Nonstandard Variations

Winter variants of triathlon, raced in snow-covered conditions, can include (in order):

• Cross country skiing, mountain biking and running.
• Cross country skiing, outdoor-ice speed skating and running.

Another popular variant are so-called off-road triathlons that consist of swimming, mountain biking and trail running. The best-known series of these races is known as XTerra.

Aquathlons are two-stage races consisting of a swiming stage and a running stage. Duathlons comprise a cycling stage and a running stage.

Recent decades have seen the development of a wide variety of so-called "multisport" events, of which triathlon is now considered only one major type.