Escape to Miami Triathlon — Photo credit: Tony Rojas, Jr.

A What-a-thon? A Basic Explanation of Triathlon

Jeremy Rojas
Aug 31, 2018 · 2 min read

Tripto-thon, triple marathon, marathon, triathalon, tria-thong (kidding about this one) — these are all words I’ve personally heard from others to describe triathlon. I don’t blame ’em though! Triathlon can be a tricky word to spell while “marathon” is the more popular term commonly used in cliche motivational analogies like: “It’s a marathon…not a sprint”.

If I was asked to define triathlon when I first heard the word (about 6 years ago), I would’ve replied: “Uh…a long race, where you do those three things.”

Triathlon isn’t as popular as Football, Basketball, Baseball, or any of the other prime-time sports found on major TV channels. However, it is a sport that has been booming in the past decade and is growing every year. So for those interested, here’s what triathlon is, simply put:

Triathlon is a race that involves the completion of three continuous endurance sports. The most common three sports completed during a triathlon are (in order): swimming, biking, and running.

Distance Levels: Not all races are the same

What many folks, including myself back in the day, don’t realize is that there are different distance levels of triathlon. Unlike a marathon, which is a set 26.2 miles, triathlon distances can vary. Here are the most common distances:

  • Sprint Distance: 750-meter (0.47-mile) swim | 20-kilometer (12-mile) bike | 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run
  • International (Olympic) Distance: 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) swim | 40-kilometer (25-mile) bike | 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run
  • Half-Iron Distance (70.3): 1.9-kilometer (1.2-mile) swim | 90-kilometer (56-mile) bike | 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) run
  • Ironman Distance (140.6): 3.8-kilometer (2.4-mile) swim | 180.2-kilometer (112.0-mile) bike | 42.2-kilometer (26.2-mile) run

These 4 distance levels are just a standard. There are tons of races that contain variations of each of the levels. For example, my first triathlon was a Sprint: 400 meter swim | 14 mile bike | 5k run.

Toe Deep

So that’s it! In triathlon you swim, then bike, then run. Not all races are the same distance. In fact, there are a few triathlons in which they jumble the order of swim/bike/run. Other races even substitute out one of the portions for say, stand-up paddle boarding.

Many non-triathletes don’t know about the Sprint distance level, which is a great way to dip your toes in the water and ease into the sport. The distances covered in Sprint triathlons are very much attainable to those who already exercise on a regular basis.

If you’ve never done a triathlon before: do you now have a slight thought of possibly attempting one, someday? I’d love to know your thoughts.


Originally published at jeremytri.com.

Jeremy Rojas

Written by

Software Engineer, triathlete, and craft beer enthusiast! Host of The Triathlete Beat Podcast — www.jeremytri.com

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