-up becomes a crucial factor in endurance events characterized by high physiological demands at the beginning of the race, such as in the Olympic distance triathlon. Triathlon Olympic competition is an endurance race where athletes perform 1500 m of swimming, 40 km of cycling, and 10 km of running
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Warm-Up in Triathlon: Do Triathletes Follow the Scientific Guidelines?
Claudio Quagliarotti, Simone Villanova, Alessio Marciano, Óscar López-Belmonte, Cristiano Caporali, Alessandro Bottoni, Romuald Lepers, and Maria Francesca Piacentini
Running Your Best Triathlon Race
Naroa Etxebarria, Jackson Wright, Hamish Jeacocke, Cristian Mesquida, and David B. Pyne
Olympic-distance triathlon comprises a sequential 1.5-km swim, 40-km cycle, and 10-km run. Although the ability to perform the 3 disciplines at a high level is critical for competitive success, 1 , 2 it appears the run section is the main determinant in Olympic-distance triathlon. 2 – 4 The last
Longitudinal Performance Analysis in Ultra-Triathlon of the World’s 2 Best Master Triathletes
Caio Victor Sousa, Beat Knechtle, and Pantelis Theo Nikolaidis
It is well known that athletic performance declines with increasing age. 1 This has been shown for different sport disciplines such as swimming, 2 running, 1 and multisport events such as triathlon with the combination of swimming, cycling, and running. 3 – 5 The age-related performance decline
Sleep Duration Correlates With Performance in Ultra-Endurance Triathlon
Jacob N. Kisiolek, Kyle A. Smith, Daniel A. Baur, Brandon D. Willingham, Margaret C. Morrissey, Samantha M. Leyh, Patrick G. Saracino, Cheri D. Mah, and Michael J. Ormsbee
sleep time (TST) and race completion time during each stage of a 3-day ultra-endurance triathlon (stage 1: 10-km swim, 146-km cycle; stage 2: 276-km cycle; and stage 3: 84.4-km run). Additionally, the secondary purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationships between sleep quality (SOL
Strength Training Improves Exercise Economy in Triathletes During a Simulated Triathlon
Kate M. Luckin-Baldwin, Claire E. Badenhorst, Ashley J. Cripps, Grant J. Landers, Robert J. Merrells, Max K. Bulsara, and Gerard F. Hoyne
Triathlon success is predominantly determined by the athletes’ maximum sustained power or pace during competition and the energy cost associated with maintaining this movement. 1 The energy cost associated with this sustained power or pace is known as the athletes’ economy, defined as the
Hyperthermic Fatigue Precedes a Rapid Reduction in Serum Sodium in an Ironman Triathlete: A Case Report
Paul B. Laursen, Greig Watson, Chris R. Abbiss, Bradley A. Wall, and Kazunori Nosaka
Purpose:
To monitor the hydration, core temperature, and speed (pace) of a triathlete performing an Ironman triathlon.
Methods:
A 35-year-old experienced male triathlete participated in the Western Australian Ironman triathlon on December 1, 2006. The participant was monitored for blood Na+ concentration before the race (PRE), at the transitions (T1 and T2), halfway through the run (R21), and after the race (POST; 2hPOST). Core body temperature (T ; pill telemetry) was recorded continuously, and running speed (s3 stride sensor) was measured during the run.
Results:
The participant completed the race in 11 h 38 min, in hot conditions (26.6 ± 5.8°C; 42 ± 19% rel. humidity). His Tc increased from 37.0 to 38.6°C during the 57-min swim, and averaged 38.4°C during the 335-min bike (33.5 km·h-1). After running at 12.4 km·h-1 for 50 min in the heat (33.1°C), T increased to 39.4°C, before slowing to 10.0 km·h-1 for 20 min. T decreased to 38.9°C until he experienced severe leg cramps, after which speed diminished to 6 km·h-1 and T fell to 38.0°C. The athlete’s blood Na+ was constant from PRE to T2 (139-140 mEq·L-1, but fell to 131 mEq·L-1 at R21, 133 mEq·L-1 at POST, and 128 mEq·L-1at 2hPOST The athlete consumed 9.25 L of fuid from PRE to T2, 6.25 L from T2 to POST, and lost 2% of his body mass, indicating sweat losses greater than 15.5 L.
Conclusion:
This athlete slowed during the run phase following attainment of a critically high T and experienced an unusually rapid reduction in blood Na+ that preceded cramping, despite presenting with signs of dehydration.
100 Long-Distance Triathlons in 100 Days: A Case Study on Ultraendurance, Biomarkers, and Physiological Outcomes
Travis Anderson, Reinier A. van Mourik, Kerry J. Martin, Thijs M.H. Eijsvogels, and Kevin A. Longoria
and thus, there is a need to better understand the potential health consequences of these extreme events. A standard long-distance triathlon (LDT) exemplifies such an event, consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim, 112-mile (180 km) bike ride, and a 26.2-mile (42.2 km; ie, a marathon) run. Often
Influence of Performance Level on Exercise-Induced Arterial Hypoxemia During Prolonged and Successive Exercise in Triathletes
Olivier Galy, Olivier Hue, Karim Chamari, Alain Boussana, Anis Chaouachi, and Christian Préfaut
Purpose:
To study the relationship between performance and exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia (EIAH), 5 internationally ranked (INT) and 8 regionally ranked (REG) triathletes performed cycle-run successions (CR) and control runs (R) in competitionlike conditions: at ≍75% VO2max.
Methods:
Ventilatory parameters and oxyhemoglo-bin saturation (SpO2) data were collected continuously. Arteriolized partial pressure in O2 (PaO2) and alveolar ventilation (VA) were measured before and after cycling (CRcycle), the successive run (CRrun), and R. Pulmonary diffusing capacity (DLco) was measured at rest and 10 minutes post-CR. Training and short-distance triathlon data were collected.
Results:
INT showed signifcantly greater experience than REG in competition years (P > .05), training regimen (P > .05), and swimming (P > .05), and cycling (P > .05) volumes; running showed a trend (P < .06). Cycling, running, and total triathlon performances were significantly higher in INT than REG (P > .01). SpO2 during CR dropped significantly more in INT than in REG. Both groups showed significant inverse correlations between the magnitude of the SpO2 change from CRcy-cle to CRrun and the triathlon running time (r = −0.784; P < .05 and r = −0.699; P < .05; respectively). When compared with CRcycle, PaO2 significantly decreased and VA significantly increased after CRrun and R in both groups (P < .01). DLco significantly dropped between pre- and postexercise in CR and R with no between-group difference (P < .05).
Conclusions:
EIAH was aggravated in higher performers during simulated cycle-run segments, related to longer experience and heavier training regimens. Possibly, relative hypoventilation caused this aggravated EIAH in INT, although pulmonary diffusion limitation was observed in both groups. Beyond EIAH severity, the magnitude of SpO2 variations during the cycle-run transition may affect triathlon running performance.
The Relationships Between Science and Sport: Application in Triathlon
Gregoire P. Millet, David J. Bentley, and Veronica E. Vleck
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.
Olympic Preparation of a World-Class Female Triathlete
Iñigo Mujika
Detailed accounts of the training programs followed by today’s elite triathletes are lacking in the sport-science literature. This study reports on the training program of a world-class female triathlete preparing to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Over 50 wk, she performed 796 sessions (303 swim, 194 bike, 254 run, 45 strength training), ie, 16 ± 4 sessions/wk (mean ± SD). Swim, bike, and run training volumes were, respectively, 1230 km (25 ± 8 km/wk), 427 h (9 ± 3 h/wk), and 250 h (5 ± 2 h/wk). Training tasks were categorized and prescribed based on heart-rate values and/or speeds and power outputs associated with different blood lactate concentrations. Training performed at intensities below her individual lactate threshold (ILT), between the ILT and the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), and above the OBLA for swim were 74% ± 6%, 16% ± 2%, 10% ± 2%; bike 88% ± 3%, 10% ± 1%, 2.1% ± 0.2%; and run 85% ± 2%, 8.0% ± 0.3%, 6.7% ± 0.3%. Training organization was adapted to the busy competition calendar (18 events, of which 8 were Olympic-distance triathlons) and continuously responded to emerging information. Training volumes were 35–80% higher than those previously reported for elite male and female triathletes, but training intensity and tapering strategies successfully followed recommended best practice for endurance athletes. This triathlete placed 7th in London 2012, and her world ranking improved from 14th to 8th at the end of 2012.
