Triathlon For Fun

Triathlon for beginners is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Every weekend, millions of sensible adults drag their weary bodies out of bed to swim, bike, and run around some of the most beautiful, and sometimes challenging, parts of the country. Once considered a niche sport that only appealed to serious athletes, these days, triathlon for fun appeals to a huge cross section of the population, from serious club athletes, to weekend warriors looking for a temporary fix of adrenaline.

The beauty of triathlon for beginners is that it is a very inclusive sport and no matter what standard you are competing at, everyone who turns up to have a go at any triathlon event, however big or small, is always guaranteed a warm welcome by the other participants.

But how does triathlon actually work?

Triathlon is basically three separate sports combined into one fun event. There are different event distances, from super sprint, right the way up to the infamous Ironman event, but each one is characterised by the same format—swim, bike, and run, all in that order.

What makes triathlon different is that from the moment you enter the pool or open water venue, you are under a timer until you cross the finish line at the end of the run. This means that even when you are transitioning from one discipline to the next, you are still being timed. So rather than sit down after the swim and leisurely drying your feet before hopping on to your bike, you have to do everything as fast as possible!

It sounds difficult to those who have never attempted such an insane thing, but this is what makes triathlon so much fun. Lots of people are very good at one sport or another, but most of us rarely spend much time doing all three at once. For those runners who are plagued with persistent injuries, triathlon can be a godsend as cross training is an excellent way of injury proofing the body. Keen cyclists can often find that adding running and swimming into their training schedule will increase fitness levels. Triathlon training is an excellent all round training program for overall fitness.

But what if I have never done any fitness training before?

Do not despair!

Unlike marathon training, triathlon training does not need to take over your entire life. As long as you have a reasonable level of base fitness, there are lots of beginner training schedules to help you reach the start line of a sprint distance triathlon. If you can’t swim at all, then obviously you will need to learn before you take part in an event, but if you can only swim breast stroke, don’t panic, that is perfectly acceptable for the shorter distance triathlons.

There are plenty of events suitable for beginners held throughout the triathlon season that runs from March through to October. Many are advertised as “Triathlon for Beginners” events and are therefore designed for those people wishing to test the water at a friendly venue.

Triathlon is enormous fun—even for the not terribly athletic—and you will have the time of your life if you give it a go. You might find, like many others, you are soon bitten by the triathlon bug and before you know it, you are signing up for an Ironman event!