All You Ever Wanted to Know About Pentathlon
But Didn’t Know Enough to Ask


About Our Club

West Coast Pentathlon is a new club organized in 2006. Our president is Pat Duffy, who has had decades of experience leading youth groups and more than 25 years in US Pony Club.

Our club formed as an offshoot of Pony Club. Most of our Pony Club members competed regionally and nationally in tetrathlon (running, swimming, shooting and riding) so we just needed to add fencing.  Most of us got hooked when we attended the pentathlon camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in December of 2005.

The club usually meets on the third Saturday of each month. At that time, our competiton team fences, practices shooting and talks about upcoming competitions and clinics. Attendance is not necessary for the far-flung members.

Opportunities for Kids

Anyone is invited to join our club, although good runners and swimmers will have an edge in competition. You must be willing to work, and your parents must be willing to work. Pentathlon is a family affair. We need parental support in many ways from sponsorship to helping set up a clinic to chaperoning. Whatever your skills are, we can use them.

We generally hold a couple of clinics and competitions each year at our central club in Marin County. But our older kids will also travel nationally and internationally to train and compete. We ask that traveling pentathletes be at least 12 years old and accompanied by a parent.

When training or competing at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, young pentathletes stay in the athletes’ dorms and train with Olympic coaches. It is a great opportunity to see firsthand how elite athletes train and live.

Over the past two years, we have competed not only in the U.S. but in Mexico and Canada. Our kids have done very well, bringing home bronzes, silvers and golds -- and experiences of a lifetime.

While pentathlon is a popular sport in some countries, including Canada and Great Britain, few Americans heard of it and even fewer compete in it. While we are trying to spread the word and build the sport in the United States, its small size is an advantage for kids who are competing now. Think how long it would take you to train and compete in soccer before you worked your way up past the thousands of soccer players to compete at a national level.

While you may have the opportunity to compete nationally and internationally, don’t expect the Olympics to figure in your schedule any time soon. Since you must master five disciplines, training for Olympic-level competition takes at least 10 years to develop those skill sets. But the good news is that you can compete in pentathlon until you’re in your 30s or 40s.

Training

Training is difficult, especially when the kids are in school. Most West Coast pentathletes are on cross country and track teams at school and on swim teams during the summer. We fence as a club once a month as well as take private lessons. We also hold shooting clinics a couple of times a year. But you need to dry fire on your own each day. Most of our kids ride several times a week. But riding will not be part of your pentathlon competition until you compete at a junior level.

Please click on the link for each discipline (shooting, swimming, etc.) for more information on training regimens, equipment, clothing, tips, coaches, etc.

Remember that proper nutrition, rest and sleep are part of your training. Take as good care of yourself as you would your horse. You wouldn’t feed your horse junk food and then expect him to perform. You wouldn’t work your horse several hours a day, seven days a week. Why? Because he would get sick or injured. Horses are not machines and you aren’t either. Take at least one day off from vigorous training each week to allow your body to recuperate. Be sure to get enough protein, carbs and fat in your diet to provide the energy your body needs.

Equipment and Expenses

There is some expense to training for pentathlon, especially as you improve and refine your skills. Eventually, you will need an air pistol as well as some special equipment and clothing for fencing and riding. The cheapest way to get involved is to run and swim with school teams. You will need a pistol to practice dry firing. Talk to Pat or Cliff about how to shop for a pistol.

When you take fencing lessons, the studio will lend you equipment for a while, but you will need your own before you start competing. You will also need a pentathlon bag to put all your assorted equipment in. Get the large, rolling bag with lots of pockets.

Elaine Cheris, the National Pentathlon Youth Director, sells most fencing equipment at a discount to pentathletes. Check out her supplies at www.coloradofencing.com.

Another large expense is traveling to competitions, camps and clinics. You’ll have airfare, car rentals, hotel bills, as well as the cost of the event itself. We try to find the best deals possible on airfare and hotels. And sometimes you can carpool at the events. But these events are the payoffs for the kids’ hard work.

Contact Us

Interested? We hope so! For more information about West Coast Pentathlon, please call Pat Duffy at 415-892-4242 or send an email to pat@westcoastpentathlon.com.

Thanks!