TRIATHLON
The triathlon is one of the most gruelling athletic events both physically and mentally. As the name suggests, it consists of three events - swimming, cycling and running. Each activity makes its own physical demands and doing 3 in one event requires enormous stamina, so much so that the appellation 'ironman' is often given to those who compete the event.However, the triathlon is experiencing a surge of popularity with women in the UK. Events such as the TIMEX WomenOnly Triathlon have brought the event in sharp focus. In the first event, over 500 women competed and the number surged to over 800 for last year's race.
The TIMEX event offered three distances to allow athletes of various capacities to take part. The distances are Novice: swim 200m, bike 5km, run 2.5km, Sprint: swim 400m, 20km, run 5km, and Challenge: swim 800m, bike 30km, run 7.5k.
If you’re a woman and want to get into women's triathlon, there are certain relevant differences in anatomy between men and women you need to bear in mind. These are especially relevant to the cycling component of the triathlon. As women's hip sockets are located more forward in the pelvis that men, women need to use around 25% more force on their lower backs than men. Secondly, men’s' shoulder are considerably more muscular that women's. This affects the position on a bicycle. Finally a man's centre of gravity is located in his upper body, while a woman's is down by here hips.