“Triathlon was invented in the early 1970s by the San Diego Track Club, as an alternative workout to the rigours of track training. The club’s first event consisted of a 10km run, an 8km cycle and a 500 metre swim.”

“The official distance for Olympic triathlon was set at a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run – taken from existing events in each discipline already on the Olympic programme. Since 1989, the sport has grown rapidly and now has over 120 affiliated National Federations around the world.”

~Triatholon At The Olympics

“During an awards banquet for the Waikiki Swim Club, John Collins, a Naval Officer stationed in Hawai’i, and his wife Judy, began playing with the idea of combining the three toughest endurance races on the island into one race. They decided to issue a challenge to see who the toughest athletes were: swimmers, bikers, or runners. On February 18, 1978, 15 competitors, including Collins, came to the shores of Waikiki to take on the first-ever IRONMAN challenge.”

~Originally from: Iron man Triathlon

The sport has seen increasing popularity in recent years. Many athletes venture into this arena of competitive sports to test their abilities. Two of our very own Pro-Motion athletes want to share with you their journeys as one continues triathlon competition and the other begins her own path to TRI.