Should You Be Training for Major Sporting Events?

A lot of people choose to sit back and watch while well-known athletes or celebrities compete in thrilling competitions and tournaments on the world stage. Many think that these kinds of things should be left to the professionals, and that even if they wanted to they wouldn’t have a chance of being able to enter a major event. In some circumstances this is true. You can’t just walk onto the football pitch and start playing in the World Cup, or take on Rafael Nadal at tennis in the French Open. But there are certain annual occasions that everyday people can train for and get involved with.

One of these events is the World Series of Poker. It has been going for a few decades now, but it’s only more recently that it has become a globally recognised event. More people are wanting to get in on the action, and this was highlighted by the fact that the number of entries to the 2017 WSOP was up by 12% on the previous year. This amounted to a staggering 120,995 participants. If the numbers continue to rise this impressively each year, there is a chance that the most important date on the poker calendar could one day be as big as the Football World Cup. It truly is a multinational and multicultural event, with players from 30 different countries having won WSOP bracelets since the records began in 2006. And the beauty of it is that anyone can enter. If you have a lot of free time on your hands and enjoy playing cards then you could train to enter this competition.

Another worthwhile thing to work towards through rigorous training and exercise would be one of the many marathons that take place all over Canada each year. Anyone can register for the famous Ottawa Marathon, which will next be taking place in May 2018. It’s the biggest marathon in the country, and attracts thousands of participants each year. This is the chance for anyone to challenge themselves and run the same course as a number of world-renowned professional athletes. Doing something like this will add more meaning to your daily workouts, as you push yourself harder in preparation.

For those who want to push themselves even harder, there are triathlons in Canada which can be joined, but require that extra bit of commitment from people who want to take their game to the next level. Fitness fanatics who want to turn pro can sign up to Triathlon Canada, and make use of some of the best coaches and training schedules in the business. This takes extreme mental strength, and time and financial management, though, and may not be for everyone. Still, anyone can do it if they can dedicate themselves to the training.

There are plenty of other events that anyone can train for and participate in, such as bike riding. Who knows, if you master it you could one day take part in the Mountain Bike World Cup which takes place in Quebec each year.