An epidemiological investigation of training and injury patterns in British triathletes

During the competitive season of 1990, 155 British triathletes whose competitive distances varied from sprint to full ironman, and who self-classified themselves as recreational, intermediate or élite, kept a training diary for an 8-week period. They gave details of injuries sustained while training for, or competing in, triathlons. The mean(s.d.) distances covered each week were: swimming, 4.2(2.6) km; cycling, 100.2(70.6) km; and running 23.4(15.2) km; mean(s.d.) training time was 7(3.4) h per week, and a mean(s.d.) of 7.9(3.4) training sessions were completed per week. At least one injury was reported by 37% of the participants. The most frequently affected sites were the ankle/foot, thigh, knee, lower leg and the back. Overuse was the reported cause in 41% of the injuries, two-thirds of which occurred during running. The likelihood of an injury was positively associated with experience in triathlon. Average injury rate was 5.4 injuries per 1000 h of training (95% confidence interval: 4-7.2) and 17.4 per 1000 h of competition (95% confidence interval: 10.9-27.9). Injury incidence was unrelated to the mean amount of weekly training or competition, intensity or frequency of training.