Talent ID Program
USA Triathlon’s Talent ID Program identifies, mentors, and supports world class runners with a solid swim background, and world class swimmers with significant running experience, whose unique skillsets could translate to success at the highest level of World Triathlon Draft-Legal racing. The TID program’s main focus is to assist athletes in the first two years of their professional career, and help kickstart their pursuit of the Olympic Games.
The target demographic for this program are collegiate athletes, around the ages of 20-23, who have proven success in both running and swimming (see Time Standards Guide), and are committed to the pursuit of a professional career in endurance sport.
Previous graduates of USA Triathlon’s Talent ID Program include:
- 2016 Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen
- 2020 Olympic silver and bronze medalist Katie Zaferes
- 2x Olympic silver medalist, Morgan Pearson
- Olympians, Summer Rappaport, Taylor Spivey, and Kirsten Kasper
- National Team Athletes, Matt McElroy, Rene Tomlin, Chelsea Burns
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How the Talent ID Program Works#
The USA Triathlon Talent ID Program focuses solely on draft-legal World Triathlon racing with the goal of helping specially-identified athletes go from being introduced to the sport of triathlon to being a self-sustained professional triathlete over the course of two years. This program is highly exclusive, and only a few athletes are selected each year. The following is an example of the selection process and how the athlete goes from being eligible to being selected.
Time Standards #
Swim & Run Metrics
World Leading swim and run times are an average of what the top athletes at the WTCS level are capable of doing in those individual events.
Internationally Ranked swim and run times are an average of what the top athletes at the World Cup level are capable of doing in those individual events.
Nationally Competitive swim and run times are an average of what the top athletes at the Continental Cup level are capable of doing in those individual events.
Development Potential swim and run times are an average of what the top athletes at domestic DraftLegal races are capable of doing in those individual events.
Bike Metrics
The bike data is what can be expected IN an actual draft legal triathlon race.
World leading = World Triathlon Championship Series
Internationally Ranked = World Cup
Nationally Competitive = Continental Cup
Development Potential = Domestic Draft-Legal
Draft-Legal Triathlon Basics #
Olympic style triathlon is made up of swimming, cycling, and running, and the Olympic Games include two events: Individual Race and Team Mixed Relay.
- The individual Olympic distance race is a 1.5k swim (.9 mile) / 40k bike (24.8 mile) / 10k run (6.2 mile).
- The Mixed Relay is made up of 2 men and 2 women where each athlete completes a mini-triathlon: 300m swim / 6k bike (3.7 mile) / 1.6k run (1 mile)
- Discover the Men's race and Women's race at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The bike is “draft-legal” which means you ride a road bike (not a time trial bike) and athletes are allowed to ride in a group (as opposed to solo).
USA Triathlon is the National Federation and World Triathlon is the International Federation.
There are three levels of World Triathlon racing: Continental Cup, World Cup, and World Triathlon Championship Series.
You earn points at each race and those points determine both your country ranking and world ranking.
Prize money is ALWAYS equal for men and women at every race around the world.
Personal/Individual sponsorships are allowed (even encouraged) when racing for the USA Triathlon National Team.
Additional racing opportunities (in addition to the Olympic-Distance and Team Mixed Relay):
- Sprint-Distance (750m swim / 20k bike / 5k run)
- Super Sprint (300m Swim / 7k bike / 2.5k run) - this race format typically coincides with a Semi-Finals & Finals Format
- Eliminator (Multiple rounds of Super Sprint Distance where the last 10 athletes are eliminated)
- eSports World Championships (Indoor triathlon raced in a pool, and on a virtual platform for the bike and run. The bike and run are on trainers and a treadmill)
Equipment necessary: Triathlon suit, swim cap, goggles, road bike, triathlon bike shoes, helmet, run shoes
Triathlon Basics
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Learn the basics of swim, bike and run.
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