What exactly is a triathlon?

A standard triathlon event involves a continuous timed race over various distances combining the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. Triathlon events occur in that order – a swim, followed by a cycle ride, followed by a run.

What are the four common triathlon distances?

Its distances are standardized, with a 1.5K (0.93-mile) swim, a 40K (24.8-mile) bike and a 10K (6.2-mile) run. This distance can be highly competitive with athletes specializing in it, but there is always a mix of skill and experience levels on the course.

How long do you swim in a triathlon?

Olympic triathlons (including the NYC Triathlon) involve a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run. In “Iron Man” triathlons, the swimming portion can be as long as 3.9 kilometers, followed by up to a 180-kilometer bike ride and a 42.2-kilometer run (the same distance as a marathon).

What is a good triathlon time?

A very respectable time would be around six hours. If you’re getting close to five, you’re doing great, and if you’re a little over six as a female, you’re still looking at a good time. Think about it this way: you’ll have to finish the swim in 45 minutes, the bike in three hours, and the run in 2:15.

Why do you swim first in a triathlon?

Swimming is the most hazardous of the three sports from a safety perspective. Most casualties in Triathlons are during this leg for quite obvious reasons: if you stop swimming, you drown. It’s, therefore, best to avoid a risk of drowning from exhaustion and it makes a lot of sense putting the swim leg first.

Can you walk in a triathlon?

You can walk during the running portion of a triathlon, but please don’t “crawl.” In typical legalese style, the ITU defines crawling as “the action by an athlete of bringing three or more limbs in contact with the ground, either together or in any sequence, to enable forward propulsion” [source: ITU].

Is a triathlon harder than a marathon?

A marathon is a set distance but a triathlon varies. So let’s assume you mean a full Ironman triathlon- then the answer is easy: the triathlon is harder, due to the need to train 3 sports, with the run distance being the same as the stand alone marathon, but coming after a swim, and bike in the triathlon.

Do you change clothes in a triathlon?

Clothing for a Triathlon You can opt to change into clothes specific to each leg of the race —or not. Some triathletes choose to do the whole race in a swimsuit for quicker transitions. Other swimmers simply pull on a pair of shorts before jumping on their bike.

How many laps is 750 meters?

How many laps is 750 Meters? Down and back 15 times. Just be 100% sure you are swimming in a meter pool and not a yard pool. If it is truly a 1/2 Olympic pool it will be a meter pool.

What is a good triathlon time for a beginner?

For the beginner triathlete, it will take about 1 hour 50 minutes to complete their first sprint distance triathlon. If we break down the average sprint triathlon time, this should take the novice triathlete around 2 minutes per 100 m in the swim. 1 hour for the bike leg, and up to 30 minutes to complete the run.

How long is a beginner triathlon?

What distance should my first triathlon be? Most beginner athletes start with a Sprint distance race for their first triathlon. While the distance of Sprint triathlons can vary from race to race, the standard length of each leg is a 0.5 miles (750m) swim, 12.4 miles (20km) bike, and 3.1 miles (5km) run.

How fast do Olympic triathletes run?

Not only are transition times mere seconds, but the overall pace is often extremely fast, hovering just above a 5-minute mile run pace. High-caliber professionals will often finish Olympic triathlons in around 2 hours or less, with the men’s record currently at just over 1 hour, 46 minutes.