So You Want to Do a Triathlon, Part 1: Getting Started

It’s hard to believe it has been over three years since I started training for my first triathlon. I came to the sport from long distance running as a way to actively train and compete in a sport while recovering from running injuries. This post is meant to help those people who are curious about triathlons and have considered competing in one but have a few questions.

First of all, competing in a triathlon consists of completing three events in rapid succession: swimming, cycling, and running. Unlike most other sports you can't really do a triathlon without entering a race. Technically you still could do your own "personal triathlon", but that kind of defeats the purpose. Doing a triathlon is about training to compete in a race. Your goal might be just to finish a triathlon or it might be to finish competitively in your age class. My goal for my first triathlon was simply to finish it without drowning. Fortunately, I succeeded in meeting that goal and from then on was hooked on this challenging sport.

The Different Types of Triathlons

Though many people associate triathlons with the Ironman triathlon events, there are actually four major classes of triathlons:

• Sprint Triathlon: This is the shortest of triathlons but contrary to its name the legs are longer than what most would agree was a sprint (e.g., the run is not a 100 yard dash). Unfortunately, the sprint is not standardized in its event distances. Generally, the swim is ¼ to ½ mile. This is following by a bike ride of 9-15 miles. And the race typically ends with a 5K (3.1 mile) run. If you've never done a triathlon, this is where you should start. For most competitors, a sprint tri will take from 1 to 3 hours to complete.
• Olympic Triathlon: The Olympic distance race is the one—you guessed it—that they do in the Olympics. It consists of a 1500 meter swim (.9 mile), a 40 K bike ride (24.9 miles), and a 10 K run (6.2 miles). Expect the race to take 3 or more hours to complete.
  
• Half-Ironman Triathlon: This distance essentially doubles the Olympic's bike and run portions of the race while increasing the swim only a tad. The half-ironman is exactly half of an Ironman event and consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. This event is also known by a newer name: the Ironman 70.3, which is the sum of its event distances in miles. Competitors generally complete this event in 4 to 10 hours. While not as grueling as a (full) Ironman, this triathlon is nonetheless very difficult and should only be attempted by the athlete who has trained for 6+ months for a race.
  
• Ironman Triathlon: This is the event many people associate with triathlons…and insanity. An Ironman event consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride (often over hilly terrain) and finishes with a marathon run (26.2 miles). Any one of these events might be considered an extreme challenge for most people. Now put the three events back to back, and you have one of the toughest events on the planet: the Ironman triathlon. This event should only be attempted by an athlete in excellent shape who has trained for 6 months to a year prior to the race. The race takes anywhere from 10 hours to over 24 hours (a day!) to complete.

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 2: How and Where to Train