How Much Time Does it Take to Finish an International Distance Triathlon? Average Finish Times

How long does it take to finish an International Distance Triathlon? The answer, based on our analysis of more than 75 triathlons: about 3 hours, on average.  Swim 1.5k in 40 minutes, Bike 40k in an hour and 20 minutes, and Run 10k in one hour. Transitions included in the total.

It's important to note that there can be, and often are, variations between one international distance triathlon and another, which will affect average finish times. Are all swim courses measured accurately? No. Are some bike courses longer than 40k? Yes; the Chicago Triathlon is a good example. The most reliable number is the run. Most 10k courses are measured relatively accurately, and on average, most runners do finish in 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Of course, there will be variations by age group and male vs female. So the next step is to compare average finish times by age group. This chart is for the 2011 Chicago Triathlon, average finish time 3:15. The swim was choppy, the bike course was, as always, long, but like most, the run course was average. Consider these times the high end of the International Distance Finish Times spectrum. If you're looking for a target finish time, you want to do better than these. 

We've mentioned variations primarily between swim and bike courses, so it's important to go the next level -- to look at swim, bike, run and transition split times by age group. Again this data is for the 2011 Chicago International Distance Triathlon. And, as noted above, consider these splits -- transitions, too -- as roughly the high range; you want to beat these times.

Toughest/Easiest Ironman Bike Course: Comparing 25 Ironman Races

What's the easiest Ironman triathlon bike course? Which is the hardest? From the most recent race data, St. George, UK and Lanzarote are easily toughest, followed by Cozumel, Lake Placid and Wisconsin. Austria, Arizona and Florida are among the fastest courses. 

Note that outside factors, such as weather, wind, or ability of athletes in the field will influence average times. Kona is harder than most, but qualifiers will, naturally, ride faster than most.  We think that the Austria time is probably deceptively fast. Unless the course was short or featured tailwinds, having ridden all four, we'd say it's harder than Arizona and Florida, and equivalent to New Zealand.

For more, see Bike Splits by Age Division, Average Ironman Run Course Splits and Average Ironman Finish Times.

Training Plans for Marathon and Ironman Triathlon

By Raymond Britt

You want to do one or more of the following -- 10k, half-marathon, marathon, triathlon, Ironman Triathlon, ultramarathon, but you wonder: Can you do it? What type of training, when? Run the Numbers. You'll see. Yes, you can.                      

How: Training is shaped for seasonal goals and objectives. Different targets call for different training plans and actions. Yet overall, the principles remain the same: a high-level plan based on 4-week periodization intervals, with high intensity efforts once per month.

To illustrate, this article presents training plan detail and summaries from six actual training years, each one with different goals and objectives:

1. Marathon PR and Qualify for Kona (avg. 8.5 training hours/week)
2. Re-qualify for Kona (7.5/week)
3. Setting a Triathlon Personal Best (8.0/week)
4. Taking it Easy (5.0/ week)
5. Just for Fun (3.25/week)
6. Balanced, with Nine Races (5.75/week)

Sample Training Plan 1: Marathon PR and Qualify for Kona: This plan is for a driven year that resulted in: a marathon PR (Boston 2:54); Qualified for Kona 2003 and 2004 at Lake Placid and Wisconsin, respectively; debut in Kona.

This was a year of determined racing with the most training overall compared to the other 5 plans. Average training hours/week = about 8 1/2 hours.

Plan 1 Day by Day Detail


Plan 1 Summary

From Training Plans

Sample Training Plan 2: Re-qualify for Kona: The following year the goal was to re-qualify Kona 2004 at Wisconsin (result: 6th place AG); race well in Kona (10:55), and run solid marathons. Average training time per week = 7 1/2 hours.

Training Plan 2 Detail


Training Plan 2 Summary

From Training Plans

Sample Training Plan 3: Setting a Triathlon Personal Best. This plan was for a third consecutive aggressive season, resulting in an Ironman triathlon personal best 10:12:22 at Ironman USA Lake Placid and a third Kona finish, plus sub-3 hour marathons. Average training time per week = 8 hours.

Training Plan 3 Detail


Training Plan 3 Summary

From Training Plans

Sample Training Plan 4: Easy Does It. This plan represents a year that was designed to cut back, to take it relatively easy. Results were still pretty good: Ironman Arizona in 10:35 followed by a 3:02 Boston Marathon 8 days later. Also finished Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Wisconsin and other marathons. Eased off later in the year. Average training hours/week = less than 5 hours.


Training Plan 4 Summary

From Training Plans

Sample Training Plan 5: Just for Fun. Mainly a year off from serious competition, though still racing often, at even lower intensity than shown in training plan 4. Finished Ironman Arizona, Boston marathon and four other marathons at a pace that kept it relatively fun, not competitive. Average training time per week: 3 1/4 hours. Realistically, races often served as long training days.

Training Plan 5 Summary

From Training Plans

Sample Training Plan 6: Balanced Year, Nine Endurance Races This season represented a year that effectively combined all the previous plans, with extensive endurance racing with pretty good performance and low training time.

This season had nine endurance events: five marathons, two 50-mile ultramarathons and two Ironman triathlons. Highlights included qualifying for Boston, finishing a 50-mile ultramarathon and Ironman Wisconsin within eight days, and running 3 marathons in four weeks.

Average training time per week = 5 and 3/4 hours. More time in summer when the sun rises earlier, still not cutting into work or family time.

Training Plan 6 Detail


Training Plan 6 Summary

From Training Plans

Feel free to mail me: raymondbritt at runtri.com. I'm happy to answer questions. Really.

For more about planning your season, see Planning Your Training and Racing Season. Also see: Balancing the Numbers -- Getting the Most From Your Training Plans

Important Note: These actual training logs and data should be considered illustrative as you prepare your own training strategies. Your mileage will vary; make sure your plan is right for your health, conditioning and physician's advice.

For more, return to RunTri.com.