Olympic Triathlons are performed at the Olympic Games. The triathletes who compete in this type of triathlon complete a swim, a bike ride, and a run.
The swim’s distance is 1.5 km (0.93 miles), followed by a 40km bike ride (24.8 miles), and finally, a 10 km (6.2 miles) run.
The distance was first agreed upon at the International Triathlon Union’s World Championship in France in 1989.
The International Triathlon Union is now known as World Triathlon.
The Olympic triathlon features double the distance of a sprint triathlon. A sprint triathlon consists of a 750m swim, a 20k bike, and a 5k run.
Normally, professional male athletes tend to complete a course within 1 hour and 45 minutes, and professional female athletes complete a course within around 2 hours.
This is using the draft-legal format, which specifies that during the cycling section of the triathlon, cyclists cannot enter another cyclist’s slipstream while following them for an extended period of time.
Newer or less advanced competitors tend to finish the Olympic triathlon within around 3 and a half to 4 hours.
For those athletes who have already ran a marathon, they should find the distance of an Olympic triathlon doable, but obviously they need to factor in the different types of exercises which may make for a slightly more difficult endurance challenge, as there are many more things to think about and plan for throughout.
The Olympic triathlon distance is also known as the standard distance and is the general distance specified for the World Triathlon Championship Series, which is a famous and elite competition entered by many elite athletes across the world.
The WTCS usually runs between spring and autumn. It features between six and eight races and a Grand Final.
Very advanced triathletes normally finish Olympic triathlons within a 2 hour time limit.
The world record for male Olympic triathletes is 1 hour 35 minutes 39 seconds and is held by German triathlete, Jan Frodeno.
For those athletes competing at the top of their age range, the time records for Olympic triathlons tend to sit in the 2 to 2 and a half hour range.
Olympic triathlons are a great test of athletic endurance and stamina, as they require strong maintenance of pace and energy levels throughout the course.
Extremely proficient fitness levels are required for the ability to transition effectively between exercises and maintain stamina during the course.
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