What are the distances for Triathlons?
A. Triathlons typically come in 4 different formats, Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman distances. A sprint distance involves anywhere from 400-825 yards of swimming, 10-12 miles of cycling, and 3 miles of running. The Olympic distance format is twice that of the sprint, and is also known as the international distance. It involves 1.5 Kilometers (.9 miles) of swimming, 40k (24.9 miles) of cycling, and 10k (6.2 miles) of running. This is the official distance for Triathlon in the Olympics, hence the name Olympic distance. The Half-Ironman distance is a little more than twice that of the Olympic distance, except for the swim portion. It involves 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of cycling, and 13.1 miles of running. The next distance of racing is the Ironman distance, and it is twice the distance of the Half-Ironman. It consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running. Ouch!
