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Beginners Information Hi There.
So here you are looking into the highly addictive Triathlon scene are you.??
Thanks for enquiring with us, please read on as I am sure you will be better informed at the end.
The Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club has been running Triathlons in the Cairns region for about 20 years.
The name Triathlon means 3 sports, essentially it’s a swim/bike/run format. Distances can vary in each of the 3 disciplines.
Many of our sprint or enticer series operate over the following approximate distances: - Kids 100 meter swim, 5km bike, 1km run
- Short Course 200 meter swim, 15km bike, 2km run
- Long Course 300 meter swim, 20km bike 4km run Once you get a few of these under you belt you can look at the following distances
- Sprint Distance 750 meter swim 30km bike 6km run
- Olympic distance 1500 meter swim, 40 km bike, 10km run
- Half Iron Man course 1900 meter swim 90 km bike, 21 km run
- Full Iron Man course 3800 meter swim, 180 km bike, 42 km run ( OUCH !! )
The Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club cater mainly for the shorter races but as you will see on our calendar, we have the Coral Coast Triathlon which is Olympic distance & the Port Douglas long course is similar in distance to a Half Iron Man.
Getting into any new sport can be quite intimidating at the best of times, & here you are having a crack at 3 of them all in one race. Mad !!
But fear not, we all started at the beginning. Funny thing about this sport is that most people have a strong leg (eg the bike) and battle with the swim & run. When I started I could not swim out of sight on a dark night, I was ok on a bike but I was riding a mountain bike for my first few races & as for the run, well lets just say I couldn’t run a bath much less jog a few km.
MY FIRST RACE
So in the water I go, cough & splutter the swim, dead last, stagger to the bike, dead last, pedal a water logged few Km trying to get into the groove, finish second last I think, then off the bike, on with the runners where I first experience trying to run on legs that don’t work because I wore them out on the bike. As my legs start to free up I soon realise that my lungs are now burning & I cant even talk I am puffing so hard.
To add to the discomfort I soon realised that I am less than half way to the finish line.
I am wondering what else could go wrong & then you see some little fit kid run past you like you are standing skill with a cheeky grin on their face. With the heart rate on maximum, lungs about to explode, legs about to collapse & muscles I did not know I had making that finish line seem way too far away I finished my first triathlon. What a rush !!
That finish line was the beginning of the addiction to be back on the start line again That’s when the retail side of our sport kicks in, better goggles, better bike, better runners, faster outfits to wear & all the bling, ya gotta have some bling !!
Many many races later I still cant wait to hit the start line. Funny thing is with this sport, once you get a bit fit, we all seem to wander off and do all sorts of races. Cycling events, swim races, running races, adventure races, rogaining & mountain bike races. At the end of your first year you look at all your new toys, rows of worn out runners, a closet full of race gear & a depleted bank balance & think, “what have I done.” But you wouldn’t swap it for the world.
Our club is full of beginners just like me & maybe you. One thing you will find is that we have all been there & so know how scary this triathlon thing can be. We are there to help you, we are a friendly lot, we have people of all ages, shapes & sizes racing & just getting to that damm finish line is what its all about.
We encourage teams to enter so someone does the swim, someone does the ride, someone does the run. We even have a family class.
Not everyone finishes every race, things happen, things go wrong, no big deal, just chalk it up to a dud race & look forward to the next starting line.
The Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club is all about participation & fun for all ages. We are very lucky to have a great committee, a growing membership base & some of the best races venues in Australia. We do events in Cairns, Port Douglas, Lake Tinaroo & all over Far North Queensland. Many of us head interstate & overseas to race, all for fun & the experience.
This sport can take you all over the country & all over the world & introduce you to some awesome people & places. It is a sport that you could still be doing 20 years from now. It is a sport that will take you to the limit & beyond what you thought you & your body could cope with. It is a sport that can prepare you physically & mentally for other sports & the many challenges life can throw at you. It is a sport you will never master but when you nail that perfect race & you get that massive rush of adrenalin, the hairs on your neck stand up on end, nothing hurts & you cant stop talking about it for weeks, that’s when you realise why we do it.
So grab some goggles, rustle up a bike & shout yourself some good runners & get cracking.
Membership with our club is a bargain, we have several training sessions every week, heaps of help & advice, lots of great long term members & a calendar full of awesome events.
Starting is what stops people achieving.
SO GET STARTED
Please feel free to email the club if you have any questions
See you at the start line
Greg Wilson,
Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club
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