alternative, Mattingly said. Were not committed to

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The reasons for triathlons burgeoning appeal are as varied as the sport itself.-Fitness freaks looking for a new challenge.-Millennials wanting something to hold both their interest and youthful physique.-Gen Xers coaxed in by NBCs annual Ironman competition in Hawaii.The biggest factor, according to USA Triathlon, is the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic program.Looking at the causes for this growth, one must first turn their attention to the 2000 Olympic Games, triathlons first appearance at this international event, the sports national governing body said in its most recent demographics report . This elevated the publicity of the sport on the national level.Triathlon could get another big boost from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where two British brothers crushed the course on Copacabana Beach and where American Gwen Jorgensen, the two-time defending ITU world champion, is the gold medal favorite in the womens race Saturday.When the races are being played in every bar in America, its impossible for it not to help, suggested Patrick Lemieux, Jorgensens husband and operations manager, who added that hes seen a giant leap in the sports awareness in the U.S. just since the 2012 London Games.USA Triathlon touts itself as the worlds largest multisport organization, sanctioning more than 4,300 races and connecting with a half million members annually. Its also the national governing body for duathlon, aqua-thon, aqua-bike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and para-triathlon. In addition to working on the grassroots level, it supports elite athletes competing in international events such as the International Triathlon Union world championships and the Olympics.The 30-year-old Jorgensen was a late-comer to triathlon, recruited to the sport after an All-American track career at the University of Wisconsin, where she also was on the swim team.Others start as soon as they can.Ive been around the sport two-thirds of my life, since I was about 8 years old, said Ben Kanute, a 23-year-old Olympian from Geneva, Illinois, whose father was a triathlete and helped organize the first kids triathlon at a health and wellness center near their home about the time the sport debuted at the Sydney Olympics.Kanute said he started out swimming a couple of hundred meters, followed by a five-mile bike ride and a mile-long run, and he felt like those Ironmen he loved to watch on TV.I fell in love with the sport, said Kanute, who hung with Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee on Thursday until the brothers broke free midway through the 6.2-mile run that followed a one-loop ocean swim and a steep 24-mile bike ride at Copacabana.It might just be that parents put them in there to blow off some steam, buts its kind of the wow factor with triathlon, Kanute said. You get to swim, bike and run all in the same day. Its pretty kid friendly.As they graduate to adulthood, triathletes typically start with the shorter sprints and move up to the Olympic-length races. Some move up to Ironman, which is 140.6 miles: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mike ride and a marathon. Theres also half of that, the Ironman 70.3.The Olympic races are over in an appealing two hours.And I think thats the beauty of it, Lemieux said. In triathlon, you can do a sprint thats one hour long, you can do an Ironman, which are eight hours for the fastest, 14 or 15 for others. So, the nature of the sport is that it can cater to anyone and I think thats something thats really appealing to people.Jay Brown, a 31-year-old counselor and track coach at Vista Peak Preparatory School in Aurora, Colorado, is a typical triathlete: he got into the sport in his mid-20s after souring on long runs and was hooked.The variety is the appeal. You have three sports instead of just running, which had gotten boring, Brown said. I was looking for something else to do and a friend suggested I try triathlon. I said I can do that. I just started swimming 50 meters in the pool and I didnt even own my own bike. I used an old road bike.Soon, it was his passion. His training got more intense, his diet changed accordingly and as he gained the requisite energy and expertise, he also acquired his desired equipment, an aerodynamic bicycle. He even has a coach and a sponsor, Tabata Songs.A 23-year-old right out of college might not have the means to buy a triathlon bike, hire a coach and pay for travel and Ironman entry fees, Brown said. So, a lot of people get into it a little later.No matter their age or the discipline, triathletes find a close-knit community.Every triathlon that I go to just has a very cool vibe, Kanute said. Theres camaraderie because everyone knows how hard each person has trained to get there.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Cheap Air Max 270 Canada Outlet . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Air Max 270 Canada Online . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. http://www.airmax270cheapcanada.com/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Nike Air Max 270 Canada Wholesale . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Discount Air Max 270 Canada Shoes . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. MIAMI -- Dan Strailys quality start was not good enough to beat Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins.Straily allowed three runs in six innings for the Cincinnati Reds in a 3-1 loss to the Marlins on Friday night to begin the final series before the All-Star break.On another day that could have been a game we won if we could have got anything going offensively, Reds manager Bryan Price said.Straily (4-6) allowed six hits and two walks. He struck out two.I thought I pitched well but not good enough, Straily said. Certain nights you have to go out there and win a ballgame 1-0. I wasnt able to get that done tonight.Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips left after being hit by a pitch on the left hand in the seventh inning. X-rays revealed a hairline fracture.It wasnt good enough to stay in the game, Price said. It was real sore. Well have to see where he is tomorrow with a lot of ice and time to sleep and get the swelling down.Fernandez (11-4) bounced back from allowing a career-high nine runs, six earned, in a loss at Atlanta to allow one unearned run in seven innings for the Marlins.Obviously there was a lot of things to work on from last start and a lot of adjustments to be made, Fernandez said. I think we made a couple, but theres still a lot of work to be done.Fernandez struck out eight and did not walk a batter while allowing six hits to lower his first-half ERA to 2.52. The Reds scored the unearned run with two errors committed by Marlins outfielders.Its a different element when you can strike people out, Price said. When he needed a strikeout he was able to go get it. He has a different gear when he needs an out. Thats what makes great pitchers special.Christian Yelich homered and drove in two runs and Derek Dietrich also knocked in a run for the Marlins, who returned home after a 3-6 road trip.Miamis All-Star relievers both pitched one inning, Fernando Rodney in the eighth and A.J.Ramos in the ninth for his 26th save in 27 chances.The game took only 2 hours and 16 minutes.Thats pretty good, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. That will help our pace of play report when it comes out.The win assured the Marlins (45-41) of a winning record in the first half for the first time since 2009 when they went 46-44 beforee the break.ddddddddddddI know everybody is excited, but were four games over and four games over is not going to get it done, Mattingly said. Weve got a ways to go. Were getting better. Were capable of more. Weve got a lot of talent here and this second half should be fun. If we play the type of baseball were capable of, weve got a chance to do something special.Yelichs RBI double in the first gave the Marlins the lead.Adam Duvalls single tied the game in the top of the fourth before Dietrichs base hit put the Marlins ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.Yelich hit a solo homer in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. It was his seventh of the season after hitting seven in 126 games last season.MARLINS DROP FIFTH STARTERMiami optioned starting pitcher Justin Nicolino to Triple-A New Orleans on Friday and recalled catcher Tomas Telis with the plan of going with a four-man rotation until a fifth starter would be needed on July 19, at Philadelphia.Nicolino, who is 2-5 with a 5.57 ERA in 12 starts this season, might not get the nod against the Phillies.Were looking for the best alternative, Mattingly said. Were not committed to Nico getting the next start. We dont have to make that decision right now.TRAINERS ROOMReds: CF Billy Hamilton (right knee) made a leaping catch up against the center-field wall in the fifth inning, but stayed in the game and had ice on his knee after the game. Its fine and everything should be good, Hamilton said. ... RHP Homer Bailey (right elbow) made his third rehab start on Thursday and will make at least two more before returning to the big league club. It sounds like he felt pretty good, threw the ball over the plate, gave up a few hits and a couple of runs, but thats a distant second to how he felt, Price said. It sounds like things are getting better.UP NEXTReds: LHP John Lamb (1-5, 5.43 ERA) will start Saturdays game against the Marlins after allowing eight runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last start at Washington.Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (5-5, 3.65) will take the mound looking to continue his positive stretch, which includes a 2-1 mark and 2.25 ERA over his past four starts. ' ' '