Customer Reviews

The Ironman Triathlon (Ultra Sports)

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Yes, this book is written for children at the elementary school level or slightly above who are just becoming familiar with the sport. Definitely not for anyone currently participating in triathlons and looking to further their knowledge or to uncover new techniques. In that respect, I think this is a solid introduction to our sport and one that may encourage more folks to get involved, especially at the very youngest levels. If the purpose of this book is to raise awareness of our sport, than I applaud it for its effort and success.

This is a 60 page picture book, without very good pictures. It's probably a good book for a library to have in the Children's section, however if you're actually old enough to do a triathlon, then this book is not for you. An actual caption next to one of the pictures: "Goggles and a swim cap are essential for the swimming portion of the triathlon." Hmmm. What a gem. Also good: "A triathlon is composed of three events: swimming, biking, and running." Really. Another caption. P.6. Not making it up.

What little information the book contains is so vague that it's virtually useless; buy Triathlon 101, Triathlete's Bible, or any one of a half dozen or so other great books if you'd like to actually do a tri. And it contains no information about an "ironman" that you can't get within a click or two from any search engine.

Anyway, I'm being a little harsh here: I think the book really is intended for kids, and I just bought it by mistake, so it's not really fair for me to ridicule it. If you're a librarian in charge of the kids section and are considering buying it, I guess it could be sort of useful.