What is a Triathlon?

Just for the purpose of information, I figure it may be helpful to some to understand a bit about triathlons. In simplest terms, it is a 3-event race. The standard events, in order, are a swim:


Followed by a bike race:


Followed by a run:



Distances vary based on the type of triathlon entered. There are several common, standard categories, though local events may make some modifications to these distances:

1. Sprint Distance Triathlon
First of all, what a bunch of crap that name is. "Sprint" isn't in the vocabulary for me. This is the shortest of the common triathlons and is often where first-time triathletes get their start. It is a 750 meter (~0.5 mile) swim, a 20 km (12.4 mile) bike, and a 5 km (3.1 mile) run.

2. Olympic (or International) Distance Triathlon
1.5 km (0.93 miles) swim, 40 km (24.8 mile) bike, and 10 km (6.2 mile) run.

3. Half-Ironman Triathlon
1.9 km (1.2 mile) swim, 90 km (56 mile) bike, and 21.09 km (13.1 mile) run. It is exactly what the name implies - half the distance of the full Ironman.

4. Ironman
3.8 km (2.4 mile) swim, 180 km (112 mile) bike, and 42.2 km (26.2 mile - yes that's a full marathon) run. This is the end-all, be-all of triathlons. The goal for 99% of participants is simply finishing in the allowed 17 hours. That's right - the race itself takes longer than some people are awake for a day.

Needless to say, there's a lot to choose from. Especially when you take into consideration that there are a ton of local variations of these races. There are indoor triathlons, super-sprint triathlons, even a beach-bum triathlon on Hilton Head where everything takes place on the beach - including the bike and run.

So, what am I going to do? Well, it's still a bit up in the air at the moment, but I've recently started a program designed for 1/2 Ironman training. Nothing like jumping in head first!



The South Carolina Half is at Greenwood Lake the last week of September, and if I hit all the training targets as specified, I have just enough time to get ready. So, that is my tentative plan, though I've got a lot of work to do - especially in the swim - and may have to revise. There is also an Olympic Distance Tri at nearby Hickory Knob State Park in October, so that may be an alternative if the training is too aggressive.

I'd also like to hit a sprint later in the summer if I can, just to get the experience of the transitions and the entire race day under my belt.