Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold
Not really a sport though. More a feat of strength.
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Eh? Not a sport... how do you figure competing in a triathlon is not a sport? It's the definition of an endurance sport. Is swimming a sport...yes, competitive cycling a sport? yes. Marathon, is that a sport? yes. Triathlon? NOT A SPORT? Ironman is a sport, and Triathlon in general is in the Olympics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatoni
any sport where you are in direct competition with another person is going to be equally challenging since you are playing to the level of competition.
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I agree. Comparing the cream of the crop of any sport, compared to any other sport, I'd say they take the same out of you, but in different ways. Each athlete is dedicated to that activity, and the majority of their waking hours is dedicated to training for the next competition.
F1 = Neck strengthening + general fitness + a couple hours of driving practice most days + massive skill.
MMA = Lots of physical training (weights) + martial arts, every day
Starcraft = playing starcraft 18hrs/day
Motocross = Motocross a couple hours a day <- Least demanding practice regimen in my opinion
IronMan Triathlon - The only way to train for it is to practice each event, and actually do several ironman's before the event (albeit at a slower pace) and the world record time for this even is still close to 8hrs. So expect many training days were you are going at it for more than 8hrs at 80% level of effort! None of the other examples given above require the competitor to eat more calories during the event, just so they have a prayer of finishing. A triathlete will have to eat at least 5000 calories over the course of the day.
Put an F1 driver driver in MMA ring, TKO 1 second, assuming he's got 0 training. If he's got some MMA as an extra curricular, he may last a round? Put MMA driver in F1 car and ask him to compete at the level of an F1 driver, he'd probably die at the first corner.
Remember, in an F1 car, there is almost no margin for error. Too fast, you die, too slow, the car slides off the track and you die. Judging when and how hard to hit those brakes is a critical skill that is developed from years of practice.
The fact that many of you here have successfully complete Motocross events proves that it's NOT the most physically challenging 'sport' in the world. I'm not saying it's not hard. What I am saying, is that there are sports (sanctioned by international sporting bodies) that you couldn't even finish part of it, and highly trained athletes who dedicate their lives have difficulty finishing.