It all started with the debate of who's the best- the runners, the swimmers or the cyclists? We all know that they have their individual fortes but during the 1920's, when the first triathlons were held, this topic had been ringing wild in the sports world.
To put a stop on this, a Navy Commander named Cdr. John Collins initiated an event wherein swimming, cycling and running routines are involved.
An athletic event composed of three contests, triathlon also covers the measurement of a person's proficiency in maximizing his time off the intervals. Plus the capacity to endure the subsequent stages of the activity.
Though its earlier versions were much less rigid, modern-day triathlon has now truly become a sport for the tough and the tough-hearted. Since the year of its founding, the competition has morphed into varied classes of races with millions of racers competing for the title of Iron Man each year.
Because of the variability by which the triathlon has grown, it is expected that it has created numerous types of races, variations and modifications that are in line with the general pattern of the competition.
There had been lots of discussions on what form/s must be adopted yet everything is still subject to studies. Nevertheless, all variations, either short courses of full courses, must conform to the standards as recommended by the triathlon governing body.
Since the adaptation of the Sydney Olympic triathlon, many triathlon competitions have also conformed with the sequences of courses that Olympics follows. The official Olympic distances are swimming- 1500 m, cycling- 40 km and running- 10 km.
Aside from the classic swim-bike-run courses, there are numerous others that include combinations of these three in varying orders and styles, breaks and performances.
There are also non-standard variations that allow cross-country skiing plus or outdoor-ice skating, running and mountain biking. Other popular triathlons cover trail running for off-road competitions.
For typical races, competitors are allowed to set their racks an hour before the race starts. Racks in the transition area (where the course normally changes from bike to swim or swim to run) include stuffs like clothing, shoes and bicycles.
Racers are categorized using various factors such as age bracket, level of experience (professional or amateur) and sometimes, on weight basis. Though the latter is not officially used in Olympic competitions. Age groups, on the other hand, are fixed on a 5-year of 10-year basis.
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