Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Volume 11, Issue 4 , Pages 361-362, July 2008

Science and medicine of triathlon

Health and Exercise Science, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia

Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy

Received 17 December 2007

Article Outline

 

While the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS) regularly publishes articles related to triathlon,1, 2, 3, 4, 5 this issue of the JSAMS represents the first journal publication entirely devoted to the science of triathlon. Since its humble beginnings, triathlon has developed into a truly international sport and this is reflected by the range of countries represented in this issue (Brazil, England, France, Japan and Australia).

There is still some debate, but traditionally triathlon is considered to have begun in San Diego, California in the mid 1970s as runners introduced ‘cross training’ to their conditioning regimes. The implications that cross training has on performance and injury manifestation is complicated and requires far more investigation. Accordingly, in this triathlon-specific issue, a comprehensive review on injury in triathlon is presented with specific recommendations on how future research in this area should progress.6 The review also indicates that injury incidence and severity are related to the interaction between cycling and running training in triathlons.6 This is a potentially exciting area of work with many possible avenues of future experimentation.

Part of the uniqueness of triathlon is that the sport comprises (short) sprint and olympic distance as well as long distance and ironman triathlon events, each with their own physiological and technical demands. The competitive triathlete population is also growing with athletes competing in elite or non-elite events, each with there own unique physiological and tactical demands. It is also rare to observe a world champion that specialises in both long and short variations of triathlon. Hence the sport of triathlon encompasses at least three specialisations with the physiological demands and characteristics of these athletes not fully understood. The race demands may also change depending upon the distance and the nature of competition. For example, the way athletes complete the cycle stage of an elite draft legal triathlon may be very different to that of a non-drafting event. In terms of elite triathlon, this issue of JSAMS includes a paper examining the pacing strategy and performance in elite male versus female athletes.7 In addition, a contemporary review summarizing factors influencing performance in short, long and ironman triathlon is included in this issue which encompasses each triathlon specialisation and a range nutritional and performance aspects.8

While triathlon in mainland USA in the mid 1970s was of short distance, it was also about this time that the first ironman triathlon was held in Hawaii. Indeed, the initial study of triathlon was largely devoted to understanding the physiological characteristics of athletes, the demands of the event as well as the medical implications of competing in this sport. Up to the early 1990s, the largest proportion of scientific publications concerning ‘triathlon’ dealt with the study of the ironman event. This tradition of research specifically dealing with long-distance triathlon is continued in this issue of JSAMS with a report examining cardiovascular adaptation in long-distance specialist triathletes.9

From the mid 1990s until 2000 there was a marked increase in scientific work specifically dealing with the shorter version of triathlon and how performance could be improved. The scientific work conducted in the 1990s work was largely pioneered by French researchers and indeed three separate international symposiums were held in Paris concerning the olympic distance triathlon. One area highlighted at these symposiums was the detrimental effects of running after cycling in triathlon events. In this issue, new data is presented encompassing aspects of human motor control that explores lower limb coordination during running after cycling in triathletes.10

Significant events in the sport of triathlon have shifted scientific attention in the sport. In 1994, olympic distance triathlon was awarded full medal status at the Summer Games and in 2000 the first olympic triathlon was held in Sydney, Australia. This led to a dramatic increase in publication of the scientific work dealing with triathlon in general. In 1995, drafting was introduced in the cycle stage of an elite olympic distance triathlon. It is now known that the exercise intensity during cycling in a draft legal event is quite variable. This contrasts with non-elite triathlon or cycle time trial events where the intensity rarely fluctuates and is largely constant. There has been a scarcity of data examining the physiological demands and adaptations in the cycle stage of short-distance triathlons. In this issue the effects of constant versus variable intensity cycling on muscle function and fatigue are examined.11 Another report examining muscle recruitment patterns during a cycling time trial in triathletes also appears in this issue of JSAMS.12

There are many specific aspects of triathlon that may impact on overall performance. The practice of wearing a wetsuit is one of those factors which may improve swimming and then subsequent cycling performance by way of reducing drag and improving energy expenditure. In this issue of JSAMS, new data is presented concerning the potential benefits of wearing a wetsuit during low- versus high-intensity swimming activity.13

We hope that you enjoy this first “triathlon-specific” issue of JSAMS and appreciate the rigorous nature of the work presented as well as the new insights this data provides regarding the sport of triathlon. We welcome submission of other multidisciplinary research devoted to the science and medicine of the sport of triathlon, as well as other sports, for consideration for publication in future issues of JSAMS.

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References 

  1. Gosling CM, Gabbe BJ, McGivern J, Forbes AB. The incidence of heat casualties in sprint triathlon: the tale of two Melbourne race events. J Sci Med Sport. February 2008;11(1):52–57[Epub October 10, 2007]
  2. Peeling P, Landers G. The effect of a one-piece competition speedsuit on swimming performance and thermoregulation during a swim-cycle trial in triathletes. J Sci Med Sport. October 2007;10(5):327–333[Epub July 17, 2006]
  3. Coutts AJ, Slattery KM, Wallace LK. Practical tests for monitoring performance, fatigue and recovery in triathletes. J Sci Med Sport. December 2007;10(6):372–381[Epub April 26, 2007]
  4. Suriano R, Vercruyssen F, Bishop D, Brisswalter J. Variable power output during cycling improves subsequent treadmill run time to exhaustion. J Sci Med Sport. August 2007;10(4):244–251[Epub August 17, 2006]
  5. Bentley DJ, Libicz S, Jougla A, Coste O, Manetta J, Chamari K, et al. The effects of exercise intensity or drafting during swimming on subsequent cycling performance in triathletes. J Sci Med Sport. August 2007;10(4):234–243[Epub June 9, 2006]
  6. Gosling CM, Gabbe BJ, Forbes AB. Triathlon related musculoskeletal injuries: the status of injury prevention knowledge. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):396–406
  7. Vleck VE, Bentley DJ, Millet GP, Bürgi A. Pacing during an elite Olympic distance triathlon: comparison between male and female competitors. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):424–432
  8. Bentley DJ, Cox GR, Green D, Laursen PB. Maximising performance in triathlon: applied physiological and nutritional aspects of elite and non-elite competitions. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):407–416
  9. Knez WL, Sharman JE, Jenkins DG, Coombes JS. Central hemodynamics in ultra-endurance athletes. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):390–395
  10. Chapman AR, Vicenzino B, Blanch P, Dowlan S, Hodges PW. Does cycling effect motor coordination of the leg during running in elite triathletes?. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):371–380
  11. Lepers R, Theurel J, Hausswirth C, Bernard T. Neuromuscular fatigue following constant versus variable-intensity endurance cycling in triathletes. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):381–389
  12. Bini RR, et al. Physiological and electromyographic responses during 40-km cycling time trial: Relationship to muscle coordination and performance. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):363–370
  13. Tomikawa M, Shimoyama Y, Nomura T. Factors related to the advantageous effects of wearing a wetsuit during swimming at different submaximal velocity in triathletes. J Sci Med Sport. 2008;11(4):417–423

PII: S1440-2440(08)00009-1

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2008.01.008

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Volume 11, Issue 4 , Pages 361-362, July 2008

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