Ever wondered what tri in triathlon stands for?
Are you someone who loves to ride bicycles around your neighbourhood? What about running? do you often take part in the marathons organised in your city? Okay, now, how do you feel about swimming. Does it put you in your best mood? Considering you enjoy all of these sports, imagine all three activities combined into one long and gruelling race. Sounds exciting? Well, if you haven’t guessed already, we are suggesting you try out triathlon.
Decoding the tri in triathlon
By now, you may have already understood that the ‘tri’ in triathlon stands for three and refers to the three activities involved in this athletic event, namely: Swimming, cycling and running; often in this exact order. The goal is simple – to compete in all three, one after the other, but without any rest. Whoever finishes the entire race the fastest, wins! Interestingly, the word is derived from two Greek terms, ‘treis’ meaning ‘three’ and ‘athlos’ meaning ‘competition.’
Triathlon: Journey down memory lane
The roots of this multisport endurance race can be traced back to the France of 1920s when a race named “Les trois sports” that literally translates to “the three sports” was played at Joinville le Pont in Val de Marne. Here, the contestants were asked to either swim across the Marne channel or sail on a canoe, followed by 12 kilometres bike ride and 3 kilometres run – all done consecutively without any break.
Fast forward to the USA of 1974, when the modern triathlon kickstarted in Southern California through the Mission Bay Triathlon that was held in San Diego on 25th September. As many as 50 contestants competed that day in a race comprising of a 500-yard swim, a 5-mile bicycle ride and a 6-mile run. However, it wasn’t until 1978 when the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon was first hosted and the multisport race got its much-deserved global attention.
Ironman: The world-famous triathlon
Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, popularly regarded as The Ironman was a brainchild of husband-wife duo John and Judy Collins who were so thrilled after participating in the Mission Bay Triathlon that they wanted to use up all their savings into hosting a triathlon event that would make an international acclaim. And thus, in the fall of 1978 the first Ironman was organised around Hawaii and consisted of three back-to-back races beginning with the 2.4 miles long Waikiki Rough Water Swim, followed by the 112 miles Oahu Bicycle Race and ending with the 26.2 miles Honolulu Marathon. The first Ironman only had 15 competitors, the number that significantly rose to 3000 by the end of 20th century. In fact, the event became such a sensation that US-based TV channel ABC started live broadcasting it as part of their Wide World of Sports initiative since 1982. Interestingly, The Ironman is now owned and conducted by the World Triathlon Corporation (founded in 1991).
Triathlon’s entry into the Olympics
The triathlon earned the Olympics status in 1989 becoming the fastest emerging Olympics sports in the world. However, till the end of 20th century, triathlon in Olympics was unique and comprised of long jump, shot put and 100-yard dash. However, in 2000, it was upgraded to the original triathlon at the Sydney Olympics and consisted of a 1.5 kilometres swim, 40 kilometres bicycle ride and 10 kilometres run.