Multisport and more specifically, triathlon, have several racing distances, from youth events all the way up to double and triple ultra distance events. Athletes of all shapes, sizes, ages and fitness levels compete in triathlon yearly to prove that when you put your mind to it, anything is possible.
Youth
(age 7-10)
Swim: 100 yards
Bike: 5K
Run: 1K
(age 11-14)
Swim: 200 yards
Bike: 10K
Run: 2K
Sprint
Swim: 750 meters
Bike: 20K
Run: 5K
Intermediate
Swim: 1500 meters
Bike: 40K
Run: 10K
Long Course
Swim: 1.2 miles
Bike: 56 miles
Run: 13.1 miles
Ultra Distance
Swim: 2.4 miles
Bike: 112 miles
Run: 26.2 miles
The Olympic distance is the distance completed by athletes at the Olympic Games. Professional triathletes competing in events to qualify them for the Olympic Games participate in draft-legal racing during the bike segment. Drafting allows them to ride closer and in groups called packs.
In age-group racing (amateur), drafting is not allowed. Athletes must maintain a minimum or three bike lengths distance between them and the rider in front of them.
Events can range from below 50 to over 3,000 competitors. Events such as the Chicago Triathlon have over 6,000 total competitors, racing in the youth, sprint and Olympic distance events during the festival weekend. On the flip side, clubs coordinate “club only” events that can have 20-30 participants competing in a fun, no-pressure event.
Getting Started
If you are planning on completing your first triathlon or your 100th, there is a lot of preparation that goes into this sport. Multisport participation takes training, both physically and mentally, knowledge and commitment. Most people cannot decide they are going to do a triathlon without preparing for months ahead of time. The allure of multisport is that it gives people a goal. It is something that motivates them to train and eat right. It also provides a great social atmosphere in which life long friends can be found at club events, training rides and races.
But, the preparation is not overwhelming. If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle, you are probably already on your way to being ready to compete. There are numerous coaching resources to take advantage of, both in real life and online. USA Triathlon’s coaching certification program is second to none throughout the world and has produced over 1,200 certified coaches around the country. USA Triathlon also promotes multisport clubs and actively refers athletes to join their local club.
The easiest way to get started in multisport events is to look up a local club. If there are no clubs in your area, check out a running store or bike shop to find group training schedules. USA Triathlon sanctions over 1,800 events a year, so chances are, there will be an event near you to set your sights on. Sanctioned event race directors have submitted a comprehensive safety plan to USAT and in turn, receive the most comprehensive insurance policy in the market. This insurance covers all USAT annual and one-day members should an accident occur during the race.
History
Early triathlons were held as offbeat training exercises for runners. The first known swim/bike/run triathlons were held at San Diego’s (Calif.) Mission Bay in 1974. Organized by members of the San Diego Track Club, the events were held on summer evenings and were intended as no more than light-hearted breaks in the normal grind of training for marathons and 10Ks. One athlete who raced at the first Mission Bay Triathlon, John Collins, was very influential in the further development of the sport. Collins, a U.S. Naval Officer, took the triathlon concept to Hawaii and used it several years later to combine three of Oahu’s endurance events – the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Ride and the Honolulu Marathon – into one race: the Ironman.
Only 12 men completed the first race held in January of 1978. In 1979, 13 men and one woman crossed the finish line. But a Sports Illustrated article by Barry McDermott in May 1979 increased the 1980 field into the hundreds and brought ABC’s Wide World of Sports to Hawaii for the first of an unbroken string of annual network broadcasts. In 1982, the last year no qualifying was needed to compete at Ironman, the dramatic footage of Julie Moss crawling on her hands and knees to a second-place finish at Ironman, triggered an explosion of interest. The same year also witnessed the birth of Triathlon Magazine, the sport’s first national publication; the founding of the U.S. Triathlon Association (later named USA Triathlon), triathlon’s national governing body; and the U.S. triathlon Series, the first national racing series.
The decade that saw phenomenal growth in triathlon, the 1980s, ended with a step toward the future. In 1989, after several failed attempts, triathlon formed an international governing body. Twenty-five nations were represented at the founding congress of the International Triathlon Union in April in Avignon, France. The focus of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was to gain acceptance by the International Olympic Committee and have triathlon accepted on the Olympic program. The first step in that process would be to create a triathlon world championship. The race took place four months later in Avignon with Mark Allen of the United States and Erin Baker of New Zealand winning the inaugural world championship.
The Ironman may be triathlon’s most recognizable event, but the international or intermediate distance used in the Olympics is the sport’s most popular. The 1.5K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run is triathlon’s international standard and the format used at the triathlon world championship and eventually the Olympics. The 1980s also saw the development of the sprint or short distance triathlon, which is about half the distance of an international distance race.
In 1991, the IOC recognized the ITU as the sole governing body for the sport of triathlon at its 97th session in Birmingham, England. In 1993 the Pan American Games approved triathlon for competition at the 1995 Pan Am Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The first Goodwill Games Triathlon was held in St. Petersburg, Russia on July 23, 1994. Then in September of 1994, triathlon was named to the Olympic program as a medal sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
The first Olympic triathlons were held Sept. 16-17, 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Switzerland's Brigitte McMahon won the women's race and Canada's Simon Whitfield won the men's race.
The United States won its first Olympic triathlon medal on Aug. 25, 2004 when Susan Williams of Littleton, Colo., placed third in the women's Olympic triathlon in Athens, Greece. Kate Allen of Austria won the women's race and Hamish Carter of New Zealand won the men's race the next day.
Future
Triathlon has experienced monumental growth in the 21st century. In the summer of 2006, USAT hit 75,000 annual members. In 2007, USA Triathlon reached the 100,000 member milestone. There have been between 200,000 and 250,000 athletes competing yearly in the past few years and we don’t expect those numbers to slow anytime soon.
USAT is committed to introducing the benefits of the sport and the lifestyle that comes along with it to competitors of all ages, starting with youth, high schools and colleges. The average age of multisport athletes is between 35-40 years old, so we will be emphasizing the sport to younger groups to continue the strong growth of the sport.
In addition, USA Triathlon will be emphasizing the participatory aspects of the sport more throughout the next decade to encourage those from all walks of life to get involved.
These efforts will achieve fruition when triathlon becomes a household word and the multisport lifestyle is enjoyed by families in every state, county, city and town across the nation.
