Science of Summer Games: Para Triathlon

The Para Triathlon is one of the newest sports in the Paralympic Games, first introduced in Rio, Brazil, in 2016.

The Para Triathlon has nine sport classes across six different medal events (three male and three female): two wheelchair, four standing, and three visually impaired classes. Para Triathlon is a sprint distance, half the Olympic distance for individual competitions. It includes a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride, and a 5K run.

"People with physical disabilities can compete at any triathlon distance," said Kiersten McCartney, who graduated with her doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Delaware and is now a doctoral candidate in UD's Biomechanics and Movement Science (BIOMS) program in the College of Health Sciences.

Elite Paralympians train like their Olympic counterparts.

"They're training seven days a week with a mixture across the three disciplines, and they must take their recovery just as seriously. Sleep and nutrition are important elements of recovery," said McCartney.

The Para Triathlon isn't just for elite athletes.

"In the Para Triathlon, you'll see elite para-athletes," said McCartney. "But also, people with disabilities who are not elite athletes compete in triathlons. From a health perspective, it shows that people with physical disabilities can participate in these events from the community level to the Paralympic level. Triathlon is a sport meant to be utilized by people of all ages, all impairments, and all fitness levels."

UD alumnus Travis Pollen started hand-cycling at 13 years old and swam competitively in high school and college. In 2011, the para-athlete set two Paralympic American records for swimmers with one arm or leg. For him, swimming and biking aren't adapted.

"For swimming, I take my prosthesis off and swim with one leg. Growing up, that was amazing. I felt so at home in the water because I didn't need any special technology," said Pollen. "The bike I ride regularly with my everyday prosthesis. For running, I have a running blade that's a special prosthesis with a curved foot that gives me more propulsion. The running blade is carbon fiber, so it's super lightweight, absorbs energy on impact, and expands and returns it."

He likens it to running on a pogo stick.

"The blade is so much more efficient and faster. It feels like what I imagine it would be like to run with two legs," said Pollen, an assistant professor of exercise science at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a UD's BIOMS program graduate.

The Paralympic Games run from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, with the Para triathlon occurring on September 1-2.