Women In Sport: Try Out A Triathlon With Ironman Triathlete Elaine Young

"To get started, you don't really need a lot." For Ironman triathlete Elaine Young, taking up the challenge of mastering three sports is just a small part of the fun. A triathlon — a multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running — is more than just a test of endurance, strength and willpower while racing against the clock.

Curious why people are drawn to this multisport and how you can do the sport without being competitive? Let Elaine, who balances life with a full-time job and being a new mother, share why and bring presenter Naomi Yeo on a rookie crash course. "For anyone who's looking to go into the sport, you just start somewhere." Right on, Elaine!

95% of the people who do triathlons don’t actually do it competitively

We may think the main purpose of joining a triathlon is to compete and win medals. While it is the case for some people, Elaine shares that “troopers” a.k.a. people who have full-time or part-time jobs who do triathlons for fun and passion actually compose the majority of the triathlon community.

It’s about learning to break bigger challenges into smaller goals

Elaine describes doing triathlons as “breaking down an enormous task into little goals”. Seeing whether you’re stronger in one sport over another helps you come up with an action plan that fits your desired outcome. It makes your weaker sport a lot less overwhelming and easier to take on. It also gives you a rush whenever you overcome one task and move on to the next.

You don’t need much to get started

Triathlons are all about movement so you don’t necessarily need a lot of complex equipment to get started. Elaine suggests starting training at your own pace and distance and equipping according to what works best for you. Take on each sport individually and discover what you need not just in skill but also equipment — it could be starting with swimming and finding the right suit first, and so on.