Rules of Triathlon

Traditionally, triathlon is an individual sport: each athlete is competing against the course and the clock for the best time. As such, athletes are not allowed to receive assistance from anyone else inside or outside the race, with the exception of race-sanctioned aid volunteers who distribute food and water on the course. This also means that team tactics, such as drafting, a cycling tactic in which several riders cluster closely to reduce the air resistance of the group, are not allowed.

This has started to change with the introduction of triathlon into the Olympic Games. Many Olympic-distance races including the Olympics themselves and ITU World Cup events now allow drafting during the cycling stage. Although this change sparked extensive debate among the triathlon community, it is now gaining acceptance among the community and in any case appears to be here to stay.

Triathlons are timed in sections:

1. From the start of the swim to the beginning of the first transition,
2. From the beginning of the first transition to the end of the second transition,
3. Finally at the end of the run, at which time the triathlon is completed.

Results are usually posted on official websites and will show for each triathlete their swim time; cycle time (with transitions); run time; and total time. Some races also post transition times separately.

Other rules of triathlon vary from race to race and generally involve descriptions of allowable equipment (such as wetsuits, which are allowed in the swimming stage of some races), and prohibitions against interference between athletes.