The history of triathlon: from the origin to the evolution of the modalities

We know that triathlon is a sport that requires versatility, since those who practice it need to know how to swim, run, and cycle without losing their breath or rhythm. But ultimately, what is the history of triathlon? Could you tell us where it came from?

If you're curious to learn about the origins of triathlon, its different disciplines, and how this popular endurance sport evolved, keep reading this article.

What is Triathlon?

Let's start from the beginning: a triathlon is a sport that combines three different disciplines into a single race. You're cycling, running, and swimming!

It is considered an endurance sport, as it requires great stamina from the athletes. Tests and training can take place indoors, such as in swimming pools and on tracks, but they most commonly occur outdoors.

It is common to find competitions that take place at sea, on the streets, on the roads or on the trails, which gives this sport the pleasure of experiencing various environments in the same race.

Triathlon has an international organization to regulate the sport. The ITU, the International Triathlon Union, is responsible for recognizing and organizing the different disciplines and their rules.

As a world-renowned sport, Triathlon not only has an Olympic modality, but also boasts countless competitions around the world, such as the famous Ironman.

The origin of triathlon

If you thought the sport started with the Ironman in Hawaii, you'll be happy to know that the history of Triathlon began much earlier!

Fifty-eight years before the first event in Hawaii, in 1920, there were already records in France of an event that combined three sports, Les trois sports. Historian and former triathlete Scott Tinley cites the French newspaper L'Auto, which referred to a continuous competition of cycling, running, and swimming.

The first Triathlon competition record, already under that name, dates back to 1974 in San Diego, California. The race included a 550-meter swim, an 8-kilometer bike ride, and an 8.5-kilometer run.

In 1978, Hawaii was the birthplace of what would become the most famous Triathlon competition: 15 men came together under the idea of ​​John Collins, commander of the US Navy, to carry out a test that would unite the three modalities and discover who was the true “man” of iron, the Ironman.

Triathlon evolved, brought together the best athletes and conquered the world, until in the year 2000, in Sydney, the sport was included in the Olympic Games.

The evolution of Triathlon and its modalities

With the sport conquering the world and becoming an Olympic discipline, numerous different events and distances began to emerge.

The main triathlon disciplines currently are the following:

✅ Olympic

Standard format adopted for the Olympic Games. The event includes a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run.

✅ Short or Sprint

This is the ideal format for beginners and requires much more muscle power than endurance. Originating from the Olympic format, it combines a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride, and a 5-kilometer run into a single event.

✅ Double and triple Olympic

There is also the Long Distance World Championship, which has the double Olympic modalities, with double the Olympic distance, and the triple Olympic modalities, with triple the distance.

The first one consists of 3 kilometers of swimming, 80 kilometers of cycling and 20 kilometers of running, and the second one consists of 4 kilometers of swimming, 120 kilometers of cycling and 30 kilometers of running.

✅ Ironman

The most popular form of this sport takes place every year in the Hawaiian summer and features a 3.8-kilometer swim, a 180-kilometer bike ride, and a 42-kilometer run in a continuous race.

✅ Half Ironman

Also known as Ironman 70.3, the Half Ironman is half the distance of the full Ironman and is used as a qualifying format. The race includes a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer bike ride, and a 21-kilometer run.

✅ Ultraman

Too easy? Then how about a challenge that lasts not just one day, but three? That's the Ultraman format: 10 kilometers of swimming and 145 kilometers of cycling on the first day, followed by 276 kilometers of cycling on the second day and, on the third and final day, 84.4 kilometers of running, which is equivalent to two full marathons.

Did you find inspiration in learning more about the origin of Triathlon and its different modalities?

Now it's time to put your training into practice. Happy training!