Off Tropic » think we had a good game plan to play against

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The reasons for triathlons burgeoning appeal are as varied as the sport itself.-Fitness freaks looking for a new challenge.-Millennials wanting something to hold both their interest and youthful physique.-Gen Xers coaxed in by NBCs annual Ironman competition in Hawaii.The biggest factor, according to USA Triathlon, is the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic program.Looking at the causes for this growth, one must first turn their attention to the 2000 Olympic Games, triathlons first appearance at this international event, the sports national governing body said in its most recent demographics report . This elevated the publicity of the sport on the national level.Triathlon could get another big boost from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where two British brothers crushed the course on Copacabana Beach and where American Gwen Jorgensen, the two-time defending ITU world champion, is the gold medal favorite in the womens race Saturday.When the races are being played in every bar in America, its impossible for it not to help, suggested Patrick Lemieux, Jorgensens husband and operations manager, who added that hes seen a giant leap in the sports awareness in the U.S. just since the 2012 London Games.USA Triathlon touts itself as the worlds largest multisport organization, sanctioning more than 4,300 races and connecting with a half million members annually. Its also the national governing body for duathlon, aqua-thon, aqua-bike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and para-triathlon. In addition to working on the grassroots level, it supports elite athletes competing in international events such as the International Triathlon Union world championships and the Olympics.The 30-year-old Jorgensen was a late-comer to triathlon, recruited to the sport after an All-American track career at the University of Wisconsin, where she also was on the swim team.Others start as soon as they can.Ive been around the sport two-thirds of my life, since I was about 8 years old, said Ben Kanute, a 23-year-old Olympian from Geneva, Illinois, whose father was a triathlete and helped organize the first kids triathlon at a health and wellness center near their home about the time the sport debuted at the Sydney Olympics.Kanute said he started out swimming a couple of hundred meters, followed by a five-mile bike ride and a mile-long run, and he felt like those Ironmen he loved to watch on TV.I fell in love with the sport, said Kanute, who hung with Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee on Thursday until the brothers broke free midway through the 6.2-mile run that followed a one-loop ocean swim and a steep 24-mile bike ride at Copacabana.It might just be that parents put them in there to blow off some steam, buts its kind of the wow factor with triathlon, Kanute said. You get to swim, bike and run all in the same day. Its pretty kid friendly.As they graduate to adulthood, triathletes typically start with the shorter sprints and move up to the Olympic-length races. Some move up to Ironman, which is 140.6 miles: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mike ride and a marathon. Theres also half of that, the Ironman 70.3.The Olympic races are over in an appealing two hours.And I think thats the beauty of it, Lemieux said. In triathlon, you can do a sprint thats one hour long, you can do an Ironman, which are eight hours for the fastest, 14 or 15 for others. So, the nature of the sport is that it can cater to anyone and I think thats something thats really appealing to people.Jay Brown, a 31-year-old counselor and track coach at Vista Peak Preparatory School in Aurora, Colorado, is a typical triathlete: he got into the sport in his mid-20s after souring on long runs and was hooked.The variety is the appeal. You have three sports instead of just running, which had gotten boring, Brown said. I was looking for something else to do and a friend suggested I try triathlon. I said I can do that. I just started swimming 50 meters in the pool and I didnt even own my own bike. I used an old road bike.Soon, it was his passion. His training got more intense, his diet changed accordingly and as he gained the requisite energy and expertise, he also acquired his desired equipment, an aerodynamic bicycle. He even has a coach and a sponsor, Tabata Songs.A 23-year-old right out of college might not have the means to buy a triathlon bike, hire a coach and pay for travel and Ironman entry fees, Brown said. So, a lot of people get into it a little later.No matter their age or the discipline, triathletes find a close-knit community.Every triathlon that I go to just has a very cool vibe, Kanute said. Theres camaraderie because everyone knows how hard each person has trained to get there.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Air Max Pas Cher Chine .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Nike Tn Requin Pas Cher . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. http://www.airmaxpaschersite.fr/basket-air-max-200-outlet.html .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Nike Tn Requin 2020 . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Destockage Nike Air Max . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse.Jamie Murray moved closer to the world No 1 doubles ranking as he and Bruno Soares defeated Bob and Mike Bryan on Tuesday, for their second win at the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray and Soares still have work to do if they are to overhaul Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert to finish the year as the top doubles pair, but defeat for the French duo on Monday opened the door.With Andy Murray holding the No 1 singles ranking, success for Jamie would cap a remarkable year for the family. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price Murray and Brazilian Soares produced a dominant performance over the Bryan twins - winners at The O2 in 2014 - dropping only seven points on serve in a 6-3 6-4 win.They will now be guaranteed a place in the semi-finals at the O2 Arena unless Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig beat Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi in straight sets on Tuesday evening. Andy Murray is World Number 1, so his first coach (and mum) Judy has some top tips! Should that happen, Murray and Soares can make absolutely sure of their place in the last four by beating Melo and Dodig in their final group match on Thursday.ddddddddddddurray said: We certainly played a great match from start to finish. Probably one of our best matches of the year. We served really well throughout. I think we had a good game plan to play against them. Murray and Soares had too much for the veteran Bryan brothers at the O2 I think were both super pumped about the win. (We) Should have a good chance to progress further in the tournament now.Last year, Murray made his debut at the tournament with Australian John Peers and the pair were denied a place in the last four when they missed five match points before losing a dramatic match to the Bryans. Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals November 15, 2016, 6:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass I thought about it in the changeover in the last game, said Murray. A lot of people come up and ask me about that still.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: World No 1 permutations The Groups Tour Finals at The O2 Panel Predictions ' ' '