Exciting news everyone. Dr. Odom and several OHW Team members will be providing exclusive medical coverage for US National Triathlon Finals this weekend in Milwaukee, WI.
Team ODOM is going to be helping Team U.S.A. as over 4,300 triathletes (yes, a record breaking 4,300 triathletes) swim, bike and run their way to the finish line, competing for Olympic team attention and records.
The triathlete culture and community is extremely inspiring as I’ve learned more about the race, strategies, training and the mental and physical boundaries of this amazing sport. Here are some really cool articles from USA Triathlon (the national governing body for triathlon) if you are interested in learning more.
You won’t believe the record number of youth (7-15 year olds!) coming out to nationals this weekend for a chance to compete against the best of the best in their age group. Talk about inspiring! HERE
The USAT home office has some pretty funny characters (I mean, these are people that spend hours thinking up funny things while running, biking and swimming.) Watch their multisport video series on home office safety helmets, office discipline and fuel up breakfasts at the U.S. Tri office.
OHW’s very own sponsored triathlete, Nick DeLeeuw, will be competing this weekend in the nationals too. He has already qualified for the Iron Man and he is geared up for a great event tomorrow.
Good Luck Nick, Dr. Odom and Team OHW!
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Triathlons
- You can be disqualified from a triathlon for not wearing your approved helmet while on your bike even AFTER you complete the race.
- Training for one olympic distance triathlon can involve 30 weeks (that’s almost 60% of the year) of 7-13 hours of intense multisport training per week. That’s dedication.
- The earliest triathlon races were held in San Diego’s Mission Bay.
- Public nudity at any time during an even is prohibited. This rule is enforced throughout the course, but most commonly in transition areas, where an athlete may decide to remove his swimsuit to change into bike shorts, and on the bike or run course, where a participant might relieve himself a little bit too close to the road where it may be obviously offensive. (That is direct language from the Competition Rules!)
- The International Olympic Committee officially recognized triathlon as an Olympic sport in 1991.
- You can have minutes added to your final race time for abandoning garbage on the course.
- Triathlon multisport includes different types of races: triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, off-road, winter triathlon (brrr!), and aqua bike.
- And there are several different distances for triathlon races including sprint, double, triple and ultra distances.
- An estimated 1,992,000 individuals completed in at least one triathlon in 2011, up from 1,702,000 unique participants in 2010.
- In 2000, USA Triathlon selected its first Olympic team for the first triathlon Olympic event. Jennifer Gutierrez, Sheila Taormina and Joanna Zeiger were on the women’s team and Ryan Bolton, Hunter Kemper and Nick Radkewich were on the men’s team. Zeiger went on to finish fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Kemper had the best men’s finish in 17th.