How to become a triathlete

You hear your friends talking about how much fun it is to race a triathlon and you think: "What is a triathlon and how do I become a triathlete?"  

Do you have what it takes? 

Triathlons are considered to be one of the greatest tests of human endurance and many people become interested in the sport for that very reason. Younger triathletes are now looking at the NCAA Women in Emerging Sports program and seeing their potential for college scholarships. All it takes to be a triathlete is a positive attitude and dedication to the sport. If you have that, you've almost got everything you need!

What is a triathlon?

Wikipedia defines a triathlon as “a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.”

There are generally four distances of adult triathlons and three distances for youth:

YOUTH

• 7-10 years old – 50-100m Swim / 2-3km bike / 100m-1km run
• 11-12 years old – 200m Swim / 5-7km bike / 2km run
• 12-15 years old – Super Sprint ≤ 500m Swim / 10km bike / 3km run

ADULTS:

• Sprint: 0.47 mile (750 meter) swim, 12.4 mile (20k) bike, 3.1 mile(5k) run
• Intermediate (traditionally called “Olympic” or “International” distance): 0.93 mile (1.5 k) swim, 24.8 mile (40k)bike, 6.2 mile(10k) run
• Long Course (traditionally called “Half Ironman” distance): 1.2 mile (1.93k) swim, 56 mile (90k) bike, 13.1 mile (21.09k) run
• Ultra Distance (traditionally called “Ironman” distance): 2.4 mile (3.86k) swim, 112 mile (180k) bike, 26.2 mile (42.2k) run

When you move from one sport to the other, you spend your time in the transition area. A triathlon has two timed transition portions of the race. Transition 1 (T1) is the swim-to-bike transition and Transition 2 (T2) is the bike-to-run transition. Although it may seem simple to change from your swim gear to your bike gear or your bike gear to your run gear, losing time in transition can negatively impact your overall time. Therefore, practicing your transitions is an integral part of training and shouldn’t be overlooked.

How do I begin?

Find a race and register in advance: If your goal is to race a triathlon then you may first want to find a local race in which to participate. TriFind, SetUp Events and Active are three online sites that can help you find a race. Generally, it is best to find a short-distance race so you can get a taste of what you can expect from the sport. Once you have found a race, you’ll need to register and sign up in advance.

Begin your training: A good idea would be to find a USA Triathlon (USAT) Certified Coach to help you plan your training season. Youth will want to specifically find USAT Youth & Juniors coaches as they have been trained how to specifically work with youth athletes. There are many training plans on the Internet but a coach will be able to provide you with the specifics you need to train efficiently.

What is involved in a typical training plan?

With each distance, each coach and each athlete the training plan will vary. But, in general, a sprint triathlon training program will look something like this (with shorter workouts occurring toward the beginning of your training plan and longer ones toward the end):

• 3 run workouts per week consisting of 15 – 45 minutes
• 3 bike workouts per week consisting of 30 – 60 minutes
• 2-3 swim workouts per week consisting of 15 – 30 minutes

There will be times you may perform what is called a “brick.” A brick consists of either a swim followed by a bike workout or a bike workout followed immediately by a run. Working on bricks will allow you to practice your T1 and T2 strategies and will help your body feel the way it will on race day.

What are the bare necessities you need to get started?

• A bathing suit (a modest "competition suit” is the best)
• Goggles
• Mountain bikes and hybrid bikes are seen at the start line of many sprint triathlons and are one of the least-expensive ways to participate in a race. However, if you can purchase or borrow a road bike then you might have a bit of a racing advantage.
• Bike helmet
• Water bottle & cage
• A good pair of running shoes. It isn't a good idea to purchase a pair from your local superstore or even your local sports superstore. Your best bet is to purchase your shoes from a reputable running shoe store which has performed a gait analysis on you. This will allow you to be comfortable running and will help avoid injury.

The day you become a triathlete

As you cross the finish line at your first triathlon you’ll be able to claim you are a triathlete and, like many others, you’ll be hooked! If you want to know more specifics about being a triathlete be sure to check out our website. And, for a little humor, be sure to check out the video clip above.