The Essential Triathlete

by Steven Jonas

An introduction to the sport of triathlon for athletes of all abilities.

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Dr. Steven Jonas is Professor Emeritus of Preventive Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine, and the Program in Public Health, at Stony Brook University. He served at Stony Brook Medicine for 43 years, 1971-2014. He has published 17 books on topics ranging from public health textbooks to sports medicine, diet, and triathlon books.

Reviews

[James]

It's old but it is gold, really well written, clear and step by step instructions with great illustrations. It is very encouraging of the first timer and accessible for anyone - including those who are only thinking about giving it a go. It is comprehensive and well set out. I really enjoyed reading and feel much more likely to give triathlon a go having read it.

[Cassidy]

A bit dated, but informative

[Ryan Lyppens]

Good intro book to triathlon for first-timers.

[Susan B.]

Of the several triathlon books I have read, this one is probably best suited for the first timer in terms of the perspective it provides. The author tries to persuade beginners of the wisdom of simply finishing the race, rather than setting time goals and so forth. Just breaking the tape takes enough physical and mental preparation in his view. He certainly persuaded me.

The heart of the book consists of several training charts that prepare the reader to reach this goal. The problem is he conflates the sprint and standard triathlon training chart into one chart, undermining the whole idea of keeping training and race goals as modest as possible. I think one could easily adapt the chart back down to sprint level, but it was frustrating not to find one dedicated to that level of racing in a book that is designed for the first timer.

[Cathy M.]

Good entry level book.