The Sinai Spirit of a Triathlon
It’s April and Easter is almost here; traditionally a time for renewal, regeneration and the start of new beginnings. Spring is the ideal time to embark on new fitness goals and with the recent African and Pan-Arab Sprint Triathlon taking place in Sharm el Sheikh it is the perfect time to grab some inspiration from these athletes and get moving.
Running in the desert might seem like an impossible task, but you will be surprised at how many ‘Sharmers’ have taken up the sport with passion. Initially this article was going to focus on running. However after discovering the recent international triathlon, combined with Sharm el Sheikh’s natural resources; it seemed appropriate to focus on this dynamic sport. Who knows, after reading this, you might be inspired to competein the next African and Pan-Arab Sprint Triathlon in March 2015.
One person to take inspiration from is Hassan Afifi; a long term resident and dive guide of Sharm, who has since moved away to become a Triathlon trainer and competitor. Read his motivation blog and have a look at his before and after photos and you will soon feel a surge of energy and yourself inwardly chanting ‘just do it’.
Before you grab your trainers, speedos and bike let’s just take a minute to review what exactly a professional Triathlon is. Afifi explains “Triathlon is a sport where the athlete does a combination of swimming, cycling and running, all in immediate succession and in that order.”
There are different distances, which are:
– Sprint Distance: 750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run
– Olympic (Standard) Distance: 1,500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run
– Half Ironman (Middle Distance or 70.3): 1,900m swim, 90km cycle, 21.1km run (half marathon)
– Ironman (Long Distance): 3,800m swim, 180km cycle, 42.2km run (full marathon)
The Sharm el Sheikh competition was based on the ‘sprint’ class. The winner of the elite men’s category was Russian competitor Dmitry Polyanskiy, who completed the race in 54 minutes and 30 seconds.
Hassan competed in his first triathlon in London in 2004. “I thought I’d give it a go. I wasn’t
prepared at all, I suffered in the event, but I loved the atmosphere and I got hooked.” It was a long time after that event before he competed again and this was only after he was inspired to lose weight and get fit. “On a visit to Sharm in June 2011, I saw a picture of myself (attached) and I didn’t believe how fat I was. I weighed myself and I was 92 kilograms. My height is 170 centimetres, so this was a HUGE weight. I also ran out of breath just going up the flight of stairs and I couldn’t walk for more than five minutes without starting to feel very tired.”
Hassan lost 15kg over the summer in 2011. However he made the classic mistake of many new athletes by doing too much intensive training too soon and ended up injuring himself. He made the decision to scrap the goal of competing in the gruelling Ironman competition in Nice, France and instead competed in a couple of shorter Olympic distance races.
As a fledgling runner I am keen to improve and push myself to achieve new goals, but now know it is important to take advice from experts and not plough on, indifferent to pain and potential injuries. There is a group on Facebook dedicated to running and triathlons, who run together and swap training tips. This is a closed group; you need to be keen and serious about the sport to join them, however they are motivators and very accepting of people just starting.
Some tips from an article published on a dedicated running site explain a little about the science of training. For example; increase weekly training mileage by no more than 10 percent per week. “I noticed that runners who increased their training load too quickly were incurring injuries.” says Dr.Ullyot. Another good ‘App’ for new runners is the Couch25k program. It is geared to train you, to safely achieve a goal of 5km but slowly building up the distance with intervals of walking and jogging.
Hassan also pointed out the importance of good footwear. This is a little bit difficult to find in Sharm, but for serious runners it is worth investing in a good pair of properly fitted shoes when you are abroad. “My running was very bad, until February 2012. I contributed it to the fact that I have flat feet. Every single running shoe I put on was uncomfortable and hurt. My legs got injured very easily whenever I attempted to run anywhere over 5km.” “I started off with going to a specialist running shop to try and get comfortable shoes, and I believe that was one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Hassan’s distance and speed improved dramatically.
Hassan then begun to concentrate on his swimming and cycling. Swimming was always his strong point, due to the fact that he spent a large chunk of his time working as a Dive Instructor in Sharm. Sharm has an abundance of natural resources especially for Triathlon athletes. We are surrounded by desert which offers great terrain for running and of course surrounded by the amazing warm sea, both of which are free of charge and right on our doorstep. A popular swimming location for training in Sharm is Terrazzina One beach. Most mornings you will find a group of ladies who swim up and down the roped area.
The cycling bit does require a bit more funds and time to acquire the perfect light weight speed machine. Hassan built his from parts bought on E-Bay and it was at this time, early in 2013 that he realized his ultimate goal was to compete and train for the Half Ironman (70.3) distance discipline. “I took an open sabbatical from my Stockbroker job in March 2013, did a triathlon coaching course and training turned into my full-time daily job. After all, such a life is not so different to when I was originally working in diving, before I became a boring stockbroker.”
Hassan’s training schedule is a far cry from his first ‘flat-footed’ 5km runs. “In the winter months, it was very normal in a day to have a 6 hour bike ride, in the following day a 3 or 4 hour run, doing 3 half marathons in one week, and a full marathon another.” During this period Hassan was running under the Egyptian flag, he got to know more about the very new Egyptian Triathlon Federation and the Sharm el Sheikh event. It was a date set in his calendar, a chance to compete in Sharm alongside fellow Egyptians and to meet some old friends.
The race in Sharm took part on 8th March 2014. The whole event was held in the Montaza area, with the swim being completed in the sheltered lagoon area. The stage between each discipline is called the ‘transition’ which is very important for Triathlon athletes. The transition area was set up in front of the hotel Sol Cyrene. The cycling and running disciplines were completed in laps, to ensure that the spectators and supporters had a good view of the competitors.
Despite a couple of very tiny details that could have made the race better, Hassan said it was a very pleasant experience overall. The organisation of the race itself was adequate and he enjoyed coming ‘home’ to compete in Sharm. “What was most amazing, though, was the atmosphere! I have participated in tens of races over the past few years, and I had some doubts as to how much support the event would get in Egypt, but I have to say that it was brilliant.”
Hassan’s story is indeed an inspiration. To go from ‘0’ to an Ironman competitor is awesome and I am sure Sharm will support him and follow his journey with interest. However for most of us, this is out of our league, but it doesn’t matter. Any small steps to better fitness is a triumph no matter how small the goals are.
I have only recently started running and have realised it is not a chore but rather a joy to run. The baby step achievements soon become a passion and you just want to do more. I have already felt the urge to get out there and run, to beat my last time and to go a little further and now after talking to some inspirational ‘Sharmers’ I am keen to add swimming and cycling to my efforts. By combining sports there is less chance of injury and if cycling is not an option there are aquathlons (swim and run) or if swimming is not you thing there are duathlons (run, bike, run) – so there is a combination to suit everyone.
For more information and inspiration take a look at Hassan’s blog http://www.hassan-afifi.com.To get started there are various Apps which can aid in your training. Some of the most popular ones are Nikerun, Runkeeper and Couch25K.
And finally a few more tips from top coaches:
“Runners are best served by running at goal pace and in the expected environment of that race,” says Ann Snyder, Ph.D., director of the human performance lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“A warmup prepares your body for exercise by gradually increasing blood flow and raising core muscle temperature,” says Jerry Napp, a Tampa Bay running coach.
“Cross-training and weight training will make you a stronger and healthier runner,” says TriEndurance.com multisport coach Kris Swarthout.
“Low- and nonimpact sports like biking and swimming will help build supporting muscles used in running, while also giving your primary running muscles a rest.”
And now JUST DO IT.
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