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Winter Triathalon
I take that back. There are training tips for competing in a winter triathlon, if you can read German. That pretty much sums up where winter triathlon is hot and where it's not. In places like Europe, Canada and Japan, winter triathlons are hotly contested events that draw top competitors and prized media coverage. In comparison, last year Boulder's Jimmy Archer became the only American ever to compete in the five-year-old World Winter Triathlon Championships. The U.S. has never held a true national winter triathlon championships. But all that's changing in a big way. Fort Collins' MountainQuest Adventures is organizing the inaugural U.S. Triathlon National Winter Championships on Feb. 3 at Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park. To add clout to the event, USA Triathlon, the governing body of triathlon in the U.S., is sanctioning the event. The hope is with USAT's backing, the sport will be added to the 2006 Winter Olympics.
"With the IOC indicating they are looking at the potential of adding winter triathlon to the Winter Olympics, it makes the national race that much more exciting," said Barry Siff, who along with fellow Fort Collins endurance athlete Liz Caldwell own MountainQuest. "The Winter Olympics are looking to add some innovative, exciting sports, and winter triathlon certainly fits that criteria." OK, but what makes up a winter triathlon, you ask? World standards call for the event to consist of a 10-kilometer run, 20K bike and 10K cross-country ski race. Originally, the national championships at Winter Park were to consist of a 10K snowshoe instead of a 10K run, which seems more appropriate. But snowshoeing is as foreign to the rest of the world as skate skiing, which is the preferred ski method, is to Americans. So MountainQuest changed the format to adhere to the standards. But Archer, the favorite to capture the first national championship, said that doesn't make the event any easier. That's because the 10K run isn't your run-of-the-mill jog, but a true cross country run, European style. "They run through stuff that we would snowshoe through," said Archer, 28, who finished 21st out of 70 competitors at the world championships last year in Spain. "Cross-country running over there is very hardcore. I ran through mud four inches deep and up a hill with a 50-degree
Archer said standard footwear for the running portion of the race is quality trail-running shoes with an aggressive tread for traction. If the footing looks real treacherous, he said he might bring out his spikes. "I'll have to run in the spikes a few days in case I have to get them out. Otherwise, I'll really feel it in my calves," Archer said. "We'll just have to see what the conditions are like." Dillon's Danelle Ballengee, who would be the female favorite if she were participating, said she was disappointed snowshoeing was replaced by cross-country running. Ballengee, Colorado's top female multi-sport athlete and winner of 58 straight snowshoe races, is sponsored by Tubbs and may have to miss the event to appear at an event in Estes Park. "I don't think that's truly a winter triathlon because snowshoeing isn't a part of it," Ballengee said. "Mountain running is huge over there, and I think
The mountain bike portion of the race will take place on snowpacked roads and trails. Archer said most competitors will equip their bikes with 2- to 21/2-inch diameter tires and ride with as low as 30 pounds of pressure. The low tire pressure allows for more of the tire to grip the surface as well as absorb the bumps. Archer said he'll be riding his full-suspension Schwinn during the race. "If you really want to be aggressive, you can put sheet metal screws in your tires or use winter tires that have little nubs on them," said Archer, who plans on competing at the world championships March 25 in Switzerland. The most difficult discipline of the three for most Americans is skiing. Skate skiing is by far the fastest skiing technique, but few Americans have mastered it. Archer believes it's this facet of winter triathlon that has retarded the growth of the sport in this country. "You're not going to find a tougher sport than Nordic skiing," said Archer, who has been a professional triathlete for two years and is a personal trainer. "The Americans want instant gratification and instant results. There is a lot of technique and work that goes into Nordic skiing, especially skate skiing. With running, if you go out and work hard at it, you will get much better. But with Nordic skiing, it's tougher - you have to work on fitness as well as technique." Even if your goal isn't to win the first national championship, Archer said the event should be incentive enough to help multi-sport enthusiasts with their cross training during the long days of winter.
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