by Amy Rosenburg

Created on: April 06, 2008

Perhaps you have seen the famous Hawaii Ironman triathlon on television one night; maybe you know someone who competes in iroman triathlons; possibly, this is your first time hearing the words "ironman triathlon". Either way, you are interested in the ironman triathlon. If you are willing, you can easily start training for triathlon. With a lot of hard work and dedication, you may be capable of finishing an ironman distance triathlon.

The decision to start training for an ironman triathlon is a decision typically made by an experienced triathlete. There have, however, been athletes whose first triathlon was an ironman distance. I would recommend that you complete at least a couple of triathlons of shorter lengths before you consider training for an ironman. The reason is that shorter distance triathlons give you more experience with the skills you need to compete in a triathlon. If you make a mistake, such as trying a new type of food that does not agree with you, it will harm you less in a shorter triathlon. If you make a mistake in an ironman distance triathlon, it may cost you the race. Shorter distance triathlons will give you a great opportunity to learn from your mistakes so that you do not make the mistakes when it counts.

There are many distances of triathlons you can train for and complete on your way to becoming an ironman. The shortest distance triathlon is a sprint distance triathlon. This triathlon consists of about a half-mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. If you want a greater challenge than the sprint, you can complete an Olympic distance triathlon. An Olympic distance triathlon consists of a 1500 meter swim (about a mile), 40 kilometer (about 25 mile) bike ride, and a 10 kilometer (about 6 mile) run. If you feel comfortable with the distances in an Olympic event, the next step up is a half ironman. This event consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. After you feel confident in your ability to finish these distances, you can start your training for an ironman.

An ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. An experienced triathlete should allow between 4-6 months to train for this enormous distance. A less experienced triathlete should allow more time to get more comfortable with the shorter distance triathlons. There are many great training programs you can find online at websites such as www.beginnertriathlete.com and www.trifuel.com. These websites also have informative

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