Triathlons have seen a boom in popularity in recent years, but if you’re yet to come across this fast-growing sport, then here’s everything you need to know about triathlons and how to get started if you’re thinking of having a go yourself!
What is a Triathlon?
A triathlon is a multisport competitive endurance race involving three disciplines – swimming, cycling, and running.
There are different distances of triathlon races.
Sprint Distance
This is the shortest available distance at most triathlon events. It involves a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and 5km run.
Olympic Distance
This is the standard for triathlon competitors worldwide and has been part of the official Olympics since 2000. Olympic distance triathlons include a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and a 10km run.
Half Ironman
A significant step-up from an Olympic triathlon, a Half Ironman involves a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.
Ironman
The longest of the triathlon distances, to finish an Ironman triathlon, you’ll need to complete a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run.
The Benefits of a Triathlon
Training for and taking part in a triathlon comes with multiple health and wellbeing benefits.
For the majority of people, deciding to take part in a triathlon will mean an increase in physical activity. This means you’ll get all the fantastic benefits that come with exercise, such as improved cardiovascular health (helping your heart and lungs work more efficiently) and increased muscular strength, fitness and endurance.
Exercise can also help people shed excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight, and has been shown to improve mental health too. For those struggling with stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia, exercise such as triathlon training can help reduce symptoms.
There are also social benefits to triathlons, as you’ll meet other athletes as part of your training and when competing, which can help combat loneliness and social isolation.
Getting the right amount of exercise can also help to lower your risk of specific health conditions, such as:
- High blood-pressure
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Certain cancers
- Depression
- Heart attacks and strokes
Getting Started in Triathlon
There are a few pieces of essential triathlon gear you’ll need to invest in before you get started.
As a minimum to take part in a triathlon event, you’ll need:
- A wetsuit or trisuit
- Goggles
- Your own bike
- A helmet
- Good-quality running shoes
To get started in triathlon you can search for a club near you. Alternatively, you can start building up your stamina by practising the three disciplines of running, swimming and cycling by yourself. It’s generally recommended that you begin with the shortest distance possible (such as a sprint or super-sprint distance triathlon) and build your way up slowly.
If you can already run, cycle and swim, then congratulations, you’re off to a great start! But not being able to do one (or more) of these, or not feeling as confident in one discipline as another is totally normal and doesn’t mean you can’t complete a triathlon.
If you know that you’re weaker in one of these areas, then you’ll want to focus your training on improving before signing up to an event. You could use a program, such as couch-to-5k to help increase your stamina when running, take adult swimming lessons to increase your confidence in the water or bike to work to get used to cycling on the road.
Your first triathlon event should never be your first time swimming in open water so make sure this is something you’ve practised plenty before the big day.
Race Day Essentials
When the day of your first ever triathlon event dawns, you’ll want to know that you’re fully prepared for the day ahead. Be mindful about what you eat and drink before the race – now is not a good time to try out a new sports drink or nutrition bar only to discover it doesn’t agree with you! Make sure you take plenty of water or your chosen sports drink with you so you can stay hydrated during the race.
Familiarise yourself with the safety information and guidelines provided by the event organiser and leave yourself plenty of time before the start of the race to collect things like your race number, bib or timing chip if needed.
Take time to check over your bike, and to walk through your transitions (when you switch from swim to bike or bike to run) so they come naturally to you during the race.
Conclusion
There’s a perception that to be a triathlete you need to already be an elite athlete but that’s simply not true. In fact, training for a triathlon can be a great motivator if you’re looking for a reason to get up and active, and there’s no reason why – with the right gear and some careful training – you too can’t complete a triathlon.
