Choosing your first triathlon
Triathlon events
Triathlons (swim-bike-run), duathlons (run-bike-run) and aquathlons (swim-run) cater for every level from beginners upwards and cover all distances from a few hundred metres to 140.6 milers. Whether you're a novice or already an Ironman there's sure to be something for you.
These multisport races are ideal for trying new disciplines, pushing all your limits, and working your way up to increasingly difficult distances - or just mixing things up for some cross training.
TAKE ON TWO DISCIPLINES
Duathlons
A run followed by a cycle and then another run - no swimming involved! Choose from sprint, standard or long distance. On-road and off-road options available too.
Find a duathlon
Aquathlons
A two-stage event, a swim followed by a run. Sprint distances are up to a 250m swim and a 2.5km run. Double that for standard and double again for long distance.
Find an aquathlon
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY TRIATHLONS
Novice triathlons
The ideal fun introduction for all ages. Expect a short swim (25m up to 400m) in a local pool, a bike ride up to 10km and then a run of no more than 2.5km.
Novice triathlons
Super sprint
A bit longer than the novice triathlons but still nearly always involving a pool rather than open water. The bike and run elements are more likely to be on open roads.
Super sprint triathlons
Sprint
The bike ride is usually 20km and the run 5km but the swim tends to vary from at least 400m if pool-based to around 750m if it's in open water. For ages 15+.
Sprint triathlons
GO FOR THE DISTANCE
Standard AKA Olympic
This is the distance Alistair Brownlee won gold at London and Rio - a 1.5km swim (usually open water so wetsuits often required), a 40km ride and a 10km run.
Standard distance triathlons
Middle distance
Also known as 'half ironman' or '70.3', which refers to the total distance covered - a 1.2-mile open water swim (1.9km), 56-mile ride (90km), and 13.1-mile run (21.1km).
Middle distance triathlons
Long distance - the Ironman
The ultimate in the triathlon world and the slogan goes...
Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!
Long distance triathlons
GO FOR THE CLASSICS
Mass participation triathlons
Triathlons, aquathlons, and duathlons all have classic events with thousands of participants. The atmosphere is contagious. Look out for the 'Major Event' logo.
The biggest multi-sport events