One of the many benefits USA Triathlon annual members receive, USAT's National Rankings allow you to see how you stack up against friends, family, co-workers and others in your age group across the country. To qualify, participate in three (3) triathlons, or two (2) races in other multisport disciplines like duathlon, aquabike, aquathlon, or off-road triathlon, and be a current USA Triathlon member by December 31 of the current year. The top 10 percent of each age group earn All-American status and are listed each year in the spring issue of USA Triathlon Magazine.
Given the importance and popularity of the rankings program, USA Triathlon, the Age Group Committee, and members from several other advisory groups including the Women’s Commission and the Senior Task Force have created a program that is as accurate and fair as possible in determining how athletes rank across the country.
New for 2026, USA Triathlon's State Championship pilot program in Florida and Massachusetts gives athletes the chance to compete for a state title using the same rankings system that powers National Rankings — just race any sanctioned triathlon in your state and your points count automatically.
To be eligible for State Champion recognition:
- Complete at least three USA Triathlon-sanctioned triathlon races in your state
- Your top three scores in on-road and off-road triathlon (combined) will be averaged to determine your State Championship Series score
- Hold an active USA Triathlon membership with a Florida or Massachusetts address on 12/31/2026
- At season's end, USA Triathlon will recognize State Champions in each age group based on total rankings points
- Race age, the age group you race under, is determined by one’s age on 12/31 of the race year
- To be included in the Final Rankings, an athlete must have an active membership on 12/31 of the race year
- Athletes must finish a race in order for it to count as one of the required races toward placement in the national rankings. Races where athletes do not finish or are disqualified will not count toward the race minimum.
- Athletes who hold an elite license in triathlon (excluding collegiate elite license holders) will appear in the results but will not qualify for a national ranking in any sport. Elite duathlete and off-road triathletes are eligible for age group rankings in any discipline other than that in which they hold an elite license.
- National ranking scores are calculated using each athlete’s top two to three scores depending on discipline: Triathlon = 3, Duathlon = 3, Aquabike = 2, Aquathlon = 2, Off-Road Triathlon = 2.
- All athletes who receive an overall score will be used as pacesetters for the next season
- If you discover an error in your rankings, you must notify the rankings department by midnight Mountain Time on January 31 of the following race year. Request for corrections received after this date will be denied.
*USAT reserves the right to update rules in order to ensure a fair and equitable ranking*
In order for results to be included in the national rankings, a race must meet the following requirements:
- Races must be sanctioned by USAT
- Races must be distance-based and not time-based. Any race that is time-based cannot be accurately scored as athletes will travel different distances in the allotted time (USATri60 events are not ranked due to these guidelines).
- Athletes participating as part of Team USA at ITU World Championship races will receive a ranking for these races
- A race must have more than one finisher in order to be ranked
- Race type must be one of the following: on-road triathlon, off-road triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon or aquabike. As of 2016, adult age group amateur draft-legal races will be included with on-road triathlon rankings. Junior elite and youth elite development races will be ranked in 2020.
- Each multisport discipline is ranked separately
- Only adult races are ranked (youth athletes participating in an adult race will be ranked)
- The race must have a multi-sport component (minimum two disciplines).
- If a leg is canceled or changed before the start of the race, the race will be ranked as it was originally sanctioned regardless of when the leg is canceled.
Commonly Used Terms
Age Group: There are 18 age groups: 15 and under, 16-17, 18-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90+
Calculated Time: A pacesetter’s time – ((time in race*(overall score/100))
National Ranking: an athlete’s placement among other athletes of the same gender and in the same age group. The athlete with the best score will ranked number 1.
Original Score: initial comparison of athlete time against par time (athlete time / par time)
Overall Score: An average of the top three original scores in on-road triathlon or duathlon (top two of all other sports - aquathlon, aquabike, off-road triathlon). For annual members, the overall score is used to determine one’s National Ranking each year
Pacesetter: any athlete who completed three or more triathlons the previous year (two or more of any other sport).Beginning in 2014 membership status will not affect whether or not one is a pacesetter.
Par Time: estimated fastest time possible by an amateur athlete and determined by the pacesetters in the race. Note: Par time is specific to the course and will change from year to year based on who is racing.
Race Score: Score in the race (an inverse of the Original Score) * 100
Have questions about your ranking or about how the rankings scoring is calculated? Check out these frequently asked questions to see if your concern is addressed. Please review your rankings as the season progresses for accuracy. If you feel that there is an error in your rankings submit a rankings inquiry. All rankings inquiries must be submitted by January 31 in order to have your correct ranking appear in the spring issue of USA Triathlon magazine. Please note: requests received after January 31st for the previous season's results will not be made. Rankings are finalized beginning 2/1 following the race season. Just a reminder: to be ranked, your membership must be active on 12/31 (December 31) of the race year.
Visit the rankings page. This page defaults to the "Race Results" page which allows you to look up a specific race.
To view your national ranking, click on the words "National Rankings" at the top of the ranking page. Here you can look up athlete national rankings based on year, sport, gender, and age group. You can also see how you are doing compared elite athletes in your age group by checking the box next to "Show Unranked."
Finally, you can look at all your race scores, dating back to 2009, by clicking on the words "Athlete Results" at the top of the ranking page. In order to view your scores you will need to enter either your USA Triathlon member number or your name. All your results should show under one search. To report any missing results, please email our membership staff. Please provide the race name, race date, and race discipline (Triathlon, Duathlon, Aquathlon, Aquabike or Off-Road Triathlon) - this information will aid us in tracking down the missing results.
The rankings formula was determined by the USA Triathlon Membership Services Department, the Age Group Commission, and members from several other advisory groups including the Women’s Commission, and the Senior Task Force.
All athletes that complete the minimum required number of races will be used as pacesetters in the following season. The significance of the pacesetter system is to provide us with a par time for each event in the current season. The par time is the projected time in which the fastest amateur athlete could finish the race.
The par time is calculated by taking each pacesetter’s finish time in the race multiplied by the pacesetter’s previous year's overall ranking divided by 100. We then drop the top and bottom 20 percent of the calculated times and average the middle 60 percent in order to create a par time. Now that the par time has been calculated, it can be used to calculate a ranking for every participant. This is done by taking the member’s finishing time divided by the par time in minutes, inverting it, and then multiplying the inverted number by 100.
Before submitting an inquiry, please go through the steps below. If after reading through those you feel there is an error, please contact Membership.
- Check the Event Calendar to ensure the event was sanctioned. If an event is not listed on the calendar, then it was not a sanctioned event and therefore, will not be included in the National Rankings.
- Did you compete in a relay? You must have competed as an individual rather than a relay team member in order to be included in the rankings.
- Search for your race on the "Race Results" page. Once the race is pulled up you can then search by your name. If you find your name on the "Race Results" page but the race does not appear on the "Athlete Results" page when you search by your member number then the results were not linked to your membership account. Although you are asked to submit your annual membership number to all sanctioned races, sometimes results are submitted to USA Triathlon without them. This can cause results to not be linked to your member number.
- If you are searching using your name, did you enter the race using a nickname? If so, try search under that name. If you results appear, please contact Membership and provide the name one your membership card and the name under which you raced. Your name must match your membership card exactly in order for the search engine to work appropriately. To prevent issues, the name on your USA Triathlon membership card should match the name you register with and what is on your photo ID.
All-American packets will arrive in the mail (US residents only) at the beginning of April.
You must have competed in a minimum of three triathlons or duathlons or two of any other multisport discipline (aquathlon, aquabike, or off-road triathlon ) in order to be ranked. Please note that each discipline is scored separately.
If you competed in more than the minimum number of required events, the average of your top three scores will be used to calculate your final ranking within the triathlon and duathlon division and your top two scores within the aquathlon, aquabike and off-road triathlon divisions.
Events with special disciplines (canoe, horseback, skiing, rafting, etc.) are not included in the rankings.
Relays are not ranked because of all of the different variances that occur within teams. Also, the ranking system is designed to evaluate individual performances in multisport races only.
All calculations were based on the par time. Calculations were based on a mathematical formula that computed the score based on information supplied by the race director.
Please contact Membership as soon as you notice an error and no later than January 31 of the following race year. Please note: race directors have three weeks from the day of the event to submit results. It then takes approximately 3-5 business for the results to be posted online (depending on the time of the season.)
Final scores will be determined by averaging your top three scores (triathlon and duathlon) or top two scores (aquathlon, aquabike, & off-road triathlon)Triathlon scores are determined by inverting the top three scores, creating an average of those three inversions, reinverting the average and finally multiplying by 100. Your overall score is not a simple average of the top three scores. Top three scores of 97, 100, and 103 will not average 100, but will instead be 99.940. The average inversion of the top three scores would be 1.00060054 and would then be reinverted (1/1.00060054) x 100.
If no pacesetters are available, the alternative ranking method uses the 2005 rankings model which looks at the number of race participants, distance and level of the race to determine a percentage of the lead amateur athlete's time to use as par time for the race. Everyone is then compare against this par time.
Yes. Please contact Membership to have the correct name appear in your results. Commas and periods can mean a non-match in the system. If you used names in competition different than what appears on your membership card, this probably caused the results to not post under your account. Name matches have to be used since many races do not submit membership numbers on race results. Also, if you had a name change during the season, please log into your account and update your information. You will be able to print a temporary card to use until it is time to renew your membership, or you can order a new card online.
Have questions about the Florida or Massachusetts State Championship pilot program or how state rankings are calculated? Browse the FAQs below. Review your state rankings throughout the season for accuracy — if you spot an error, submit a rankings inquiry by January 31. Reminder: Your USA Triathlon membership must be active through December 31 of the race year, and your membership address must be in Florida or Massachusetts to be eligible for State Champion recognition.
To be included in state rankings you must compete in and finish three (3) triathlons (on-road or off-road) in the relevant state. If you raced 3 times but any of those races took place in a different state, those results will not count toward your state ranking.
a. State rankings are based on the top 3 scores of those races that took place in the relevant state. National rankings are based on race results from races across all 50 states. If you scored higher in a particular race, but that race did not take place in a state participating in the pilot program, it will be excluded from the relevant state ranking (but it will be included in your national ranking).
State rankings are based on the top 3 scores of those races that took place in the relevant state. National rankings are based on race results from races across all 50 states. If you scored higher in a particular race, but that race did not take place in a state participating in the pilot program, it will be excluded from the relevant state ranking (but it will be included in your national ranking).
Open Fields do not qualify for rankings and therefore if you race in those fields, those race results will not count towards State Rankings.
Please refer to USA Triathlon’s score calculation methodology on the "How Are Overall Scores Calculated?" PDF.