What are the Main Reasons for Taking Part in Endurance Sports

I do not have any official research or statistics about this trend, but a lot of things indicate that endurance sports might be extending the ranks of its enthusiasts at a rate matched only by a precious few other activities. Magazines and websites dedicated to running a marathon, completing a triathlon or getting ready for an iron man race sprout out like mushrooms, responding to a growing interest in these disciplines. The market for training services and equipment has developed to a point where it is not a problem whatsoever to get quality products at affordable prices. This opens up the area for even more newcomers as it takes less and less in terms of effort or money to join in. However, the question why so many regular guys would want to join in a subset of sport that pushes people to the limits of their endurance, puts them in a tight training harness and requires mad determination even to pull through a single race. Here are possible answers.

The challenge factor cannot be underestimated as endurance sports have a reputation for being made for tough individuals. When something if off-limits to most people, there will surely be a group of naysayers determined to prove everybody wrong by going to places where others fear to tread. Marathons or triathlons do exactly that for sporting experiences, as the vast majority of the population might never even think seriously of trying to complete it, while some random jogging, aerobics or swimming are part of their everyday routine. Whoever decides to run for 42 kilometres or cover another gruelling distance by bike is clearly inspired by the extraordinary value of what most people see as a feat.

But it is not only adventurers who take part in endurance sports. It is also amateurs who simply love physical effort and have progressed naturally from such disciplines as tennis, football or track and field. Over time, they learned enough about their capabilities to add yet another level to their training load and finally have a go at long-distance, high-intensity events. In fact, for people who are fairly and no strangers to physical exertions getting ready for and taking part in a triathlon are not the most difficult things in the world. In many cases, they are not even challenges. They represent another frontier in their development as athletes.

Others, quite simply, want to do something new and fun. Isn't it exciting to look for the best cycling apparel for the biking leg of the triathlon and then training for the smoothest possible transition from running? Who would not want to make small increments during the training program to finally shine during the bid day? There is also a fantastic atmosphere at races, created largely by the community of people who share a true infatuation with sport. Some of them are so engaged in trying to get better that they report their progress by recording regular reports on a webcam and posting them on YouTube.