As a UESCA-certified triathlon coach, running coach, and personal trainer, I work with many beginners or avid runners and cyclists who want to try a triathlon race.
First-time triathletes are often intimidated by the open water swim, how to get through triathlon transitions, and potentially even the cycling or running, depending on the athlete’s background and fitness level.
However, even for total beginners, training for your first triathlon race can be a super empowering experience. It often opens up the world of multisport, making you want to take on longer triathlon distances.
However, understanding the different triathlon distances can be confusing for beginners because triathlon events aren’t named by the race distance in the way that many running events are.
Plus, because there are three disciplines in every triathlon race, you have to understand how far the swim, bike, and run hour is for each triathlon distance event.
In this guide to triathlon distances, we will discuss the most common distances to help you decide how long you will need to train as a first-time triathlete and what your future might hold in longer-distance races.
Triathlon Distances Explained
The table below shows a summary of the most common triathlon races and the distances for each of these endurance events:
| Triathlon Distances | Swim | Bike | Run |
| Super Sprint Distance | 400m | 10km | 2.5km |
| Sprint Distance | 750m | 20km | 5km |
| Standard Distance / Olympic Distance Triathon | 1.5km | 40km | 10km |
| 70.3 Half Ironman / Middle | 1.2m / 1.9km | 56m / 90km | 13.1m / 21.1km |
| Full Ironman Distance | 2.4m / 3.8km | 112m / 180km | 26.2m / 42.2km |
How Far Is a Super Sprint Triathlon?
A super sprint triathlon is an excellent option for beginners new to multisport racing and looking for an entry-level triathlon distance.
The super sprint triathlon distance is the shortest of the common triathlon distances.
A super sprint triathlon starts with a 400-meter swim, followed by a 10-kilometer bike ride (6.2 miles) and a 2.5-kilometer run (just over 1.5 miles).
As a triathlon coach, what I like about the super sprint triathlon distance for first-time triathletes is that many super sprint triathlon events take place indoors or at least have a swimming pool for the swim instead of an open water swim.
A 400-meter swim is only 16 lengths or eight laps of a standard 25m swimming pool.
For people who are not comfortable swimmers, starting with a triathlon race with a controlled swim environment can be much more approachable before moving to open water swimming.
Plus, you don’t need a wetsuit or fancy triathlon bike!
How Far Is a Sprint Triathlon?
A sprint triathlon is typically the most common of the triathlon distance events for first-time triathletes, and many beginners just use a regular road bike or even a mountain bike rather than an expensive triathlon bike.
A standard sprint-distance triathlon starts with a 0.5-mile swim (750m), a 12.4-mile bike ride (20km), and a 3.1-mile (5km) run.
That said, for local community sprint triathlons, the sprint triathlon distances are sometimes adjusted slightly to suit the local roads and terrain.
How Far Is an Olympic Triathlon?
An Olympic triathlon can sound like it’s only for elite triathletes, but it is actually shorter than long-course races such as the half Ironman and full Ironman triathlon distance races. Thus, it is often referred to as a “middle-distance” triathlon.
My first triathlon was an Olympic-distance event with an open-water swim, and I was pretty intimidated because I’m not as comfortable with swimming as I am with cycling and running.
However, what is great about Olympic distance races is that the training plan and workouts needed to build your fitness level are reasonable for most beginners and recreational runners, cyclists, or swimmers who want to start the sport of triathlon.
You can train for an Olympic distance triathlon with an average of an hour or so per day, with a long workout of 2-3 hours once or twice a week.
Olympic triathlon distances are double the sprint triathlon distances.
So, the Olympic triathlon swim will be 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles), the bike will be 40km (24.8 miles), and the run will be 10km (6.2 miles).
Although the official Olympic triathlon distances were formalized at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, the Olympic triathlon events had been using these standard distances for several years before that.
How Far Is a 70.3 Half Ironman Triathlon?
Once we step up from the Olympic distance triathlon, we moved into what is considered “long course triathlons.”
The next longest triathlon distance is the half-ironman, also known as a 70.3 triathlon, because the number of kilometers covered during the race is 70.3.
A half-ironman triathlon starts with a 1.2-mile (1.9-km) swim, followed by a 56-mile (90-km) bike ride and a 13.1-mile (21.09km) run.
The half Ironman run is equivalent to a half marathon running race distance.
Runners likely know that even training for a half marathon is time-intensive and takes a significant amount of endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and mental willpower.
Add the open-water swim and a bike section that takes a couple of hours, and you can quickly see how the half Ironman triathlon is time-intensive from a training plan perspective. It also requires tremendous physical and mental strength for race day.
How Far Is an Ironman Triathlon?
A full Ironman triathlon is regarded as the longest of all the standard triathlon distances.
Finishing an Ironman triathlon is a badge of honor that even some of the best endurance athletes in the world cannot claim.
The first Ironman distance triathlon took place in Hawaii in 1975, and Kona, Hawaii, USA, is now home to the annual World Ironman Championships every October.
The World Ironman Championships is the preeminent triathlon event for long-distance triathletes. To compete in this prestigious event, you must qualify in your age group.
Moreover, the Ironman World Championships course is notoriously challenging because of the rugged terrain and strong headwinds that always seem to plague even the best cyclists on race day.
There are also other full iron-distance triathlons throughout the United States and even a few international options every year.
“Ironman triathlons “ is actually a branded race organization that puts on the full Ironman distance triathlon events and Ironman 70.3 triathlon events (together called Ironman races or Ironman events).
There are also “full Ironman distance triathlons“ that use the same Ironman distances but are not organized by the name brand company.
Full-distance triathlons are double the half Ironman distances, so you have a 2.4-mile (3.8km) swim, 112-mile (180km) ride, and a 26.3-mile (42.195 km) run.
That’s right: there’s a full marathon as the last discipline distance in a full Ironman triathlon. Talk about the epitome of an endurance sport!
Ironman triathlon training is very time-intensive.
The race itself takes the average age group athlete about 10-12 hours, but upwards of 15 hours or more for some athletes.
However, there are also Ironman cut-off times that vary by race, so you have to cross the finish line under the cut-off to officially be considered an Ironman triathlete.
Other Multisport Events To Look Out For
In addition to these standard distance triathlon races, there are an increasing number of other triathlon formats as the popularity of multisport racing has increased.
The two most common “alternative triathlons“ that are gaining traction are called the Super League Triathlon and Duathlons.
Super League Triathlons
Super League Triathlons are super short and fast, even quicker than the super sprint triathlons, but the distances are usually completed several times, depending on the triathlon event.
Each Super League triathlon race starts with a 200m swim, followed by a 4km bike ride (about 2.5 miles) and a 1km run (0.62 miles).
These types of races tend to draw elite triathletes and world champions, so they are super exciting to watch and a pretty unique take on standard triathlon races.
Duathlons
Duathlons, called bike-runs, forgo the swim, so you do a bike, then a run, and then a second bike. There are different duathlon distances, just as there are different triathlon distances.
Overall, whether you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer, some combination of both, or someone who hasn’t done any type of endurance sports, I highly recommend giving a triathlon a try.
Start with the shorter distances like a sprint triathlon or even a super sprint triathlon if you can find one.
It’s a blast!
To get started, check out our triathlon training plans:
