Triathlons: An Introductory Overview

A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event involving swimming, bicycling and running. The multiple phases of this event must be completed within immediate succession of each other, and the event is timed, along with the transitions between each event.

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There are four main types of triathlons, classified according to distance. These are the Sprint, the Olympic, the Half Ironman, and the Ironman:

1. The Sprint - 750 m swim, 20 km bike ride, 5 km run
2. The Olympic Distance - 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, 10 km run
3. The Half - 1.93 km (1.2 miles) swim, 90 km (56 miles) bike ride, 21.09 km (13.1 miles) run
4. The Ironman - 3.86 km (2.4 miles) swim, 180 km (112 miles) bike ride, 42.2 km (26.2 miles) run