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.

With the advent of the the new year in 2011, lots of people have New Year's resolutions that they would like to make happen this year. People have lists of things they want to accomplish like lose a certain number of pounds or run a marathon. If completing a triathlon is on that list, then this site can help you accomplish that.

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

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

One of the largest triathlon events in the world is the annual Wildflower Triathlon, traditionally held in the first weekend of May at Lake San Antonio in California since 1983. It is known for being a particularly difficult course, and attracts 7,5000 athletes and 30,000 spectators each year.