Originally Posted by
mattm
Some of it like biathlon (was gonna say "duathlon" but looked it up) & curling just seem.. strange.
Years ago, I used to think biathlon was ridiculous; how about combining a 100m sprint with.... knitting a sweater?
It took a while for me to realize how incredible it is.
* You need to be an amazing endurance athlete.
* You need to have amazing technical skills -- maintaining coordination on skis while anaerobic is not like pedaling a bike.
* You have to nail the ski selection and preparation (at the top level, their are ski techs, but athletes still have a role here).
* In the heat of all this, you need to be able to calm yourself down and do something that requires precision -- firing a shot at a target.
The last part is super interesting because there is also some strategy to it: Do you take 10 extra breaths to get your HR from 195 down to 170? It costs you 20 seconds, but missing the shot means you have to ski a penalty loop. Imagine having to fire a shot after a number of laps of Cat's Hill.
It is said that biathletes are among the oldest endurance athletes to hit their prime -- mid- to late-30s, I think.
Anyway, not trying to convince you, though maybe it's worth a quick look.
I've got a direct connection to nordic skiing, and have gotten my butt kicked by a number of former Olympians -- biathletes -- who are now old but still bad-@ss.
