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The clock starts ticking when you jump in the water and start swimming. The time is still running as you finish the swim, exit the water, enter the transition area, grab your bike, and head out on the bike course. After finishing the bike segment, back in the transition area, you put on your running shoes and head out on the run course. Time is still running. The clock finally stops when you, excited, cross the finish line at the end of the run.

Triathlon is about individual performance, so drafting during the bike segment is generally not allowed.

Triathlon provides participants a unique experience by often having the professionals and the amateurs race on the same course, on the same day, and often at the same time.

Race Division

Depending on the size and type of event, there are several divisions to compete in.

• Professional/Elite. Establish performance criteria must be met to obtain the license to race in this division from the USATriathon. The event also needs to meet certain guidelines established by USATriathlon.
• Elite. Seen at events where the organizers want to offer a "open" division not neccessarily meeting the above mentioned criteria. Competing in this division normally makes you ineligible for age group prices. For ranking purposes USAT does not recognize this divisions results, but might still sanction the event.
• Amateurs. Amateurs compete in age groups based on their age. Age groups are divided up in five-year increments, such as 20-24, 25-29, etc.
• Masters. Some events have a masters division, which ranks all participants age 40 and over.
• Clydesdale (men over 190-200lbs) and Athena (women over 150-160lbs.)
• Relays. A relay team is made up of two or three individuals. Depending on the size of the event divisions include women, men, and co-eds. In some events sub-divisions based on the combined age of the participants and/or their professions are common.
• Triathlon Club, Youth, Collegiate and High School divisions are now appearing at events.
• Kids. Increasingly popular, kids events feature divisions for 7 to 10 (7 to 8 & 9 to 10) and 11 to 14 (11 to 12 & 13 to 14) year olds.

USATriathlon Ranking

In the early spring USATriathlon publishes its rankings.

USAT membership and results from at least three USAT sanctioned events is required to get a rankings score. One-day memberships will not do. Your score is the average of your three best event scores. Check the regional website for regional rankings.

Your age division is determined by your age as of December 31st. If you turned 20, 25, etc. late in the year you raced in that age division.

For distance calculations visit http://www.convert-me.com.

Sprint. The vast majority of triathlons are sprints. The swim is between 400 and 1000 yards, the bike between 10 and 16 miles and the run between 2 and 4 miles. Many events try to offer the ½-mS-12.5-mB-3.1mR "standard."

International Distance.
1.5kS-40kB-10kR
0.92mS-24.8mB-6.2mR

This popular distance is a goal for many. The distance is also used in the Olympics and by the International Triathlon Union for their World Cup circuit. ITU sanctioned events allow drafting during the bike portion.

IM & ½ IM.
3.8kS-180kB-42.2kR
2.4mS-112mB-26.2mR

For most it takes upwards of two "workdays" worth of swimming, biking and running to get to the finish line and eternal bragging rights.

1.9kS-90kB-21.1kR
1.2mS-56mB-13.1mR

Increasing in popularity, most can finish the ½ IM in more or less a "workday."

MiniMan.
0.380kS-18kB-4.2kR
400yS-11.2mB-2.62mR

This distance, a tenth of the IM, is quite popular in Europe and takes about an hour to complete.

Triathlon History

46 participants raced in the first triathlon, held in Southern California in 1974. In 1978 the first IM on Hawaii had 12 participants. In 1982 the first pro series, best know as the United States Triathlon Series or the Budlight Series, started up. It ended in 1992. The first official world championship was held in 1989 in Avignon, France. The current ITU World Cup format, allowing drafting during the bike segment in international distance events, started in 1995. In 2000, in Sydney, AUS, triathlon made its Olympic debut.