Triathlon - A New Sport For the Middle Ages
More and more middle-aged men are trying to stay healthy through triathlons. They are events that combine swimming, running and cycling. Triathlons have grown very popular in the last five years, especially with men who are over 40. According to a sporting goods association there are 1.2 million triathletes around the world.
The triathlon mania probably started around fifteen years ago when the sport became an event in the Atlanta Olympics. Before that triathlon was only for “Ironmen” , those who could swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 112 miles and run a classical 26.2 mile marathon. In the Olympics the distances became shorter and those athletes who did not want to struggle for 12 hours could also take part. A sprint triathlon can be finished in three hours.
More and older marathon runners have switched to the triathlon because they do not want to risk further injuries. Your knees get worse in long distance races and swimming and cycling takes a lot of pressure off them.
Triathlon is a booming sport in sportswear stores as well. They sell everything from special triathlon sunglasses to running shoes. Magazines are full of articles about triathlon, training tips and previews of events from all over the world.
Triathlon is not a cheap sport and many young men cannot afford it. An ambitious athlete preparing for an “Ironman” can spend up to $20,000 a year, including training, fitness articles, wet suits, helmets and other things. A bike alone can cost up to $10,000 .
Many who have started the sport do so mainly because they want to keep fit and be able to look at themselves in a mirror. Most of them just don’t want to sit around and wait till they get old. They want to do something about it.
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Words:
- according to = as said by
- afford = have enough money to pay for
- ambitious =motivated, you really want to reach something
- association = organization
- athlete = sportsperson
- combine = join, bring together
- distance = the length of a race
- especially = above all
- further = more, extra
- mainly = mostly
- mania = something that becomes very popular quickly
- middle-aged = between the ages of 40 and 60
- mirror = special glass that you can see yourself in
- popular = liked by many people
- pressure = weight , force
- preview = a description of a future event
- risk = to put something into a situation where it can be damaged
- sportswear store = shop that sells clothes and shoes that athletes wear
- struggle = fight
- switch = change to