When you start looking at races, you’ll see a variety of different types of triathlon offered. There’s tons of options, and here I’ll attempt to explain some of the ones you might come across as you’re searching for your next finish line.
Standard Triathlons
Sprint
| Swim | 750m |
| Bike | 20km |
| Run | 5km |
Most triathletes begin their journey signing up for a sprint triathlon. While this type of race is called a “sprint”, that is a relative description – a race at this distance takes most people well over an hour!
Olympic
| Swim | 1500m |
| Bike | 40km |
| Run | 10km |
The race distance featured in the Olympics every four years. Olympic triathlons are a good middle ground between the sprints and the longer Ironman races.
Swimming is much more important here than at the sprint level. Technique will matter, unless you want to burn through all your energy on the first leg!
Publish
Ironman
| Swim | 2.4mi |
| Bike | 112mi |
| Run | 26.2mi |
| Swim | 1.2mi |
| Bike | 56mi |
| Run | 13.1mi |
Ironman races are considered the pinnacle of endurance competition for triathletes. There are two types: the original Ironman, and the Ironman 70.3 (also known as the half-Ironman or the Tinman). Most full Ironman races have a time limit of 16 or 17 hours to complete!
Becoming an Ironman will take physical endurance, mental toughness, and more. Mid-race refueling is vital. You will reach the end of your rope and, when you get there, you will have to tie a knot and hang on. This is something that few attempt and even fewer complete!
Other Types of Triathlon
While this covers all of the “normal” types of triathlon, there are others that you might come across. These are less common, but equally fun and challenging races!
XTERRA
| Swim | 1500m |
| Bike | 30km |
| Run | 11km |
| Swim | 800m |
| Bike | 20km |
| Run | 5km |
What could make triathlon even more difficult awesome? Doing it on mountain trails while covered in mud, of course! These races are for the truly adventurous.
The distances are not as standardized, given the off-road nature of the sport, and “challenging terrain” means more than just a steep incline. Check out this story for more on the origins of XTERRA racing!