Three Steps to Discovering Your True Potential

Whether you come from a swim, bike or run background, competed in other sports, or are just getting into an active lifestyle, USA Triathlon has the resources to fuel your passion for multisport.

What is multisport?

History
Triathlon in the United States has its roots set firmly in Southern California. The early races were held in San Diego’s Mission Bay. It was only natural that the initial interest for a national governing body came from the same area.

Disciplines
Triathlon: Swim, bike, run. Though the basic format stays the same, triathlon has several racing distances, from the 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 something, anything is possible.

Duathlon is a run-bike-run combination. It is sometimes confused with biathlon, which is the official term for the Olympic sport of skiing and shooting. Typically contested in run – bike – run formats, duathlons are varied in length and run – bike – run combinations.

Aquathlon is a fun and fast-growing sport that combines running and swimming. A typical aquathlon is a run/swim/run combination; however it is not uncommon to see a two-stage race that is simply a swim/run combination.

Off-road multisport events have risen in popularity primarily due to the marketing and event prowess of Team Unlimited, the company responsible for the XTERRA points series and national and world off-road championships.

Winter triathlon involves running, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing – all performed on snow. It is a perfect way to learn new sports, improve your base fitness and expand your skills as a multisport athlete.

Other disciplines: Multisport can take many forms. One that is becoming popular of late is Aquabike, a swim/bike combination that has become a favorite of injured athletes who can no longer run.

What is USA Triathlon?

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon – the fastest growing sport in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,500 races and connects with more than 115,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.

Training

Education
White papers are documents to help you fuel the multisport lifestyle as an athlete, coach, race director, fan and more. Check back for more white papers as they become available. The first is an introduction to multisport racing.
Visit the USAT white papers page

USA Triathlon offers a number of training and racing clinics and conferences for race directors, coaches and athletes all across the country, year round. Check out what types of events are coming to your area.
Visit the Webinar and CEU page

Multisport Zone
Multisport Zone is a weekly e-newsletter produced by USA Triathlon, geared toward age groupers. The focus of Multisport Zone is to provide relevant information on training, nutrition, gear, news and more to USA Triathlon members.
Visit the Multisport Zone archive

Find a Coach
Are you an athlete looking for a coach or mentor who can help you achieve your fitness, training, and racing goals? Take your performance to the next level by contacting a USAT Certified Coach in your area.
Visit the USAT Certified Coach directory

Community of Members

Benefits & Partners
Being a member of USA Triathlon not only allows you to join more than 115,000 other like-minded multisport enthusiasts, you get access to great benefits provided by USAT and our corporate partners like Blue Competition Cycles, Rudy Project, Gatorade, Speedo and Zone Labs. USA Triathlon members also receive a subscription to the quarterly USA Triathlon magazine USA Triathlon Life.
Visit the membership benefits page to learn more
Visit the sponsors page to view a list of USAT corporate partners

Find a Club
Looking to train and race with a group of multisport athletes in your area? USA Triathlon maintains an extensive list of clubs across the nation. Search here for clubs near you.
Visit the Find a Club page

Stay Connected
USA Triathlon is on twitter, facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and more. Join an engaging community of multisport enthusiasts.
Visit the Stay Connected page

Become a Member
USA Triathlon’s membership program is comprised of 115,000-plus members living a healthy lifestyle. Members of USA Triathlon receive information to take their training to the next level, access to great discounts on products and services, and the satisfaction of providing support for programs designed to promote and grow multisport throughout the country. USA Triathlon offers a one-year Adult Membership for $39 and a Youth Membership for $5. The membership will cover your racing needs.
Visit the Membership section

Multimedia
Visit the video channel for an up-close look at multisport. We also produce photo galleries from races and other events.

Racing

Events Calendar
Check out our calendar of over 2,300 sanctioned events

National Championships
National Championship events that are owned and produced by USAT include the National Age Group Championship, Youth Nationals, Collegiate Nationals and Short Course Duathlon Nationals. The National Championship events are USAT’s premier events of the year in which we strive to offer the best possible event for all athletes. USAT also supports the Sprint, Long Course Triathlon, Long Course Duathlon and Club national championships through existing premier events.
Visit our National Championship page for details on each event

Team USA
Team USA was created by USA Triathlon to be a team of age group/amateurs who will best represent the United States and compete in the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) world championships, which attracts the best athletes representing over 50 countries each year. Want to represent your country?
Visit the Team USA page to learn more

Rankings
The rankings program continues to be one of the most popular benefits of membership. Rankings are an important gauge in monitoring each athlete's performance against the nation's best. They are also helpful in comparing an athlete's personal performances from one year to the next.
Visit the Rankings section