They Go the Extra Miles

One was an outrigger paddler. Another played hockey. Some were runners, others were cyclists, and one guy played college water polo.

Like every athlete-turned-triathlete, members of Triathlete Zombies--the largest triathlon training club in Los Angeles--participated in another sport before they took on the ultimate fitness challenge. Most figured that taking on two more endurance sports would be no big deal.

“I was training to run the L.A. Marathon, and this guy at a coffeehouse said, ‘You look like you’re in good shape. Ever done a triathlon?’ ” said Bernard Baski, a former hockey player. “I was kind of burned out, but I had just turned 40, so I decided triathlons would be my new sport.”

A multi-sport event that combines running, cycling and swimming, triathlons originally attracted mostly daring endurance athletes. But now with an estimated 2 million triathletes worldwide and its acceptance as part of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, triathlons are going mainstream.

Just about everyone has ridden a bike, taken a swim or gone for a run. USA Triathlon, which sanctions about 800 races a year, says that’s why interest in a sport that combines all three is growing by 12% annually.

“Triathlons offer everyone an opportunity to compete at any number of levels,” said Steve Locke, USA Triathlon executive director. “It’s something that people can continue to do throughout their lives.”

The speed and endurance of a professional athlete are not required to be a triathlete. All that’s needed is a desire to do your best. Professional athletes may work out six hours a day, but quality performance in a triathlon can be achieved with only six hours of training per week.

“You start small and get bigger,” said Lloyd Coffey, general manager of Triathlete Zombies, a triathlon equipment store in Manhattan Beach where the club originated three years ago. “You don’t have to be the best in the race; you just have to push yourself as hard as you can.” A second store is located in Santa Monica.

Not all triathlons are the same. The granddaddy of triathlons, the Ironman, is made up of a grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. But there are also half, quarter and sprint triathlons, which can be as small as a quarter-mile swim, five-mile ride and three-mile run.

The Triathlete Zombies club, known as Team Z, sets workouts during the week for the organization’s 170 members. There are organized swims at community pools, track workouts and distance runs, and bicycle rides of up to 50 miles every Saturday morning.

The triathletes train on their own as well, but the organized workouts challenge members to go the extra mile. They also provide the motivation for athletes to improve on their weakest sport.

“Everyone is really supportive,” said Lori Shugar, 49, a masters-level swimmer who didn’t know how to ride a bike and broke her leg the first time she tried a year ago. Training with others “helps a lot, and you need it to keep going.”

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Triathletes need a strong upper and lower body to carry them through a race that can last as long as 12 hours and a positive mental attitude to get them to the end of the line.

Nutrition is also imperative. Triathletes can require as many as 6,000 calories a day just to maintain their body weight, and if it is not maintained, their performance may plateau, leading them to overtrain.

A triathlete’s diet must contain enough calories to offset those burned during exercise while sustaining them through long periods of activity. In the past, carbo-loading was the way to go, but in recent years the trend has leaned more toward a protein-rich diet balanced out with carbohydrates.

Nutritional needs and workouts vary depending on whether the triathlete is training for competition. During the summer months when there is a triathlon almost every weekend and winning a race could mean entry into the coveted October Ironman competition in Hawaii, many triathletes go into “the zone.”

“Staying focused on training is really important because you want to be in optimum shape,” Coffey said. “Triathletes want to be sure that they don’t peak before the race; they want to peak during the race.”

Everyone has a different way of training and a different reason for doing triathlons. Greg Kelly did it for the romance after seeing a group of triathletes cycling at sunset in Hawaii. And Debbie Bradford tried it with her boyfriend as part of a dare.

Either way, one is all it takes for most competitors to be hooked.

“My first race was total agony--it was the most painful thing I’d ever done,” said Joe Bollinger, 34, adding that a buddy coaxed him into competing. “I told my friend I was never going to do this again. But he said, ‘Fifteen minutes after you’re done, you’re going to want to sign up for another.’ ”

That was eight years and 20 triathlons ago.

* On the Move is published on the fourth Monday of the month. Tracy Johnson’s e-mail address is tracy.johnson@latimes.com.

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Ready to Take the Challenge?

Local triathlon clubs include:

* Triathlete Zombies--Team Z

Santa Monica store

(310) 450-4766

Manhattan Beach store

(310) 318-5553

* SCRuBS--Southern California Runners-Bikers-Swimmers

Irvine

(714) 914-2259

* Snail’s Pace

Fountain Valley

(714) 375-1422

* Rincon Racing

Ventura

(805) 659-1892

* Santa Barbara Triathlon Club

Santa Barbara

(805) 966-3787

* Mission Hospital Triathlon Team

Mission Viejo

(714) 854-5117