Two of Bahrain Endurance 13 athletes are handling training indoors. When the International Triathlon Union decided to suspend the racing season until the end of April due to COVID-19, many athletes were instructed to continue preparing as if the Olympic and Paralympic Games would be held as scheduled, despite growing uncertainty that COVID-19 as a global concern would be resolved by then.
“I think it’s very important these days that as an athlete we do respect that global health and safety is more important than ‘just’ sport,” says Kristian Blummenfelt, who is home in Norway after attending a training camp in Phuket, Thailand through the early part of the year.He says, “I try to keep a positive mindset and do all the training I can do as good as I can. I do a lot of riding indoors on my turbo, and since all swimming pools are closed I try to compensate with dryland swimming with elastic bands.
Lauren Parker intended to race the Sarasota World Cup, but as the United States began to confront rising cases of COVID-19, the race was cancelled.She reveals, “I was having to train in my hotel car park until I got a flight home to Australia. Upon arriving home, I am on a strict 14-day isolation so I’m not able to leave my house. I will be training hard indoors though and staying positive… I’m training on my indoor rollers and bike trainer in my home garage, and I am able to do gym workouts at home incorporating swim specific exercises.” “Put things in perspective; if your race is cancelled, overcome that because people are dealing with worse situations in the world. Find a way to keep training and active. There’s always a way.”
