new to triathlon?

 

Triathlon, a brief overview


Triathlon is an exciting multi-discipline sport that has come a long way since its beginnings back in the nineteen seventies. The sport involves a continuous race over various distances in the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. A standard triathlon is made up of a swim, followed by a cycle ride, followed by a run. Competitors race against the clock, which starts as they enter the swim and stops as they cross the finish line after the run. There is also a 'fourth discipline' known as the transition. The transition is the point in the race when competitors change from swimming to cycling, and from cycling to running. Getting started in triathlon can at first appear to be complicated but it need not be so with the proper guidance.


Race Distances

Distances of individual events may vary from race to race, many of them specifically for novices such as super sprints and sprint races. The more common, standard triathlon distances, quoted in terms of swim/bike/run:

Super sprint - 400m/10km/2.5km

Sprint distance - 750m/20km/5km

Standard (Olympic) distance - 1500m/40km/10km

Middle distance - 2.5km/80km/20k

Ironman distance - 3.8km/180km/42km

Triathlon Clubs

Belonging to a club is an excellent way to get more involved in triathlon. There are around 350 affiliated triathlon clubs in Great Britain ranging in size from five or six members to well over 100. Many clubs are Star Accredited, or have Club Mark for junior Triathletes cater for all levels of ability and experience, and either have their own coach or access to one.

As well as help and camaraderie, being a club member also entitles you to Triathlon England membership at a reduced cost. There are many benefits of joining Triathlon England, these include:

  1. Bullet  Reduced entry fee to Triathlon England sanctioned events

  2. Bullet  Worldwide public liability insurance cover & worldwide personal accident cover

  3. Bullet  Free legal claims service

  4. Bullet  The highly acclaimed British Triathlon handbook

  5. Bullet  Bimonthly copies of membership magazine 'Tri News'

  6. Bullet  Eligibility to compete for National titles and to represent Great Britain

  7. Bullet  Automatic entry into the National Ranking Series

  8. Bullet  Access to the members-only section of this website

  9. Bullet  Support from Triathlon England staff.


Triathlon Kit & Equipment

Planning your training, steps to success.