How a Triathlon Works

In a typical triathlon, racers arrive at the venue about an hour before the race is to begin, to set up their "transition area". Here they will generally have a rack to hold their bicycle and a small area of ground space for shoes, clothing, and so on. In some races, the bicycle stage does not finish in the same place it begins, and athletes will set up two transition areas, one for the swim to bike transition, and one for the bike to run transition.

Racers are generally categorised into separate professional and amateur groups; amateurs are often referred to as "age groupers" who form the great majority of triathletes. One feature that has helped to boost the popularity of such a complex time-intensive sport is the opportunity to compete against others of one's own gender and age group. The age groups are typically set at between 5 and ten year intervals.

In some triathlons, amateur athletes may instead compete against others in heavier-weight divisions. Clydesdale athletes are those men generally over 200 pounds, while Athena athletes are those women generally over 150 pounds. This is not officially sanctioned in any of the professional or Olympic events.

There is usually (as in most marathons) a lower age limit (typically 18) for the longer triathlons, but many shorter races have been organised to allow children and teens to compete in triathlon.

After transitions are set up, the athletes don their swim gear and head to the swim area - usually a lake or beach - for the race start. Depending on the type and size of the race, either all the athletes will enter the water at a single signal ("mass start", traditional in Iron-distance races), or in waves spaced every few minutes, usually by age group (wave starts are more common in shorter races where a large number of amateur athletes are competing).

The swim leg usually proceeds around a series of marked buoys and exits the water near the transition area. Racers run out of the water and attempt to change from their swim gear into cycling gear as rapidly as possible. In some of the earliest races, tents were provided for changing clothes. In the modern day, however, competition and pressure for time has led to the development of specialised triathlon clothing that is adequate for both swimming and cycling, meaning many racers' transition consists of little more than removing goggles and pulling on a helmet and cycling shoes. In some cases, racers leave shoes attached to their bicycle pedals and put them on while riding.

The cycling stage proceeds around a marked course and finishes back at the transition area, where racers rack their bicycles and change quickly into running shoes before heading out for the final stage. The run finishes at a finish line usually near the start and transition areas.