Book Review: The Woman Triathlete

The Woman Triathlete – Christina Gandolfo

What’s it all about?


A comprehensive guide to triathlon, is edited by Christina Gandolfo. Note edited- the book itself is written, in 15 chapters, by an ‘all-star cast’ of female triathletes and coaches. This is both a pro and a con. As they are all written by different people, some chapters read better than others. Fortunately, though, this also contributes to the fact that the book can cater to a broad range of levels and has sections worth referring back to long after your first tri. Each chapter is self-contained, so it is easy to read about a certain topic without feeling like you have to read the book cover-to-cover, a plus for the busy female triathlete.

The Good

The majority of chapters are easy to understand, though again, they range from somewhat technical to somewhat overly simplified. Successful chapters are ones that take on a more conversational tone, really feeling like a female triathlete offering another female triathlete advice. Otherwise, a lot of the information could be found elsewhere in a non-female specific book.

The Great

The Woman Triathlete does cover pretty much everything you need to know. Chapters include goal setting, advice on all three disciplines, recovery tips, injury prevention, nutrition- even training through pregnancy. It includes training plan suggestions (for a variety of distances), exercise descriptions with photos, and tips on your mental game. It does lack specific training logs, but these are easy enough to find elsewhere (including on Trigirl’s site!).

The Not-So-Great

Though we found the book quite useful, it could use an update. Published in 2005, some of the information would benefit from revision or updating as training methods and sports science change continuously. The black and white photos also give the book a dated feel that a few more modern, colour pictures would help to solve.

Worth Reading?

Overall, The Woman Triathlete offers sound advice and would be an asset to every novice triathlete. For more advanced athletes, the book offers training plan advice, drill suggestions and many other tips that are still helpful for reference.

Trigirl Review: 4 stars out of 5

Click link to buy from Amazon: The Woman Triathlete