INJURY-FREE Masterclass

It’s that time of year where training volume rises in search of building a strong base on which to build speed come spring. That’s potentially great for boosting aerobic capacity and fat-burning capabilities, but not as wonderful because of the increased likelihood of injury.

How likely? Well, not as bad as solely running where studies show that up to 70% of runners fall victim to some form of run injury each year. But even by spreading the stresses and strains across multiple joints because of its multidisciplinary nature, injury rate amongst triathletes is still surprisingly high.

A study by Norwegian researchers followed 875 triathletes including 174 signed up for the Norseman Triathlon. They were particularly interested in the rates of acute (like a crash) injuries and chronic (overuse, where an injury happens over time), plus days lost through illness. The results were startling with overuse injuries affecting 56% of the athletes with the knee (25%) the most vulnerable site, followed by the