In days of old, if you wanted to pay penance for your sins you donned a hairshirt and did the watusi trying to reach those itchy places. Today, there are more modern tortures available: like the triathlon. In this "sporting event," you swim until your arms and legs are numb, then get on a bike and make your calves scream, and then run until your lungs are about to explode. This is supposed to be fun. Two new programs look at the rapidly growing sport of triathlon racing. The lesser of the two, Destination Sportstown: The Ultimate Triathlon Video is a loosely scripted, amateurly shot program hosted by professional triathlete Dave Scott (who was featured in Triathlon: Training and Racing With Dave Scott, reviewed in our December 1988 issue). Divided into titled segments such as "Sponsorship" and "Advice for Pros," each section opens with a bit of raw footage enhanced by MTV-style camerawork that's fairly pointless (it's not instructive, it's not entertaining, it's...playing with a camcorder), followed by commentary from Scott. Although there are some good tips from Scott and other triathletes, too much of the program is about the politics of triathlon racing, and the primary audience would really be the small group of professional triathletes who give each other pointers in one of the program's numerous unsuccessful stabs at humor.A more "Ultimate" triathlon video is Triathlon: Training & Racing. Produced and hosted by Eric Davies, this guide to many different aspects of triathlon competition features World Class Triathlete's Melissa Mantak and Mark Bates and a handful of experts talking about sports medicine, training, nutrition, and psychology. Novices will get a good idea of what triathlon competition is all about, as well as pick up some good technique tips on swimming, biking, and running. The program also offers sample training schedules, talks to a number of recreational triathletes who have found great mental and physical benefits from being part-time triathletes, and debunks some of the more common myths associated with the sport. The best program we've seen on the subject to date.Destination Sportstown: The Ultimate Triathlon Video is not a necessary purchase. Triathlon: Training & Racing is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
Destination Sportstown: the Ultimate Triathlon Video; Triathlon Training & Racing
(1993) 78 min. $29.95. Cherub Productions. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 3
Destination Sportstown: the Ultimate Triathlon Video; Triathlon Training & Racing
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.