European Triathlon Union about Cyprus Triathlon Federation

National Federation Spotlight: New Cypriot President determined to bring a European race to Cyprus

Today ETU’s article about our Federation: Constantinos Neophytou is the new President of the Cypriot Triathlon Federation and he arrives with big plans for the Federation. Cyprus is one of the smallest Triathlon federations in the world, but Neophytou is determined to carry on the great work of his predecessor Bambos Spanoudes, in continuing to develop Triathlon in the country. “The previous President has worked for eight years and I just want to contribute my time and effort,” said Neophytou. “I would be very proud to continue the work of my predecessor.” Neophytou was elected towards the end of 2012 and says the Federation is in a good place to carry on developing the sport. “We are a bit behind in terms of volunteers and money. But we are strong and we have good governance with a good, clear strategy to improve,” he said. Top priority for the Cypriot Federation is to improve participation: “We have started a new initiative to get more people involved in races. We are a small country but the amount of people, especially in age groups, where everywhere else is growing,  is not as it should be. That is the top priority,” said the President. Neophytou says the popularity of Triathlon in Cyrpus is growing and he believes that the large ex-pat community in Cyrpus (Brits and Russians) can have a huge impact on its development. “For the local people, triathlon is definitely a work in progress. But we do have a large ex-pat community and if we can convince them to become active in their community then we have a chance of encouraging others,” Neophytou said. Neophytou’s other priority is for the younger athletes, and his long term goal is for Cyprus to host an International European race. “ We want to give our young athletes the best opportunity to compete in ETU races,” he said. “To give them the best chance to join the elite triathlon athletes and races. “We are proposing to do a Junior European Cup race. We must have a junior focus for them to come through and develop. This will help them not to become intimidated by the bigger guys, but also to get attention and publicity. “Our holy grail is to host a race in Cyrpus!” CYRPUS TRIATHLON FEDERATION President: Constantinos Neophytou For more information on the Cyprus Triathlon Federation contact Constantinos on president@cytrifed.org

Feet types and how to choose running shoes

By Christine Luff

To figure out what type of running shoes you should buy, you first need to know that kind of feet you have. A knowledgeable salesperson at a running store can help you find the right running shoefor your foot type, but you can also figure out what type of foot you have on your own. One way is to just look at your foot. A more accurate method is to examine your footprint by either running in the sand or on paper with wet feet.

There are three different types of feet:

Flat Feet

If you’re looking at your foot, you’ll know you have flat feet if you don’t see any arch. The bottom of your foot, from your toes to your heel, is completely flat. If you do the footprint test, your print will look like a foot-shaped blob. You won’t see an inward curve from your big toe to your heel.

Problem? If you’re flat-footed, you’re most likely an overpronator, which means that your feet roll inward when you run.

What to Buy: You will probably need a running shoe that maintains your stability. Look for the words “motion control” and “stability” on the box of running shoes you are considering. In addition to motion-control shoes, some flat-footed runners also need to wear orthotics (custom-made shoe inserts that correct foot issues).

High-arched Feet

• You should be able to easily determine if you have high arches — you’ll notice a high and definite arch on your foot. If you do the footprint test, your print will curve inward, making the middle part of your foot look very skinny. When you push your hand against the bottom of your foot, your arch will stay rigid.Problem? If you have high arches, you probably supinate or underpronate, which means your feet roll outwards as you run. It’s very important that runners with high arches periodically re-measure their feet because running will cause their arches to gradually fall, making their feet longer.

  What to Buy: You need to look for flexible running shoes with a soft midsole that absorbs shock. When buying running shoes, look for options with the words “flexible” or “cushioned” included in their descriptions.

  Neutral or Normal Feet

• If you’ve examined your foot or your footprint and it doesn’t look flat-footed or high-arched, you most likely have a neutral or normal foot. Your footprint will have a noticeable curve inward, but not by more than 3/4 of an inch.
• Problem? As long as you pick a running shoe that doesn’t counteract your foot type, you shouldn’t encounter any problems. This is the most common type of foot, and it’s also the least susceptible to injury provided it’s outfitted with proper footwear.What to Buy: If you have normal feet, you can choose from a wide variety of running shoes, including ones made for neutral runners or those with slightly flat-footed or high-arched feet. Don’t pick running shoes that have a lot of stability or motion control.

This Crazy Cyprus Deal Could Screw Up A Lot More Than Cyprus…

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Bank run in New York in 1933.

You can be forgiven for thinking that you don’t need to give a hoot about what’s going on in Cyprus this weekend.

After all, it’s just a little island somewhere in the Mediterranean.

But what’s going on in Cyprus could actually matter — not just to the rest of Europe, but to the rest of the world.

Here’s the short version of what’s happening:

Cyprus’s banks, like many banks in Europe, are bankrupt.

Cyprus went to the Eurozone to get a bailout, the same way Ireland, Greece, and other European countries have.

The Eurozone powers-that-be gave Cyprus a bailout — but with a startling condition that has never before been imposed on any major banking system since the start of the global financial crisis in 2008.

The Eurozone powers-that-be (mainly, Germany) insisted that the depositors in Cyprus’s banks pay part of the tab.

Not the bondholders.

The depositors. The folks who had their money in the banks for safe-keeping.

When Cyprus’s banks reopen on Tuesday morning, every depositor will have some of his or her money seized. Accounts under 100,000 euros will have 6.75% of the funds seized. Accounts over 100,000 euros will have 9.9% seized. And then the Eurozone’s emergency lending facility and the International Monetary Fund will inject 10 billion euros into the banks to allow them to keep operating.

en.wikipedia.org

Cyprus’s government tried to explain this deal by observing that it was better than the alternative: Immediate bankruptcy and closure of the major banks. In that scenario, depositors would lose a lot more of their money. Businesses would go bankrupt. And tens of thousands of people would be instantly thrown out of work.

But, still, not surprisingly, news that deposits in Cyprus’s banks would be seized triggered an immediate run on the banks.

Depositors rushed to ATMs and tried to withdraw their money before it could be seized.

But the ATMs weren’t working. And the government has now made it impossible to transfer money out of the country.

So, assuming Cyprus’s government approves the deal (still pending), depositors will have some of their money seized on Tuesday morning.

Now, half of these depositors are said to be Russian oligarchs and other non-residents. And unless you happen to have the misfortune of having an account in a Cyprus bank, you may not care much whether these depositors have their money seized.

After all, that was the risk they took for storing their money in bankrupt banks, right?

Well, yes, that was the risk they took.

But ever since the Great Depression wiped out a big percentage of the world’s banks, vaporizing the bank depositors’ savings in the process, banking system regulators have tried to do everything they can to protect bank depositors.

And they are smart to do so.

Because the moment depositors think that there is risk to their savings, they rush to banks to yank their money out.

That’s called a run on the bank.

And since no bank anywhere has enough cash on hand to pay off all its depositors at once, runs on the bank cause banks to go bust.

That’s what happened to hundreds of banks in the Great Depression.

And it’s what happened to Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and other huge banks during the financial crisis (though, with Bear and Lehman, the folks who yanked their money out weren’t mom and pop depositors but other big financial institutions). It’s what threatened to bring the entire U.S. financial system to its knees. And it’s why the U.S. and European governments have been frantically bailing out banks ever since.

But now, thanks to Eurozone’s bizarre decision in Cyprus, the illusion that depositors don’t need to yank their money out of threatened banks because they’ll be protected has been shattered.

Depositors in Cyprus banks will lose some of their deposits.

They will be furious about this.

And they will, rightly, feel that it is grossly unfair — because depositors in the bailed-out banks in Ireland, Greece, etc. didn’t lose their money.

And they will feel like fools for not having taken their money out.

And … here’s the important part …

Other depositors at weak banks all over Europe, in places like Spain, Italy, and Greece, will rightly wonder whether this is the beginning of a new era of bank bailouts, an era in which bank depositors are going lose some of their money.

What do you think those other depositors in Spain, Italy, Greece, etc., are going to feel like doing when they realize that, if their banks ever need a bailout, they might have their deposits seized?

That’s right.

They’re going to feel like yanking their money out of their banks.

And if some of them yank their money out of their banks, well — then the financial condition of those banks will go from weak to insolvent.

And the banks will go rushing to their governments and the Eurozone for help.

And if, god forbid, the Eurozone decides to seize the deposits of more bank depositors …

Well, then, a good portion of Europe is going to suddenly experience a good old-fashioned bank run.

That, to put it mildly, could be a disaster.

It could bring the European financial crisis, which has lurched from one flare-up to another for most of the past five years, to a rather sudden head.

How much would it cost for the powers-that-be to bail out all of Europe’s weak banks at once?

A lot.

More than the Eurozone has in its emergency lending facilities, certainly. And more than the International Monetary Fund has on hand.

So the U.S. would probably have to get involved.

And, regardless of whether the U.S. needed to get involved, the European economy would likely suffer the equivalent of a heart attack.

That wouldn’t be good for the U.S. economy.

Or the Chinese economy.

Or any other economy that sells things to Europe.

So, you can see, this little decision to seize a little money from bank depositors in the little island of Cyprus could be a much bigger deal than you think.

It could conceivably precipitate a run on weak European banks.

And a run on weak European banks could hammer the European economy and then the economy of Europe’s trading partners. And it could cause global markets to crash.

So keep an eye on what’s going on over there in Cyprus.

It’s potentially much more important than it seems.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/cyprus-bailout-risks-europe-bank-runs-2013-3#ixzz2NreQ32YS

Limassol Marathon 2013

Limassol Marathon GSO is the official marathon of our country, accredited by the international federations of AIMS and IAAF. We are particularly proud of the fact that our Marathon is a lot more than an athletic event of international standards and mass participation. It is primarily an indication of the power of the human will and soul. It is a source of values, social awareness and solidarity. It is a celebration of joy and a celebration of friendship.

Our events include a Marathon, Half Marathon, Health Race, Corporate Race and a Children / Student Race. The flat traffic-free route is ideal for all runners and participants to achieve their personal best. Our slogan ‘Run along the Waves’ represents the true experience of our event’s participants running along the beautiful Limassol coastline.

Limassol is the second largest city of Cyprus and the capital of nightlife and hospitality. Molos area on the sea front is the start and finish point of the Marathon, scenic combination of the busy city of Limassol and the Mediterranean sea. Imagine the fantastic route, the great beaches, the breathtaking trails combined with the well known hospitality of our people and the mild weather.

Let us meet on the 24th March 2013. We look forward to welcoming you!

For more informations and registrations click here

GB Olympic Champion Al. Brownlee makes his return to action this weekend in Abu Dhabi

From BBC Sports

Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee is relishing his return to top-flight racing after a testing time since winning gold last summer.

Brownlee, who had an emergency operation to remove a swollen appendix a few months after his London 2012 triumph, competes at the Abu Dhabi triathlon this weekend.

He told BBC Sport: “When I first got back to training after the Olympics for a couple of end-of-season races, it was hard going on.

“But by the time I had had my appendix removed, been on holiday and done thousands of commercial commitments, it felt like the best thing in the world to return to training.

“Training is a constant in my life. It’s what I’ve always done and it feels very natural. It’s nice to be back to normal, cycling on the same familiar roads with the same people I’ve always cycled with.”

In Abu Dhabi, Brownlee will be racing over a different distance to his regular Olympic format, with a 100km bike ride – rather than the usual 40km – between the 1500m swim and 10km run.

London 2012: Alistair Brownlee wins triathlon gold

It is also much earlier in the calendar than he would usually race, but both those challenges suit his aims after such a high-pressure 12 months.

Brownlee suffered a serious Achilles injury early last year and faced a race against time to get fit for the Olympics, competing only once in a World Series event before London.

He admitted: “It’s a very early start for me. Usually I don’t like to race until the season reaches Europe in late May and early June, but I wanted to try something different this year.

“I wanted to have a different focus over the first few months of the year. I’m trying to learn from the past, where I seem to get a horrific injury every January, so having a bigger focus on the bike early on is a good thing.

“Looking forward, it’s good for me to try out some longer races, and this is an easy way to do it – early in the year, so it won’t affect my chances in the World Series, and with a long bike rather than a long run, which is the element which might cause most injury issues.

“It’s a non-drafting race, meaning I’ll be time-trialling on the bike, and that’s a good challenge for me – it’s not been easy practising time-trialling in -2C in Yorkshire, but it’s also a different skill; I’m used to lots of short, sharp efforts where this is two hours of steady-state riding.”

The course in Abu Dhabi begins with a swim in the Arabian Gulf before the bike leg crosses over onto Yas Island, home of the city state’s Formula One circuit.

Brownlee’s following race will be the World Series  event in San Diego in May, where he will begin his quest to win back his world championship title from younger brother Jonny.

Brownlee ‘massively proud’ of gold

He is then planning to race in Madrid, Kitzbuehel, Hamburg and Stockholm before ending in London in September, hoping to avoid the injuries that have dogged him over the past couple of seasons.

He said: “I had a sore knee over Christmas, but that has cleared up nicely.

“I’ve purposefully not been training quite as hard on the run – cutting back a little on both the top intensity and mileage – so that might be why I’ve been OK.”

Brownlee, 24, spent some of January training in Altea in Spain rather than at home in Leeds.

“The weather has been so bad at home, and one of the things that might have contributed to my injuries in the past was training in bad weather, especially snow,” he said.

“It was a good excuse to go to Spain. And the cycling there is fantastic – great roads, some fantastic cycling.”

The winter has also seen a change in Brownlee’s domestic arrangements, with Jonny moving out of the house the brothers have shared for three years and into his own place.

“Jonny hasn’t gone far – he’s just up the road, only a 500m run away – but it’s been good to have more space in the house,” said the older brother.

“We were joking this week that we wouldn’t fit in the same house any more, we have so much stuff. But we still do most of our training sessions together.”

The Evolution of Swimming

By Gary Sr.

Much has changed in swimming over the past 30 years. I will summarize the most important changes in two categories; swim training and swimming technique. Both are critical to fast swimming.

Much has changed in the sport of swimming over the past 30 years. I will summarize the most important changes in two categories; swim training and swimming technique. Both are critical to fast swimming.

Swim Training:

• Swim yardage in practice is less overall, but much more intense on the hard days, with more training closer to race pace. Swimmers train smarter, not harder.
• Recovery days have been appreciated as being as important as the intense training days.
• Training cycles, changing the type of training in a season, have become much more appreciated and utilized.
• Training in all five disciplines (swimming, strength, mental, nutrition and recovery) have become essential to maximize swimming performance.
• Much more equipment and technology are used today to train. Once a kickboard and pull buoy were the only required equipment. Today, a large mesh bag is needed to hold all of the equipment such as fins, paddles, snorkel, bands, tempo trainer, resistance bands etc.
• More emphasis on kicking as a critical component of fast swimming, particularly the dolphin kick.

Swimming Technique:

• Much greater awareness today of the adverse consequences of frontal drag, with more emphasis on technique that reduces drag.
• An appreciation of the need to develop different techniques for different distances and different skill sets. One size does not fit all in swimming.
• Clearer understanding of the two basic different freestyle strokes, hip-driven and shoulder-driven, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
• More emphasis on developing sustained tighter kicking and kicking in both directions.
• Learning to pull in freestyle with more of a straight path backward and a high elbow rather than the big S-shaped pull with a deeper drop.
• Using the body rotation more in freestyle and backstroke to increase power and distance per stroke

We will never have all of the answers in swimming, but we seem to get a better understanding each year of the complex movements and training required to reach one’s potential. As soon as we think we have it all figured out, though, a swimmer comes along that proves we still don’t know enough. That is what keeps this sport interesting. At The Race Club, we just keep learning.

For a better understanding of how to implement the most recent training methods and improve your technique, please come to one of our Race Club camps or visit us privately. We are here to get you faster.