Triathlon is fast becoming one of the most popular activities in the world for amateur athletes. Every weekend, thousands of normally sane individuals drag themselves out of bed to compete in a triathlon. But if you have never attempted a triathlon before, is there such a concept as triathlon for beginners?
Triathlon sounds scary-can I do it?
Many people are terrified at the thought of attempting a triathlon. Once upon a time, triathlon was seen as a niche sport that only appealed to crazy people who liked a challenge. These days, everybody can (and does!) take part in triathlon and as long as you can swim, bike, and run, you will be fine.
What does triathlon involve?
Triathlon is a multi sport event. Competitors have to swim, bike, and run their way around a course and each discipline is timed. The twist with triathlon is that the clock starts the moment you enter the water and does not stop until you cross the finish line at the end of the run, which means you do not have time to blow dry your hair and stop for a rest between events!
Depending on your levels of fitness, there are different lengths of triathlon.
- Super Sprint – 400m swim, 10k bike, 2.5k run
- Sprint – 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
- Olympic – 1500m, swim 40km bike, 10km run
- Half Ironman – 1.9m swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run
- Ironman – 3.8m swim, 180km bike, 42.2km (marathon) run
A super sprint or sprint triathlon is probably the best triathlon for beginners to try, but if you are really ambitious (or insane) you can jump right in at the deep end and try an Ironman triathlon!
What equipment do I need?
All you need for your first triathlon is a swimming costume; a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to put on over your swim gear for the bike and run stage; any type of bike plus a bike helmet; and some running shoes. Once you decide you like triathlon, you can think about buying more kit, but until then, you can take part with the bare essentials.
I haven’t done enough fitness training!
Don’t panic! Anybody with a reasonable level of fitness can manage a shorter distance triathlon. As long as you do a couple of sessions per week in each discipline, you will definitely get round in one piece.
For those who are good at one sport, but do not normally bother with the other two, you will probably find that cross training in all three sports will really enhance your overall fitness as well as reduce the chances of being struck down by injury-particularly if running is usually your sport of choice.
I’m tempted now, but I’m just not sure I will fit in with all those tri-gods in tight lycra…
Triathlon for beginners is not only fun, it is a great way to get fit and make new friends. The triathlon community is very inclusive and if you come along to a beginner-friendly triathlon event, the other competitors are normally more than happy to offer friendly advice and motivational chats.
Try a beginner friendly triathlon and see how long it takes before you are signing up for an Ironman event!