What Is The Decathlon?

Random: "Oh, what event do you do?"

Me: "I do the decathlon…"
Random: "Cool… So, you do the swimming, biking, and running…"
Me: "Almost (lol). That’s a triathlon. I do 10 events…"
Random: "Oh!"

Haha, I don’t know how many times I’ve had this conversation. I can’t blame people for not knowing though; it’s not the most popular event in an already not so popular sport. I’d continue, however, "The event that Bruce Jenner competed in." If the person was old enough to know who Bruce Jenner is, and why he was originally famous, they’d instantly remember what the decathlon was. For everyone else, I would then proceed to explain exactly what the decathlon is. So, I wanted to write a quick post answering the popular question: What is the decathlon??

So, what IS the decathlon? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the decathlon is…

Decathlon – a 10-event athletic contest; specifically: a composite contest that consists of the 100-meter, 400-meter, and 1500-meter runs, the 110-meter high hurdles, the javelin and discus throws, shot put, pole vault, high jump, and long jump.

More specifically, it is a 2 day event, consisting of 10 (deca) different track & field events, mentioned above. The 10 events, in exact order of occurrence, is as follows:

Day 1
1st Event – 100m Dash
2nd Event – Long Jump
3rd Event – Shotput
4th Event – High Jump
5th Event – 400m Dash

Day 2

6th Event – 110m High Hurdles
7th Event – Discus
8th Event – Pole Vault
9th Event – Javelin
10th Event – 1500m Run

All decathletes complete one event at the same time, and get a set period of time to rest before starting the next event; the events are NOT done in immediate succession without rest. Each event is conducted almost exactly how they would if ran as an individual event outside of a decathlon: track/running events are conducted with multiple athletes in a race, while field events are conducted with athletes performing one after the other, in a predetermined order, until each athlete has run out of chances to throw or jump.

Based on the mark/time an athlete performs, a score will be given for that mark/time. With 10 events, each athlete will accumulate a total of 10 different scores, 1 score for each event completed. The sum of the 10 point totals is the decathlon score the athlete has achieved. The decathlete with the highest score wins.

And that’s it! Now you know the basics of what the decathlon is. You’ll need to do your own research (or you could ask me) if you want to know how to get the point total for a certain mark/time, or who even determines what amount of points a certain mark/time gets. Haha, sorry to make it confusing after just making understanding the decathlon a little easier. You’ll get a better understanding over time. Anyway, I hope this was helpful and I hope it gives you a better understanding of what I actually do. Just remember, it’s not the "swimming, biking, and running." Although, a triathlon is on my bucket list and will happen at some point in the future…

Olympic Faith Blog - First Post!!!

Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (NIV)
1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God." (ESV).



 

Hola!! My name is Robert Robinson, and I'm an American decathlete.  I've embarked on a journey to make the 2016 Summer Olympics and compete for the United States in the Men's Track & Field Decathlon, (I'll go over what the decathlon is in a future post, haha...  It's not the swimming, biking, and running that you think).  Obviously, I need to work hard, but, glorifying God in everything is my main focus in this journey.  In thinking about my journey, and my entire life really, these two verses are indicative of how I need to approach it. 

The purpose of this blog is to document this entire Olympic seeking experience, with the intent to Glorify God entirely throughout, and to hopefully increase the faith of others with applicable/relatable experiences.  With this blog, I simply want to glorify God, as none of this would be possible without Him. 

This journey started with an unexplicable tugging, that I feel was from God, to pursue something that was no where on my radar just a couple years ago.  I will attest all my future successes to God, as I can all my previous successes to Him.  So far, my faith in God has grown tremendously, and I aim to describe my continued growth in faith by documenting God's aid in taking my struggles to triumphs.  I wish I could say that He's guaranteed a gold medal, but, that wouldn't develop faith.  I even wish I could say that He guaranteed a ticket to the Olympics.  To be honest, I don't even know His plan for all this...  I do know that I'm right where I need to be.  I do know that this goal I have in making the Olympics is in line with His plan, as He's affirmed so many things already.  Whether I make the Olympics or not, God has something in the works that will be amazing.  As for now, I will do what I need to do where I'm at, and have faith in His plan.