The Woman Triathlete - Christina Gandalfo

The Woman Triathlete

by Christina Gandolfo

Paperback, 2005

NEW, 248 pages

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About The Woman Triathlete

Polish your technique and fine-tune your training. The Woman Triathlete is the sport’s premier resource, customized to meet your specific needs.

Current Her Sports and former Triathlete editor in chief Christina Gandolfo assembled an all-star cast of female triathletes and coaches. Barb Lindquist teaches swim technique. Bettina Younge explains how to maximize efficiency on the bike. Heather Fuhr offers insights for striding ahead of the competition on the run. Gale Bernhardt, Siri Lindley, and Lori Bowden present a complete blueprint for excelling in sprint, Olympic, and long-distance races.

Expert advice on equipment, nutrition, and a host of other topics ensures you’ll find targeted information on each topic. Written by women for women, this book is both a comprehensive and personal guide to becoming the best and fastest triathlete you can be.

About Christina Gandolfo

Christina Gandolfo is the editor in chief of Her Sports magazine and the former editor in chief of Triathlete magazine. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Diego State University and has more than 14 years of publishing experience.

As a sports journalist, Gandolfo has covered triathlon across four continents. She has also written for several endurance sports publications, including Outside magazine, and regularly contributes to www.IronmanLive.com.

An avid triathlete and distance runner, Gandolfo resides in San Diego, California.

Reviews

"I wish I had this resource when I first started triathlon. It would have saved me from learning the hard way. The Woman Triathlete is chock-full of valuable advice from some of the most respected women in the sport."
Karen Smyers
Coach and professional triathlete
4-time World Champion Triathlete, mom

"Gandolfo has been an astute observer of the triathlon scene for almost 10 years, and she has assembled an amazing list of competitors."
Wendy Ingraham
Four-time Ironman champion

About Triathlons

A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.

Triathlon races vary in distance. According to the International Triathlon Union, and USA Triathlon, the main international race distances are Sprint distance (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run), Intermediate (or Standard) distance, commonly referred to as "Olympic distance" (1.5 km swim, 40 km ride, 10 km run), the Long Course (1.9 km swim, 90 km ride, 21.1 km run, such as the Half Ironman), and Ultra Distance (3.8 km swim, 180 km ride, and a marathon: 42.2 km run); the most recognized branded Ultra Distance is the Ironman triathlon. A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.

Triathlon races vary in distance. According to the International Triathlon Union, and USA Triathlon, the main international race distances are Sprint distance (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run), Intermediate (or Standard) distance, commonly referred to as "Olympic distance" (1.5 km swim, 40 km ride, 10 km run), the Long Course (1.9 km swim, 90 km ride, 21.1 km run, such as the Half Ironman), and Ultra Distance (3.8 km swim, 180 km ride, and a marathon: 42.2 km run); the most recognized branded Ultra Distance is the Ironman triathlon.

Transition areas are positioned both between the swim and bike segments (T1), and between the bike and run segments (T2) and are where the switches from swimming to cycling and cycling to running occur. These areas are used to store bicycles, performance apparel, and any other accessories needed for preparing for the next stage of the race. The time spent in T1 and T2 is included in the overall time of the race. Transitions areas can vary in size depending on the number of participants expected for the race. In addition, these areas provide a social headquarters prior to the race.

The nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning.

Triathlon is considered by some to have its beginnings in 1920s France. According to triathlon historian and author Scott Tinley (and others), the origin of triathlon is attributed to a race during the 1920s–1930s that was called variously "Les trois sports", "La Course des Débrouillards", and "La course des Touche à Tout". This race is held every year in France near Joinville-le-Pont, in Meulan and Poissy.

An earlier tri-sport event in 1902 featured running, cycling, and canoeing. There are documented tri-sport events featuring running, swimming, & cycling (not necessarily in that order) in 1920, 1921, 1945, and the 1960s. In 1920, the French newspaper L´Auto reported on a competition called "Les Trois Sports" with a 3 km run, 12 km bike, and a swim across the channel Marne. Those three parts were done without any break. Another event was held in 1921 in Marseilles with the order of events bike-run-swim. Among the participants was American athlete Charles Sector. There are also articles in French newspapers about a race in Marseille in 1927. There is a 1934 article about "Les Trois Sports" (the three sports) in the city of La Rochelle, a race with: (1) a channel crossing (c. 200 m), (2) a bike competition (10 km) around the harbor of La Rochelle and the parc Laleu, and (3) a run (1200 m) in the stadium André-Barbeau.

The Woman Triathlete