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Triathlon
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Triathlon is an ancient Greek word that refers to an athletic event made up of three contests. In contemporary usage, the name triathlon is mostly applied to a race consisting of a combination of swimming, cycling and running, in that order. In most modern triathlons, these events are placed back-to-back in immediate sequence. Each competitor’s race time includes the time required to ‘transition’ between the individual legs of the race, including any time necessary for changing clothes and shoes. As a result, proficiency in swimming, running, and cycling alone is not sufficient to guarantee a triathlete a competitive time: trained triathletes have learned to race each stage in a way that preserves their energy and endurance for subsequent stages.
Since all three events are endurance sports, nearly all triathlon training entails cardiovascular exercise. In addition, since triathletes must train for three different disciplines, they tend to have more balanced whole-body muscular development than pure cyclists or runners, whose training emphasises only a subset of muscle groups.
Triathlon is coached in the summer term of each academic year, attracting mostly novices, although some students are already proficient. The team enters various local races each year. At Welbeck the distance raced is generally the sprint version of triathlon: 400m swim, 22km bike and a 5km run.
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Since most students will have built up to good level of fitness through their various sporting and PT activities throughout the autumn and spring terms, the adaptation to triathlon is quickly achieved and students are able to perform with confidence in competition. However, swimming is a technically demanding discipline, and students intending to opt for triathlon are strongly advised to attend the college’s regular coached swim sessions prior to the summer term. Students have to provide their own road bikes - mountain bikes are too heavy and slow.
Triathlon is coached by Mr. Graham and Mr. Hall, and they work together to help students to reach their potential.
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