MasterclassThe master female triathlete
Introduction
Competing as a triathlete in later life has several benefits including improved health, a sense of well-being and an avenue for social interactions. As defined by the United States Triathlete Association, a Master triathlete is an athlete forty years of age or older (“https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon”, 2016). Of the 2.9 million participants in triathlon in 2011, greater than 43% were in the 40 years and over age division according to USA Triathlon. The largest growth was in the 35–39 and 40–44 year-old groups. In the past year, there has been a greater rate of increase in the 50 and older age group as compared to younger groups. One speculation for this occurrence is that many long term runners switch over to triathlons for the cross training benefits. Additionally, partaking in triathlons is expensive and the younger athlete may not have the resources invest in the sport for items such as equipment and entry fees.
Within the female category, an increase in participation has occurred both in the shorter and longer triathlon distances. Since 2000, USA Triathlon's female membership has grown from 27% of the total of the annual members to more than 37% at the end of 2014. Due to this increase in participation, performance times for older females (40–59 age groups) in swimming, cycling and running have decreased significantly (Lepers, Rüst, Stapley, & Knechtle, 2013b).
Triathlon performance is maintained until the age of 40; this is followed by modest declines until the age of 50. After 50, performance times progressively decline at a steeper rate (Bernard et al., 2010, Lepers et al., 2013a). After age of 55, decline in endurance performance is more pronounced in females as compared to males (Ransdell, Vener, & Huberty, 2009). The greater disparity between older and younger female triathletes’ performance times that appears in the shorter Olympic distances as compared to the Ironman distances is probably due to the predominance of power and anaerobic capacity required at the shorter distance (Donato et al., 2003). Difference between young and older female triathletes is least pronounced in cycling due to less impact, the use of concentric muscle contraction, non-weight bearing stress, and the metabolic economy that can occur in cycling (Balmer et al., 2008, Lepers et al., 2013a).
The purpose of this Masterclass article is to discuss the biology of aging and how triathlon training affects these changes. In addition, prevention of injuries and training recommendations will be presented for the female master triathlete.
Section snippets
Biology of aging and factors affecting performance
Exercise is a powerful tool that can help minimize age-related diseases and decline. Disease that results from poor health habits, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can be controlled with a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. Many physical changes commonly attributed to aging alone are actually due to sedentary lifestyle (Lee et al., 2014). For example, older individuals that partake in a running exercise program have less disability and live longer than their age-matched peers
Injury prevention for the master female triathlete
As the athlete ages, the risk of injury increases due to a loss of bone mass, muscle mass and flexibility and increasing fatigue with exercise (Shaw, Howat, Trainor, & Maycock, 2004). It has been estimated that 89% of master athletes experience one sports-related injury since turning 50 years; of these injuries, 68% are due to repetitive overuse (Burns et al., 2003, Wright and Perricelli, 2008). Ganse et al. suggests that experienced master athletes have a low risk of injury that does not
Conclusion
As a physical therapist, it is very rewarding to work with an older athlete that is motivated to return to her sport. The number of master female athletes is steadily increasing. In working with this population, the PT needs to consider the biology of aging, factors affecting performance, and utilization of appropriate training and technique to help keep the triathlete in the sport while minimizing her chance of injury.
Conflict of interest
None.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Ashleigh McDaniel for her photography services.
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