What is a triathlon?
A triathlon is an athletic contest in which participants compete three events insuccession. Usually these events are swimming, bicycling and running.

What is a biathlon/duathlon?
A biathlon/duathlon is an athletic contest in which participants compete two(or three) events in succession. Usually these events are bicycling and running. Basically a biathlon/duathlon is a triathlon without the swimming. The general distinction between a biathlon and a duathlon is that a duathlons often split up the run so as to be a run-bike-run event.

What are the typical triathlon distances?
Ironman: 3.8 kilometer swim, 180k bike, 42.2k run
Half Ironman: 1.9 kilometer swim, 90.1 k bike, 21.1 mile run
Olympic Distance: 1500 meter swim, 40k bike, 10k run
Sprint Distance: usually about one half of an Olympic Distance race 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
Novice Distance: Usually about one-quarter of an Olympic Distance Race
Other: there can be some variations in distances depending on the venue
What are the benefits of being a Triathlon WA Member?
http://www.triwa.org.au/membership1.htm
Discounts for TWA Members
http://www.triwa.org.au/membership2.htm

What are the Fees?
Senior Membership 09/10 Standard Rate $135 plus club fee of $35

Junior Membership 09/10 Standard Rate $80 plus club fee of $20

Family Membership 09/10 Standard Rate $300 plus club fee of $70

Social Membership 09/10 Standard Rate $38 plus club fee of $20

TRYstars* 09/10 New Member $72

Why Should I Join Fremantle Triathlon Club?
FTC has some terrific sponsors who donate many prizes and vouchers which are given away as spot prizes at nominated Club Races and awarded at end of year Club Championship Awards. Refer to our Sponsors Link for examples of these prizes.

In addition the club organises many social events where you can meet other athletes. These range from post race BBQ's to social drinks. The social calendar to is distributed to members via regular email News Bulletins. To help with training we also conduct a number of seminars which are 'free' to club members.

HOW TO REGISTER
Step 1
Go to Western Australian Triathlon Website
http://www.triwa.org.au/

Step 2
Enter the MEMBERSHIP Link and select the category from the selection in Blue to start registering on line. Remember to have your credit card, previous TWA membership number and password ready if you have been a member before, as it speeds up the process.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS DETAILS - Please use your password and this process to change your address or contact details.

Do I need to have a strong background in swim, bike or run?
Not necessarily. While you will encounter athletes who swam in inter-school meets or ran cross-country, many new triathletes are approaching these events for the first time.

Where can I find a place to train?
Refer to our 'Training' link for a complete list of southern river squads that offer triathlon type coaching.
http://ftc.org.au/training.htm

How do I start training for a Triathlon?
Start running and riding short distances twice a week for each discipline over varied terrains. Gradually increase the distances so that you are confident that you will be able to make the distance of the race that you are aiming for.

Join a triathlon based swim squad where the coach can assist you with technique and you can meet and talk with other triathletes. See the below link for coaches in the south of the river suburbs.

Join in with a bike group. Most groups offer a 'slower' group for beginners, explaining group and road riding etiquette.

Contact the Triathlon coaches as many conduct short training classes for beginners.

Getting Started
Triathlon Western Australia (TWA) has some helpful hints for getting ready for your first race. http://www.triwa.org.au/gettingStarted.htm

What is the average time it takes an "age-group" triathlete to prepare for an Ironman?
Triathletes train an average of seven months for the Ford Ironman World Championship. The average hours per week devoted to training for the World Championship generally fall between 18 and 22. Average training distances for the three events:
Kilometers per week swimming: 11.3 km
Kilometers per week biking: 373.3 km
Kilometers per week running: 77.2 km

Training for Half Ironman, Olympic and Sprint distance races is proportional to this but generally requires 2-3 sessions of each discipline per week.

Should I change my diet/ what should I eat?
Follow the below links for some great nutritional information.
http://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/content/182/Triathlon/
http://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/content/165/IronmanTriathlon/

What are the governing bodies for triathlon?
The international governing body for triathlon is the Triathlon Australia. World Championship events (excluding Ironman distance) are governed by International Triathlon Union (ITU)
http://www.triathlon.org.au/Default.aspx

What are the rules of triathlons?
Australian sanctioned triathlons are based on Triathlon Australia 'Race Competition Rules' which can be found at the below link. Some special races such as World Championships or Ironman events will refer to different rules and governing bodies. For individual triathlons, check the race packet for rules for the race.
http://www.triathlon.org.au/

For ITU races, the rules can be found at
http://www.triathlon.org/docs/competition-rules

For USAT races, the rules can be found at
http://triathlon.teamusa.org/content/index/1684

Even if your race is an ITU or USAT event, you should still check the race
packets for changes/exceptions to the rules.

Where can I find a triathlon in my area?
Follow the link to the TWA website's race calendar for a complete listing of all races and contact details for race registration. http://www.triwa.org.au/calendar.htm

What do I need for Race Registration?
Some larger races will have a list of registration names on their web site and it is a good idea to check you're your details are correct and that you have been entered in the correct race/ category. On race day bring your TA Competitor card and for larger ironman races/ half ironman races you may need photo ID to registration. Each participant must pick up his/her own race packet. Friends/Family cannot pick up race packets for each other.

Each member of relay teams must pick up his/her race packet. One relay member cannot pick up all of the packets for the entire team.

What should I wear to compete in?
You should wear clothing that you feel comfortable running or walking and cycling in. Make sure you have practised in this gear before the event as you want to make sure you don't rub or have anything annoying you. You may like to rub Vaseline/ 'Bodyglyde' between your legs and under your bra strap to avoid chaffing.

A lot of women wear their swimming togs underneath their clothing. Others just wear a sports bra and tight fitting shorts and top which they swim in, then immediately proceed to the cycle and run, but remember any loose clothing will add drag in the swim and slow you down! You can always get changed in transition or add a cycle/ run top.

When swimming you will wear goggles and need to wear the coloured swim cap that you were given when registering. These are taken to the start of the swim leg. Remember to demist your goggles before entering the water and not to touch the lens if you have applied Vaseline to your body as it will smear the lens.

THE SWIM: click here for information relating to the swim leg of a triathlon.

THE BIKE: click here for information relating to the cycling leg of a triathlon.

The following video link will show you how to change a tyre.
http://link.brightcove.com/services

What are CO2 Cylinders?
http://link.brightcove.com

Everything you could possibly want to know about BIKE HELMETS can be found here!

 

THE RUN

How do I avoid cramps during the run?
Two good suggestions to avoid cramping when you start the run:
Stay hydrated on the bike.
During the last couple of miles on the bike stretch your calves by standing on the pedals and dropping your heel down.

When is it time to retire my running shoes?

Between 450 and 800 kilometers. Why the range? Because how quickly a shoe wears depends on you. If you land hard on your heels with each stride, for example, you're going to wear through shoes more quickly than more efficient runners. Go by feel. If after a normal run your legs feel as if the shoes aren't providing you adequate protection, they probably aren't. Give your legs a week to make sure it's really the shoes and you're not just tired. If the shoes still feel dead, replace them. We can tell you that the vast majority of runners replace their shoes too late. When you can see white midsole material poking through the outsole or when the sole under the heel looks crushed, the shoes are long past their prime.