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The 2008 Olympic Triathlon Qualification Process For the 2008 Olympic Athletes, the qualification process is very complicated to qualify for the actual race. There is a few ways an athlete can qualify for the Olympics. The 2008 Olympics athletes included 55 athletes and the points system helped determine whether or not a country can have more than one athlete in the race. After the point calculations of each country comes out, the countries participating in the 2008 Olympic Triathlon race chose the athletes to represent their particular country. The countries use the trials and other races to determine whom to use to represent their country for the 2008 Olympic triathlon. For the 2008 Olympic Trials, the athletes will do anything they can to qualify for the race by racking up points. The Olympic Athletes will race in every triathlon just to qualify for the real race. Matt Reed was in a situation where he had to participate in every triathlon leading up to the 2008 Olympic Triathlon so he can qualify. Matt Reed ended up qualifying for the Olympics but wore himself out for the actual race and in the end he struggled to really compete for the 2008 Olympic Triathlon. The 2008 Olympic Triathlon qualification trials took into account three different events. The events included in the process were the 2007 Beijing race, the 2008 Tuscaloosa race and the 2008 Hy-Vee race. The 2007 Beijing race winner was rewarded with an automatic first spot and the best scores of all the other races received the second spot. The third spot was rewarded to the winner of the 2008 Tuscaloosa race.

The Nutrition and Training for the 2008 Olympic Triathlon Athletes

The 2008 Olympic Athletes are constantly looking for an advantage in the types of food an athlete eats. For the endurance athletes, the number one thing an Olympic athlete runs into is the fatigue aspect of the sport. The reason for fatigue is primarily from dehydration and carbohydrate depletion. The proper amount of carbohydrate and fluid intake is crucial in order to be successful in the 2008 Olympic Triathlon. The 2008 Olympic Athletes understand that not only is the proper amount of foods and fluids important but the type of foods being put in the body are vital. The 2008 Olympic athletes were smart and made sure to study the right process of eating the right foods by testing the body with different foods in the training weeks leading up to the 2008 Olympic Triathlon. Every Olympic Athlete’s body is different so the testing stage of foods is important to the athletes. This is when the Olympic athlete finds out what the right amount of foods and fluids work best. The process also helps the athlete's determine what the best foods are to eat during the 2008 Olympics Triathlon race. The 2008 Olympic Athletes trained for the triathlons by going on long endurance swims in different types of bodies of water. For the athletes training for the 2008 Olympic Triathlon, they understood the swimming is just the beginning of the race so they train their bodies to pace themselves for this part of the race. The most important thing in the swimming part of the race for the Olympic Athletes is having the proper form of strokes. This is where the majority of the average people fall short, making it the hardest workout of the three but for the Olympic Athletes participating in the 2008 Olympic Triathlon, they take into account all 3 parts of the race, swimming, cycling and running part of the race. With so many other athletes swimming around next to each other, the athletes in the 2008 Olympics make sure to practice all of the different strokes. With such a demanding workout in the triathlon, many Olympic Athletes have prior swimming lessons before entering competitions. Following the swim in the triathlon, the second workout of the three is a 40 Kilometer bike ride. The 2008 Olympic Athletes train their legs to endure twice as long of a bike ride then the actual race. Some have even been known to train with athletes participating in the Tour de France cycling race. For many of the 2008 Olympic Athletes the cycling part of the race is where they make up a lot of the time in the race. The 2008 Olympic Athletes use the cycling part of the race as a platform for the run. With top class athletes, the Olympics’ cycling ride demands the riders to be able to go up and down hills so a lot of the 2008 Olympic Athletes will train going up mountains with bikes to build the proper amount of stamina needed for the race. The last workout of the three in a triathlon is the running stage. The 2008 Olympic Athletes train everyday doing the first two workouts and then begin the long journey of the run. The running part for the 2008 Olympic Triathlon is the most demanding part of the race being the last workout of the three so the athletes train the mind to endure the torture on the bodies’ joints. Running is the most demanding workout on the lower body because of its impact on the joints. With such high demand on the lower body, the 2008 Olympic Athletes feel most fatigue during this stage of the triathlon.



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ITU. ( 2016) International Triathlon Union. Available at: http://www.triathlon.org/olympics/ (Accessed: 17 March 2016).

Carlson, Timothy. (2012) The intricacies of Olympic qualification. Available at: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/The_intricacies_of_Olympic_qualification_2731.html (Accessed: 26 March 2016).