Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, and Body Composition Status of Collegiate Triathlon and Cross Country Athletes During the Competitive Season
Abstract :
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there are statistically relevant associations between the Marymount University Triathlon and Cross Country Teams’ physiological status (Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Anthropometrics) over the course of their competitive season. Marymount University is home of the first Varsity Intercollegiate male and female Triathlon Teams in the United States, and at present, there is no published data on blood parameters and body composition in these athletes. Although data on age-group triathletes and elite/professional triathletes exist, research on Varsity Collegiate Triathletes is needed to support this up-and-coming population. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Triathlon initiative is currently underway, giving grants to universities who commit to launching varsity triathlon programs, and several universities are starting varsity triathlon programs. The hope of this NCAA initiative is for triathlon to be a NCAA sport by 2020, which will require a certain number of universities to have fully funded varsity triathlon programs.
