“What is winter triathlon?” you ask. Officially, in the Northern hemisphere, you could consider any triathlon occurring between December and March a winter triathlon….but the sport of Winter Triathlon is another multisport option, like aquathlon and duathlon, that consists of running, mountain biking, and cross country skiing. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) which is the world governing body for the sports of triathlon, winter triathlon, duathlon, and aquathlon has been holding a world championship event in winter triathlon since 1997. American athletes have been present at nearly every race since 1999. In 2006, a 6 person team (3 men and 3 women) represented the USA in Sjusjoen, Norway. They were anchored by Danelle Ballangee’s excellent finish of 8th place in the Elite Women’s event, while Spencer Powlison placed 4th in the Men’s U23 event. While Europe has led the way for winter triathlon, competitions in winter triathlon will be held in Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US. North America has had several events over the past 5-10 years, including the ITU World Cup finale in Canmore, Canada in 2003, as well as several events in America. USA Triathlon held its first Winter Triathlon National Championship race in 2001 in Colorado and is continuing to help grow the sport.
Usually, the events in winter triathlon are all held on snow – typically on groomed cross country ski trails. Most courses are multiple laps for each leg with separate courses for the run, mountain bike, and ski portions. The most common distances for races are 5-8K for the run, 8-12K for the mountain bike, and 6-10K for the cross country ski. Races typically take 1-2 hours to complete. During the run, most competitors wear running shoes with relatively aggressive treads. Some competitors wear cross country running spikes. Snowshoes are not allowed during sanctioned winter triathlon competitions. For the mountain bike leg, any mountain bike will do – suspension, disk brakes, etc. are not needed. Most competitors will ride tires at least 2.1 inches wide (2.2 to 2.4 usually work best) and run them at low pressure – about 10-20 PSI. This helps the tires float on top of the snow better. Riding on the snow takes good balance, so practicing your skills can be helpful for winter triathlon racing. The final event, the cross country ski leg, can be performed either with the classical - AKA diagonal stride - or freestyle – AKA skating – techniques. Most competitors choose the skating style as there is less hassle with waxing and is overall a faster style of cross country skiing in general.
Age-group athletes, as well at elites, compete at the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships. Elite athletes also compete in a 3-person team relay where each athlete does a shortened loop of all 3 sports before handing off to the next athlete.
Neal was the top American finisher at the 2002 and 2003 ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships and has been the national team head coach since 2005. Neal and Jane have hosted winter triathlon clinics in Colorado since 2003.
