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Beginners Triathlon Information

What is a triathlon?

Triathlon
What is it?

A triathlon is an athletic contest in which participants compete without stopping in three successive events, usually long-distance swimming, bicycling, and running. Some triathlons have different events, though the majority of swim-bike-run. Some triathlons are "offroad" and include mountain biking rather than road racing and trail running rather than road running. Occasionally, you'll see some triathlons that have canoeing or kayaking instead of swimming - these are sometimes referred to as adventure races. However, 99% of triathlons are going to be the traditional swim-bike-run.

Event order. The order can sometimes change as well, though that order, swim-bike-run, is the most common. A few triathlons are reverse triathlons - run-bike-swim, which can be good for those of us who find running nearly impossible after cycling. In Alabama, at least two triathlons are done in this reverse order - the Huntsville HIWAAY Sprint triathlon in August and the Frank Maples Memorial triathlon in April are examples of reverse triathlons.

Triathlon Distances
Sprint, iron, ultra, huh?!

You've probably heard of the IronMan or iron distance races. Perhaps you've also heard of sprint triathlons. No doubt, you've seen the olympic triathlon, as well. All are different distances. Sorting the distances out can be informative and useful when you are choosing which races to enter. Since IronMan is a trademark of private corporation, you'll not see that term except on races run by that company. The Iron or Ultra distance triathlons are the longest and the sprint triathlons are the shortest.

According to the USAT, official sanctioned distances are short, intermediate, long and ultra. Of course, the terms vary depending on who you meet. Some consider intermediate distances to be international or olympic length. Others refer to ultra as iron distance (derived from the orginal IronMan contest in Hawaii). The long distance events are sometimes referred to as "half-iron." Confused yet?

Here are the approximate distances to expect. Remember, the race director can choose anything he or she wants, so be sure to read about the race event carefully before entering. Some do not quite fit into these guidelines.

Distance	Also Known As	Swim	Bike	Run
Short	Sprint	0.25-0.62 mi 0.4-1.0 k	5.0-18.6 mi 8.0-30.0k	1.0-3.9 mi 1.6-6.3 k
Intermediate	International Olympic	0.63-1.25 mi 1.1-2.0 k	18.7-31.0 mi 30.1-50.0 k	4.0-8.0 mi 6.4-12.8 k
Long	Half-Iron	1.26-1.9 mi 2.1-3.1 k	31.1-62 mi 50.1-99.9 k	8.1-18.5 mi
Ultra	Iron	2.0+ mi 3.2+ k	62+ mi 100+ k	18.6+ mi 30+

As you can see, the ranges can be pretty wide and some races don't quite fit into the prescribed distances. Supposedly, other methods for determining the distance category exist, such as the top finishing amateur's time. However, that is too goofy to go into at this point. :o)

Choose your first race
Where do I begin?

Because the sprint distances are easier to stage and more likely to attract beginners, the majority of the triathlons within driving distance of our town are sprint length. As the distances get longer, the number of triathlons nearby gets fewer. For example, the nearest half-iron is probably in Panama City, Florida.

Some sprint triathlons are really short and are especially designed for beginners, such as the Tri-it-on Triathlon in Birmingham every May (Saturday before Memorial Day). This is a great first triathlon. The swim is in a pool (a bit crowded but easy enough) and only 200 yards. The bike is 8.5 miles of a hilly route in Mountain Brook. The run is a short out and back of only 1.5 miles with one hill. The awards are giving in both individual and beginner categories, so you don't have to worry about competing with more experienced triathletes.

Start training
Swim, bike, run

How do you get started? Just do it. Go swimming for a short time. Take a walk (you do not have to RUN the run segment in your first triathlon!). Ride your bike a couple of miles. Now, that's enough for the first week. Just add a bit as you feel like it. You'll be surprised how easy it is to do those sprint distances with just a bit of training. Remember, you are not trying to win the Olympics the first time out. To finish is to win!