Triathlon is unique.

And it is two things

• It's a very fulfilling participation activity
• And it's a tough competitive sport

It's up to you how you play it.

Just as thousands of people do little more than a charity 5k once or twice a year, so it is possible to 'do a triathlon' every now and then, bringing your fitness from your favourite sport - often running - into the event and completing it at your own pace.

Or you can train specifically for every aspect of a triathlon and race it as hard as you can from gun to tape, caring very much about where you finish and how fast you go. Both approaches are excellent ways of getting the unique triathlon buzz. And at East London Triathletes both groups are well represented. (There are such things as 'racing clubs', often with elite and sponsored athletes, with a name like 'Team Supermachospeedguys/Gibbons Bikeshop' and if you want to live the elite dream it may be worth joining one of these).

Very often, people who start off 'doing triathlons' end up wanting to 'be a triathlete. 'That's because when you see it as a single sport, and not your own sport plus a couple of others tacked on for interest, the rewards are arguably greater. It's also often because you realise that the idea of triathlon as a gruelling endurance sport is something of a myth. After all, when your body is supported for two out of the three disciplines, it's got to be a lot less hard on you than the equivalent time spent running.