When I say triathlon, lots of people are immediately intimidated. And they shouldn't be! Part of the beauty of the sport is that there's a distance to suit almost any fitness level ... although, whatever distance you're considering, now is the time to start training. But you probably already know that.

I've made it no secret that I love Sprint Triathlons -- they're short enough to be manageable for lots of people (I really think that everyone should do one!), but long enough to be a good physical challenge. The distance for a Sprint Triathlon can vary, but the ones I've been involved with have included a quarter mile swim (although, what I've found online says it's a half mile -- still, doable), 10 or 15 mile bike ride (again, doable), finishing with a three mile run (or walk, so ... you guessed it -- doable!).

However, some people are still intimidated by the distance, and it's a shame for them to miss out on such a cool event just because of that! Recently, I found out that there's a slightly shorter distance available -- the Super Sprint taking place in my hometown has a 250-meter swim, four-mile bike, and 1.5 mile run, although I'm finding lots online that are slightly longer in the swim and bike portion.

Of course, there are longer, more challenging distances, too -- Wikipedia has a pretty comprehensive list, including the Olympic (double the Sprint distance), Half-Ironman (slightly longer swim than Olympic, and double the bike and run), and Full-Ironman (double the Half, which, if you're counting, means a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full marathon -- 26.2 miles -- for the run).

I really think that, if you're open to trying a tri, you can find one for you. And you probably already have most of what you need already -- a bathing suit, a bike, a helmet and sneakers. There's loads of gear out there, of course (some of it is really cool), but if you're just getting started, don't feel like you have to spend a fortune.