • Mission is to inspire and motivate youth through the sport to lead an active, positive, and healthy lifestyle • Gives children a chance to compete in age-appropriate distances with an emphasis on fitness, fun, and safety

Is the Popularity of Triathlons Beneficial for Our Society’s Health? • Be care of over training • There is only so much that a kid’s body can take • Ironkids set reasonable distance according to their age • Doctors warned that people of all ages need to approach triathlons gingerly, lest they attempt more than their bodies can handle • Can lead to dehydration • All sports have risk you just need to be able to train smart and effectively • Triathlons are still a great way to get exercise, especially if you are trying to avoid stress related injuries

What I Say to Those Against Triathlons!!! Training kids at an early age can lead to them burning out They do not have to enter every single race that goes on in the summer They can do it with friends so that it does not seem like a race Triathlons cause more injuries because they are doing multiple different sports that all have different injuries that correspond You are not training in the same sport every day so those muscles get to have a break while other muscles are working There are many accidents that can happen during a race, especially on a bike, that can be very dangerous You just need to be careful when you are out there racing Accidents will happen in any sport Not knowing how to compete for over two hours can lead to dehydration, cramps, and other health problems Before going into the race become informed about how to maintain good nutrition and hydration during the race Consult a sports nutritionist

Has Triathlon’s Popularity Helped America with its Obesity Problem? • Popularity of triathlons has been increasing over the past few years • Has it had a great impact on society? • Cross training benefits reduce the amount of stress related injuries that are so common in runners • Athletic side of it helps reduce the obesity problem in America • It has greatly increased the number of youth participation • People are becoming more motivated to be active and challenge themselves • Will triathlons continue to help people with their health or will people start to turn to other ways of exercise to get the same effect?

What Do I Think? I believe that triathlons are a great way to workout and to stay healthy They are becoming more and more popular and that is fantastic because it allows more people to understand why I love triathlons so much They do produce a lot of injuries because you tend to get carried away when training for them and over train This can be fixed, just by adjusting the training schedule and making sure you do not go overboard The idea of introducing them to kids is fantastic because it allows kids to be active especially during the summer instead of sitting on the couch watching TV complaining about how board they are People do need to do their research about triathlons before entering or training for a race so that they do not cause any injuries or other health related problems

PubMed.gov • This source provided a lot of information regarding the impact of triathlons on the different sexes, ages, and styles of triathlons • It showed some of the good and bad things about each and really focused in on the injury aspect of triathlons • The audience was directed more to medical professional or those who are interested in sports related injuries • It was very well prepared and noted, full of information and fact but it did not have a story line or anything else like most articles that I read • This was more of a fact based report • It is very well accredited and valid because it is a medical website and it is run by the government

IronKids.com • This source was really informative on how the IronKids program works and what their goals are for the program • It directly addressed the concerns that a parent would have about signing their kid up for a triathlon as well as made the web site fun and interesting to kids • It is really easy to find out the information you need on the website • This source is valid because it was specifically done for the program and was made by people on the board

Fox News.com • This source provided a lot of information regarding women’s increased interest in triathlons • It was great to find out why women are becoming so interested in triathlons and how much their interest has affected the triathlon community • The audience was directed to women, especially those who were interested in triathlons or at least finding out more about them • It also was directed to people already in the triathlon community who are interested in how it is growing and why • This document was well prepared and laid out in a way that made it as if I was reading a research project instead of just a list of facts • It was very legible and easily found • This source has a lot of validity to the name, since it is very well known all around the U.S. • It also has to be taken into consideration concerning bias because Fox is known to have a biased point of view in many of its information

YPulse.com • This source was really nice because it talked about a persons own experience with triathlons and her concerns with entering her kids in them • It showed both the good and bad parts to entering kids into triathlons • The audience was directed to parents concerned about entering their kids into triathlons • It addressed things like training, staying active, and distances • It was very well prepared and cited everything very smoothly • It was very legible and it included pictures which always makes articles more interesting to read • After reading this article I feel as if this source is reliable, but I have never heard of it before so I do not know how accredited it is • I did not see any bias or anything else that would prove to be invaluable information

Men’s Health.com • This source was the most helpful of all of my sources because it provided me with multiple articles on how triathlons have affected the population and what the benefits are to triathlons • It directly addressed an audience that was looking into triathlons for the first time and contemplating whether or not to enter one • It addressed everything in a way that was neatly organized into a list • This is a very valid source because Men’s Health Magazine is a very well known magazine and provides lots of good information regarding sports

By: Lisa Izzi English 1103