China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Of tenacity and strategy
Drawn by its physical and mental challenge, a growing number of Chinese are forking out significant amounts of time and money to pursue triathlons, Xu Xiaomin reports in Shanghai.
As an engineer who worked for a leading semiconductor manufacturing company in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hightech Park, Zhang Ling drew a good income and lived a comfortable life. He was the object of envy for many of his peers.
But after 11 years at the company, Zhang gave up this “perfect career” in 2012 to officially start his own business.
His entrepreneurial undertaking was one that left his friends and family members flummoxed — it was a triathlon club.
“I started this club because I love this long race and have spent so much time on it. To me, taking part in triathlons is not just a hobby — it is a lifestyle,” he says.
Back in 2012, jogging was just starting to become popular among Chinese. Triathlons, on the other hand, were almost unheard of.
But following an explosion of sporting interest a few years ago, Shanghai is now home to more than 20 triathlon clubs with about 20,000 triathlon enthusiasts, says Zhang.
His company, the Shanghai Triathlon Club, earns revenue by conducting training for its members and enterprises, organizing competitions and selling equipment. The club had a membership of only dozens of triathlon enthusiasts when it first started. Today, member numbers have grown to more than 10,000. About 2,000 of these members are active racers.
Charm of the race
Compared with other sports such as running, a triathlon requires more extensive physical conditioning as it involves three disciplines including running, cycling and swimming, says Xu Chao, 30, an STC member as well as a part-time triathlon coach.
“For marathon runners, training seven hours a week might be enough, but for triathlon racers, even 10 hours isn’t enough if you’re looking to improve,” says Xu, who started taking part in triathlons in 2015 after he found marathons to be unchallenging.
Last year, Xu completed five races around the country, including a 113kilometer race that he finished in four hours and 50 minutes, which could be considered impressive for an amateur like him. Top triathletes typically complete such a race in less than four hours.
In April 2019, he took part in his longest race, an Ironman competition spanning 226 km, and finished third in his age group after 12 hours. The record for the men’s course is less than eight hours.
“It was a real struggle and I needed a couple of days to recover from the fatigue, but the feeling of crossing the finish line was amazing,” he says.
Balance the key to success
To Xu, the appeal of triathlons is not in the physical challenge, but the strategizing involved in ensuring the body is capable of lasting the distance.
“The unique charm of the triathlon is that you need to use your brain to comprehend every section and continuously adjust your pace strategy so that you can complete each of the three segments in the least amount of time,” he says.
“The three segments of the triathlon require the use of different muscles. As such, you need to know how hard each body part has to work in each phase. That’s where the fun lies.”
He explains that while kicking in the water would help a triathlete swim faster, this action would also affect how quickly he cycles in the next phase. The intensity of the cycle would in turn affect how one performs in the last phase — running.
Besides finding a balance in how one expends his energy across the race, triathletes must also strike a balance in their training, says Zhang, who is also the vice-president of the Shanghai Triathlon Federation.
“Never do binge training for a certain segment. You need to try to find your own balance between swimming, cycling and running,” he says.
“The triathlon is more complicated than other sports because you also need to find the balance between training, social life and work.”
Because of the demands of the sport, enthusiasts need to train nearly every day. As such, triathlons naturally become more than a sport but a way of life, he says.
Not a cheap sport
But the cost of triathlons is not just limited to time — triathletes also need to fork out a considerable amount of money to do this sport.
While running enthusiasts only need the proper attire and running shoes, a triathlete also needs a bicycle, and a good model usually costs thousands of yuan. High-end models can even cost several times more.
Furthermore, there is also the maintenance cost involved with a bicycle.
Traveling to another country or city to compete and the additional fees associated with transporting the necessary equipment also add to the overall costs.
For example, Xu and his wife spent about 80,000 yuan ($11,500) in 2019 just to take part in triathlons.
According to Wang Liang, an employee of the STC, the costs of competing in triathlons is mainly why most participants are between 30 and 50 years old and their families earn over 400,000 yuan a year.
Despite being a pricey sport to do, triathlons are becoming increasingly popular in China. Zhang Chaohui, general manager of Beijing Sanfo Outdoor Sports Co Ltd, says that the number of amateur triathlon participants in 2019 increased by about 40 percent compared to the year before. The number of competitions held last year had also grown.
Among these competitions is the one held in Shanghai’s Jinshan district, which boasts a 23-km coastline. Organized by the STC, the competition is one of the major sporting events in the city, attracting close to 1,000 amateur and professional participants each time.
According to Wang, this year’s triathlon — it will be the seventh edition — will be held in May, and more than 1,000 people signed up on the first week of registration. He adds that the goal is to increase the capacity of the event in the future, growing it from the current 2,000 competitors to 5,000, a figure that is common for triathlon events in foreign countries.
“The popularity of Ironman races has yet to peak in China. Right now, we need to focus on developing a solid foundation for the future development of the sport,” says Zhang Ling.
“Like wine brewing, this sport also needs time to grow.”