關於鐵人三項你不知道的事

Everyone knows that triathlons are all about swimming, riding and running, but now it’s time to get up to speed with some of the race’s top athletes and finer details.

眾所周知，鐵人三項運動包括游泳、騎行和跑步，但現在是時候了解一些頂級運動員的比賽細節了。

1.There’s a fourth disciplin
還有第四個運動項目

Did you think triathlons involved just three disciplines? Wrong. There’s a fourth challenge that’s just as important as the others and it’s called transition. A quick and seamless transition can make all the difference to a good performance. The top athletes can expect to transition in a matter of seconds and have it down to a fine art.
At the other end of the spectrum? We love the story of the guy who did a sub-one-hour swim at a triathlon only to then spend 17 minutes in transition because he needed the bathroom.

你以為鐵人三項只包含三個分項嗎？錯了。還有第四個挑戰，它與其他分項一樣重要，那就是轉換(Transition)。快速流暢的轉換對於取得好成績至關重要。頂級運動員可以在幾秒鐘內完成轉換，並將其精通到藝術的地步。
另一個極端呢？我們很喜歡這個故事：一個男人在鐵人三項比賽中游泳不到一小時，卻因為需要上廁所而花了17分鐘進行轉換。

2.Triathletes go through a lot of razors
鐵人三項運動員用過許多刮鬍刀

Triathletes shave their legs – and a lot of other places. While it’s tempting to believe this is to make them faster, the more humble truth is that it makes those frequent deep-tissue massages a lot less painful. But that doesn’t explain why some triathletes shave their chests and under their arms. We’re waiting for an answer to that one.

鐵人三項運動員會刮腿毛—以及許多其他地方的毛。雖然人們很容易相信這樣做是為了讓他們跑得更快，但更謙虛的事實是，這樣做可以減輕頻繁的深層肌肉按摩帶來的疼痛。但這並不能解釋為什麼有些鐵人三項運動員會剃掉胸毛和腋毛。我們正在等待答案。

3.A triathlon bike is surprisingly hard to ride
鐵人三項自行車的騎乘難度高

A tri bike is a totally different beast to a regular road bike and would be banned in regular road races. It’s more aerodynamic with riders’ body weight further forward than conventional two-wheelers, while tri bars allow riders to crouch in a tuck to reduce wind resistance. They’re also a lot more rigid to ride, so can take some getting used to.

鐵人三項自行車與普通公路自行車截然不同，在普通公路比賽中是被禁止的。它比傳統的兩輪自行車更符合空氣動力學，騎乘者的重心會更靠前，而鐵人三項車把則允許騎乘者蜷縮身體以減少風阻。鐵人三項自行車的騎乘難度也較大，因此可能需要一些時間來適應。

4.Being a good pool swimmer won’t help
泳池游泳高手也無濟於事

It’s one thing being able to swim multiple lengths in a pool, but swimming out in the open – alongside hundreds of others – requires a whole different skill-set. The first is an ability to withstand the ‘washing machine’ at the start as triathletes jostle for position. (It’s not uncommon to take an accidental kick to the head, for example). Swimmers also need to be able lift their head up and above the water between strokes to look out for buoys and markers.

能在泳池裡遊幾個來回是一回事，但在戶外——與數百人一起——游泳則需要完全不同的技能。首先，在鐵人三項運動員爭奪位置時，要能夠承受起跑線上如同「洗衣機」般的壓力（例如，頭部意外被踢中的情況並不少見）。游泳選手還需要能夠在划水間隙將頭部抬出水面，以便留意浮標和標記。

5.You might need a dictionary
你可能需要一本字典

5.You might need a dictionary
Every sport has its own language and code words, so you better swat up on your triathlon terms if you want to join this gang. From ‘tempo runs’ and ‘zone 2 training’ to ‘power watts’ and ‘pyramids’, if you like to geek out on your training, welcome to Heaven. Welcome to contact me!

每項運動都有自己的語言和暗語，所以如果你想加入這個行列，最好好好學習鐵人三項相關的術語。從“節奏跑”和“2區訓練”到“功率瓦特”和“金字塔”，如果你喜歡在訓練中追求極致，歡迎來到鐵人三項的天堂。

6.Doing a triathlon can be expensive
參加鐵人三項比賽的費用不菲

This sport is a high-maintenance mistress. She’ll demand not only your attention and many days and hours of relentless training. But she also loves you to show your affection with your wallet. While anyone can do a triathlon on a regular budget, prepare to drop some dough if you’re serious about finishing among the top athletes. A top-of-the-range carbon fibre set of wheels will set you back a pretty penny.

這項運動就像一位需要精心照顧的情婦。她不僅需要你的關注和數日數小時的刻苦訓練，而且她也喜歡你用錢包來表達你的愛。雖然任何人都可以用普通預算參加鐵人三項比賽，但如果你真的想躋身頂級運動員之列，那就得做好花大錢的準備了。一套頂級碳纖維輪組會讓你花費不斐。

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