So what benefit does an athlete from a sport that doesn’t require pounding the pavement for hours on end get from taking up the distance running involved in triathlon training I suspect the answer is multifactorial, and involves not only the same weight-loss and calorie-burning benefits as cycling, but also a significant increase in endurance, focus, mental fortitude, perseverance, ability to shuttle blood to cool the body, and (depending on the running style) a slight increase in movement efficiency and economy.
In other words, football or soccer players who take up distance running may actually increase their 100-meter time slightly, but in return they may lose some body fat, increase their ability to handle the rigors of a three-hour game, and increase their focus and mental fortitude. And of course, a race-car driver who doesn’t need to worry about losing sprint speed will bene?t from nearly every physiological value of distance running.
How Triathlon Makes You a Better Athlete
Since triathlon—particularly half-Ironman distance and beyond—is a sport of “nutrition attrition” (meaning that if you don’t know how to properly manage your fueling and hydration, you’re basically screwed), any athlete from a sport in which dietary management is not a significant factor must learn a significantly new set of in-game fueling skills. These skills can directly cross over into enhanced performance in the other sport. For example, baseball players who originally thrived on sunflower seeds and Gatorade may find their baseball performance improves once they begin practicing some of the nutrition tactics they discover in triathlon, such as properly timed pre-workout and pre-race meals, attention to mineral and electrolyte intake, avoiding foods that can cause gas or bloating during competition, and post-workout or post-competition nutrition that allows the body to bounce back as quickly as possible for the next training session.Once an athlete becomes proficient at the movements, the continuous repetitive motion of swimming, cycling and running presents fewer distractions than sports that require rapid changes of direction or attention to a ball, puck or racket. Because of this, training for a triathlon can help to clear the mind and sharpen focus. Some of my most lucid and creative ideas happen during long periods of time staring at the black line on the bottom of the pool, during an easy bike ride, or while running along a winding trail. This mental escape and forced creativity can help an athlete stressed by rigorous practice in a different sport to step away and refresh their body and mind.
Finally, no comparison of triathlon with other professional sports would be complete without the consideration that triathlon is technically three different sports with three different skill requirements and three different training regimens. This means that an athlete accustomed to a single mode of practice must learn how to efficiently manage a schedule, multitask, and increase productivity in other areas of life to free up time to swim, bike and run.
Research has yet to prove that when professional race car drivers strap themselves in for miles of heart-pounding action, those hours of gasping for air on the swim, pumping blood into pedaling legs and focusing intensely on a road run will translate into bigger bucks and greater glory on the track, but it’s hard to think otherwise.
And ultimately, those deep-rooted competitive instincts and need for self-improvement that most athletes feel aren’t going to shy away from a sport that offers better fitness, higher coordination, increased movement efficiency, faster recovery, lower body fat, smarter fueling, less joint impact, enhanced focus, and of course—unlike the majority of sports on the face of the planet—a chance to throw your arms gloriously in the air at the finish line with a huge smile on your face.
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Ben Greenfield is an ex-bodybuilder, Ironman triathlete, Spartan racer, coach, speaker and author of the New York Times Best Seller Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health and Life (Beyondtrainingbook.com). In 2008, Ben was voted NSCA’s Personal Trainer of the Year and in 2013 and 2014 was named by Greatist as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness. Ben blogs and podcasts at Bengreenfieldfitness. com, and lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and twin boys.
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About the Author
Founded in 2010 and named after the iconic volcanic rock fields found at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, LAVA Magazine is the world's premier triathlon magazine. Along with the magazine's stunning photography and design, every issue is full of the newest gear debuts and reviews, training advice from the world's best coaches, and in-depth athlete profiles. Go to Lavamagazine.com for up-to-the-minute training, racing and triathlon news, and follow them at @LavaMagazine.
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