Triathlon has pretty well standardized into three distinct variations/distances. The Sprint distance which consists of ¼ - ½ mile swim, 8 to 15 mile bike and 3 mile or 5k run. The Olympic or International distance which is a 1500 meter swim, 40k bike and a 10k run. Long distance which includes the ½ Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 run) and the full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 bike and 26.2 run). While there are several variations of these distances, the above are the most frequent and popular in the sport.

Today, triathlon is considered to be swimming, cycling and running and had its debut as an Olympic sport this past year. While the Olympic version differs to a large degree from the sports roots and current rules its introduction as an Olympic sport has created a greater public awareness and interest in the sport.

As endurance sports go Triathlon is very young. As in many other goofy ideas, it had its origins in southern California around 1972/73. One can get picky and find "tri-sport" competitions as early as 1904. But hey, lets not get to carried away. If you have a deep interest in triathlon roots and other minutiae I would suggest reading Scott Tinley's book, "Triathlon - A Personal History" Velo Press, 1998.

If triathlon had its origin in southern California it has been defined by one race - The Hawaiian Ironman. To make a long story short, several Navy Seals, station in Hawaii, were arguing, over some brewski's of course, as to who was the best athlete - the swimmer, cyclist or runner. One member of the group, a John Collins, suggested they combine the longest endurance events on Oahu into one race the winner of which "would certainly be an Ironman." The events, the Oahu Perimeter Bike Race, the Honolulu Marathon, and the 2.4 mile rough water swim.

In February, 1978, 15 men started the first Ironman off the beach of Waikiki and the sport has never been the same. Incidentally, John Collins still has his original T-shirt and proudly displays it at the Ironman a distance he still competes in.

The Ironman quickly gained attention by some of endurance sports fringe element; much like I imagine that marathoning had in its early years. In 1982 the famous crawl across the finish line by Julie Moss was named by ABC as the "most dramatic moment in sports history" and Ironman became a must watch TV broadcast for sports afficanadoes around the world. By the way, Julie Moss lost first place by yards during that crawl. Hardly anyone remembers the winner (Kathleen McCartney), who didn't even know she had won until well after crossing the finish.

I got started in triathlon in the early 80's after moving to the Space Coast. The heat was pretty ugly for running and racing during the summer months that road-racing was almost non-existent. A friend suggested giving triathlon a tri (pun intended) as a way of keeping fit during the summer and keeping my aerobic system in good form by adding cycling and swimming to my regimen while reducing my running mileage.

The sport really agreed with me for several reasons. It opened up new competitive opportunities after many years of just road racing. It was a relatively new sport and that added a degree of excitement since you really didn't know what to expect from one race to another. I soon learned the benefits of adding cycling and swimming to my repertoire. My upper body stopped looking like I was an escapee from a refugee camp and I found I was not getting injured as I often did while road racing. To date I've completed a number of triathlons from sprint distances to the Ironman. In 1995 I was fortunate to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii - one of the true highlights of my athletic career.

For those of you still awake, here comes the hard sell. Why should you consider triathlon? Probably the best reason is cross training. As I noted above adding cycling, swimming and more recently some weight work my body is more symmetrical. I am definitely injured far less often then when I was running exclusively. Also as I noted above, triathlon is a summer sport. For our part of the country the tri season starts early April and ends the later part of October. So by doing a few triathlons during the summer you not only are keeping your fast twitch muscles alert and active but you still have time for a break before road racing starts.

Central Florida has also become a hotbed for triathlon (sounds like a conspiracy). Clermont is getting national recognition as the triathlon capital of the United States. From April to October CFT Sports puts on a four race sprint series, a ½ Ironman and a full Ironman distance event in addition to several other events. Indeed, the National governing body for triathlon (yea, we even have a rule book), USA Triathlon, is moving its headquarters to a new facility in Clermont which will include a sophisticated training facility for Olympic triathletes and USAT members, and medical facilities for rehab, testing, etc.

In addition to Clermont there is a Sprint series in Ormond Beach and Jacksonville Beach and several other sprint races throughout Florida. We even have two triathlons in our local area; the Pineapple Man in Melbourne Beach early June and the Battle of the Bridges in Eau Gallie early November. Rumor has it that a series may be started for the Melbourne area this year.

Well that's it for what was to be a brief introduction. In the months to come I'll provide information on swimming, cycling and yes, running. Sure you know all about running but how it applies in triathlon is a whole other ball game. For swimming you'll find out that yes, runners can swim without sinking; where to swim; swimming techniques and tips on open water swimming. Cycling will cover bike requirements (no you don't have to invest a small fortune, but you can), bike fit, training tips and safe places to ride. Running will be devoted to how run training changes for a triathlon, transition tips, and putting it all together for your first triathlon.