Triathlon how long is the swim

An athlete on the way to finishing a Photo: Getty Images Swim: 1. The half iron distance also known as The training volume is higher than its short-course counterparts, but not exceedingly so—many athletes find ways to fit their half iron training in without shirking their family, work, and social obligations. Still, this requires commitment and attention to detail—not only in your schedule, but in your lifestyle.

Things like adequate sleep and proper nutrition become increasingly important, as will a good budget—at the half-Iron distance and up, gear matters. A bike that is comfortable enough for a An athlete finishes Ironman Hamburg. Depending on who you ask, doing a Training for an Ironman is not just a few big training days but a lifestyle, with daily work toward the ultimate goal — multiple workouts per day, hours-long rides and runs on the weekends, recovery routines, and nutrition so much nutrition — more exercise means more food!

Dove Updated: Jul 26, Even if you're not a sports fanatic, triathlons are compelling to watch. Just the idea that someone has the fortitude to swim, bike and run for dozens — sometimes hundreds — of miles is fascinating. So, what are the various triathlon distances? The length of a triathlon may vary , but there are four basic lengths [sources: Lacke ; Trifind ]:. Most triathlons follow a traditional pattern of swimming, biking and then running, but there are several adaptations designed to make it more feasible for athletes of all ages and fitness levels to compete.

Aquabike is a combo of — you guessed it — swimming and biking. Triathlons have even become a cold-weather sport that features running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. And, triathlons have gone off-road.

In some parts of the country, competitors swim, mountain bike and trail run to the finish line [source: USA Triathlon ]. The idea for a multisport race grew out of an informal cross-training exercise started by endurance runners in San Diego's Mission Bay area. The first recorded triathlon took place there in ; a starting line fronted Mission Bay, and a yard swim through the bay was followed by a 5-mile bicycle and 2. Four years later, John Collins — who'd been a competitor in the event — combined three of Hawaii's longstanding endurance events into a single triathlon-style competition dubbed Ironman that soon captured the attention of sportscasters and television viewers alike [source: Ironman ].

Six of the deaths occurred during swims in the open ocean, four in lakes, two in reservoirs and one in a river. Still, Harris's research indicates that deaths are rare during triathlons—nearly , athletes participated in the events studied. Scientific American spoke with Harris about his research, the dangers of the swimming leg and what might be done to make triathlons less dangerous.

We have a large registry here at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation that looks at sudden death in athletes. We were aware of the death rate in marathons. However, given that the triathlon has become so popular and we had noted some triathlon deaths , we started to look at it formally.

The USA Triathlon— sanctioned races allowed us to pull out the denominator of athletes competing and thus calculate the incidence of death [at about 1. Nearly all of the deaths you studied occurred during the swimming events. Did this surprise you, given that swimming is the first leg of the triathlon and, presumably, the athletes are not suffering from the heat or from exhaustion at this point in the competition?

Yes, exactly. We were first surprised by this but I note this trend continues beyond the end of our study also in several non-sanctioned races we did not formally look at. While at first I was surprised, it does make sense for a number of reasons: first, the adrenaline surge and pure number of athletes entering the water at the same time; second the fact that I suspect many athletes come from a background in running or other sports and may be less adept at swimming; third, swimming in a triathlon is totally different sport than doing some laps in the pool due to variability of extremes of waves [as well as] people swimming around you and on top of you; fourth, the inability to rest properly if needed or call for help as you could do in the marathon and bike [segments]; and, fifth, the difficulties in being noticed if the swimmer is in trouble due to the number of athletes in a body of water, which is not transparent.

I think these are some of the factors that are related. It would appear that most of the deaths that you studied were the result of cardiovascular abnormalities. How is it possible to train for a triathlon without such problems arising well in advance of the competition? Much depends on the course profile and the conditions on the day. For Ironman The average time for an amateur to complete an Ironman race is around hrs. There are a number of variables, such as the profile of the course, the weather conditions on the day and the age of the triathlete in question.

For the standard or Olympic distance, amateurs might look at 3hrs to complete the distance. Tim Don. Ironman Triathlon The behemoth of triathlon. Super League Triathlon The Super League Triathlon distance is a new, exciting and super short race format of m swim, 4km bike and 1km run. What distance should I try as a beginner? How much do triathlon events cost? Can I do an Ironman as my first triathlon? How to train for a triathlon? What distance is a mini triathlon? What are the average times for professionals?

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