Most people with a little base of endurance training could prepare to complete a sprint race in 8 weeks or less.  Having competed in just one race, you could now call yourself a triathlete!  You see we have an unwritten rule in our sport's culture, that unless you compete in at least one race a year, you can't wear the title.  And yes, we like wearing the title.   What's so great about triathlon, why are they the most common activity at the 10:10 What's Happening page, and why do I write each year about them?  I'll give you 3 reasons and a story. 

Reason #1.  Triathlon is a wellness sport, i.e., it's easy on the body.  They three disciplines complement each other in their contribution to your fitness.  Swimming is a great toning and strengthening exercise with no pounding on the joints.  It's the one activity where a little extra body fat doesn't hurt you - actually makes you more buoyant and insulates you in the cold!  Since it's not very effective at burning fat (not a weight bearing exercise), the complement is running. 

Covert Bailey used to say "running takes fat off quicker than a knife".  But excessive running, especially with bad form on hard surfaces, can wreak havoc on the joints.  That's why most of the really competitive runners I know are often managing an injury.  Biking kinda comes in the middle, literally and figuratively.  Easier on the joints than running, and a better fat burner than swimming.   Plus riding can take you to some really beautiful places and convenience stores that sell Yoo Hoo.    

Reason #2.  Triathlon is a participation sport that just about anybody can do.  In this regard, I'd compare it to golf but say it's way better because it requires no skill (except for swimming).  And because you can't drink beer while you do it, or rather you won't want to, it has a more positive physical contribution to the body than golf.  While tri is very attractive to the beginner (you'll receive lots of encouragement from the veterans), it's a never ending challenge - like golf.  After the enormous sense of accomplishment you feel when completing a race, you'll no doubt start thinking of how you could have reduced your time.  This is where that transition time (changing gear from swim to bike or bike to run) becomes a factor.  Like a golfer seeking a smaller handicap, a triathlete can, if they chose, spend their energy in pursuit of a better time or position in their age group.  Which brings us to reason #3.

Reason #3:  Triathlon is for any age.  If you throw me that objection that you're too old for such a "grueling" sport, I'm gonna squash it like a bug.  First of all go back to reason #1.  The sport is easy and beneficial to the body.  It's only as grueling as you make it.  Put an Ironman (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles) on your calendar, and you're in for a difficult journey.  A sprint race (swim 1/3 mile, bike 12, run 3.1) on the other hand will add the spice of uncertainty and the fuel of focus to your training.   You may have heard of Jim Ward.  He didn't start doing tri's until his sixties, and stayed happily involved and became a legend until the day he checked out on a bike ride well into his eighties. 

Another inspiration is Sister Madonna.  Yeah, a nun triathlete.  I heard her name for the first time during the awards breakfast on the beach at the Gulf Coast Half IM in 2000.   A 70 year old nun triathlete?  Come on?!  But it was true.   From article an I found on the Gonzaga Bulletin, Sister Madonna Buder was introduced to running at the age of 48. A priest spoke to her praising the power of exercise. He described running as a "panacea with the power to cure depression and harmonize the mind, body and soul." Buder, full of inspiration, put on some hand-me-down shorts and went out to find the runner's high.

She never considered competing until she received news of a family member battling alcoholism. She immediately thought of Christ, who died on the cross so that his grace would be transferred to mankind. At that point Buder decided she would run the 8.2-mile Bloomsday Race held in Spokane so that her "will to overcome would be transferred" to her family member in need. The training was so intense at times she felt that running the race would be physically impossible. At the lowest point in her training she recalls hearing a voice telling her that she must have faith. She accepted this and saw the race as her cross to bear. Buder completed the race, and from then on she was hooked.  

Nearly 25 years later, Buder is still going strong. Training has become a "lifestyle" for her. She typically rides her bike or runs to Mass. She enjoys "riding to Medical Lake," a 40-mile round-trip from her home. She also trains in the water at the Martin Centre on the Gonzaga campus. Training has become so second nature to her, she explained that at times she finds herself literally "running" errands.   "I see the finish line as symbolic for the Pearly Gates. You want to get there, and you want to know you have given all you have to give when you arrive," she said.  According to Buder, participating in a triathlon has parallels to life. During training she has time to be in nature and "enjoy the captivating scenery that Mother Nature has to offer." In a race setting, when you are flying down a course as fast as you can go, you are susceptible to all the dangers life has to offer, she said.