Llanelli, the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west-north-west of Swansea and 12 miles (19 km) south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby tradition and is a centre of tinplate production. In the mid 20th century, Llanelli was the largest town in the world where more than half the population spoke a Celtic language. It is ranked the 7th largest urban area in Wales.
Llanelli is also surrounded by a number of villages and communities in the Llanelli Rural district. Some of these communities, more notably those that immediately surround the town, are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli.
History
Parish Church of St. Elli
Historically a mining town, Llanelli grew significantly in the 18th century and 19th century with the mining of coal and later the tinplate industry and steelworks. Many of these industries were served by the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway which opened in 1803.
Llanelli became such a significant regional producer of tin that it was referred to as "Tinopolis" by the latter half of the 19th century. The closure of coal mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in southern Wales, saw significant and sustained economic decline from the late 1970s.
Economy
In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct Travel to Work Area, but the 2001-based revision has merged the locality into a wider Swansea Bay Travel to Work Area.
The area around Llanelli in eastern Carmarthenshire is home to a number of manufacturing companies (including the Corus works at Trostre, and Dyfed Steels), many of which service the automotive industry. The Technium Performance Engineering centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motorsport and aerospace sectors. The traditional industries of Llanelli have been in gradual decline over recent decades and local government has responded by promoting developments such as the Machynys golf course, new retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton, and the Millennium Coastal Park, to help attract tourism. The core shopping area has now largely relocated from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area.
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.
Transition areas are positioned both between the swim and bike segments (T1), and the bike and run segments (T2), and are often just one checkpoint, especially in shorter courses. These areas are used to store bicycles, performance apparel, and any other accessories essential for preparing and gearing for the next stage of the race. In addition, these areas provide a social headquarters prior to the race, and are an integral part of triathlete culture.
The demanding nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning to ensure the highest levels of endurance, strength, and power possible come race day. Proficiency in swimming, cycling, and running alone is often not sufficient for success in triathlon.