UBC Okanagan is embarking on a new research project which will transform sporting newbies into triathletes. Researchers from the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the Kelowna campus want to understand how the body adapts and responds to endurance exercise training.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/UBCO

UBC Okanagan is embarking on a new research project which will transform sporting newbies into triathletes.

Researchers from the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the Kelowna campus want to understand how the body adapts and responds to endurance exercise training.

“The novelty of the project will be the individuals being examined, the intensity and duration of the training program and ultimately the exercise challenge that individuals will complete,” researcher Dr. Neil Eves said in a press release issued today, March 19.

“Instead of your average couch-to-5K event, this will be couch-to-long-distance-triathlon.”

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According to UBCO, researchers know surprisingly little about how the body responds to exercise training over time.

Because of this, Dr. Rob Shave and Dr. Neil Eves will be tracking the physiological response of an average person to prolonged and intense physical training.

The university is looking for participants between the ages of 18 and 39 years old who have never been involved in serious exercise training to take part in the new study.

Male and female participants will train for a full year from August 2024 to August 2025.

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At the end of the training they'll be able to swim 3.9 kilometres, cycle 180 km and run a marathon of 42.2 km all in just one day.

“We know that we will be asking a lot from the participants; this is a huge commitment and a huge effort, but in return, we are going to provide an elite-level service,” Dr. Shave said in a press release. “Our research team has decades of combined experience in endurance training and has worked with everyone from complete beginners to Olympic athletes.”

Throughout their training, the amateur athletes will take part in a range of studies.

Researchers will use these studies to examine their changing physiology as they transform from beginners to active, well-trained sportspeople.

Each participant will receive a personalized training program, regular assessments and continuous training advise and monitoring.

To find more information about the project and to register as a participant, go here.

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