Fitness Holidays: triathlon, swimming, cycling, running or watching

Running, swimming cycling, you can plan to watch an event or participate, so start planning now, or reading about it.

I have friends who plan holidays around events such as the Olympics, winter Olympics, watching ice skating shows, joining in marathons, watching marathons, supporting family in marathons, trekking holidays, triathlons, cycling, swimming and running, and swimming holidays. Yes, swimming holidays.

You can do a triathlon which starts with a swim, continues with a bike ride and ends with a run. You  have set times for each section and the transitions - removing your swimming get only about four minutes. Your cycling clothes underneath are wet but soon dry out, my friend Olga told me.

You can take a swimming holiday swimming from one island to another. On a swimming holiday the swimmers are followed by an escort boat which throws you a bottle of water when you wave your hand. Plus, of course, helping out if you are in difficulty, or bringing you aboard if you've suddenly had enough.

The swimmers are divided into three groups, the fastest, middle group and slowest. As in running, the age groups are usually the divide. Youngsters have more speed and stamina.

In a running marathon the fastest runners start first. You might think they would start last, to give them a penalty or so everybody finishes at the same time. Not so. The fastest start first, so that their way is not an obstacle course with the slower people in front, of whom there will be a larger number, the majority.

In most marathons anybody who completes the course, within a set number of hours, is given a medal recording their achievement. So you get something even if you don't come in the first three, even if you are in the last three. But you cannot turn up days later, after they have packed up and gone home.

People who are planning these events are enthusiasts. They start practising every day weeks in advance. You have to register in advance and will be given advice on what you should be doing.

Maybe this isn't your thing - you are just taking a family beach holiday. Make sure everybody in the family can shout for help in the local language. I read in the newspapers of tragic cases where friends or family or bystanders say we saw them waving but thought they were just having fun, never realised they were in difficulty, caught by a rip tide.

You can practise languages on DuoLingo (I have several previous posts on Duolingo for English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, Welsh, German and other languages.) You can also use google translate for simple phrases such as: I am tired; I need water; I have lost my friends, I have lost my group, where is the boat?

Have a safe and fun holiday.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.