 The triathlon is an endurance event that features three legs of varying lengths, depending on the type of triathlon. All triathlons consist of swimming, cycling, and running. Although long-distance endurance competitions have existed for hundreds of years, the triathlon did not begin to take shape until the 1970s. During this time, athletes and fitness enthusiasts in the United States were caught in a long-distance running craze.
The first event, referred to as a "triathlon," took place in San Diego, California, in 1974. Local athletes Don Shanahan and Jack Johnstone organized the race, which consisted of just under 50 participants. Competitors began the event with a 500-yard swim, followed by a six-mile run and a five-mile bike race. John Collins, a US Naval officer, took part in the event and finished 35th overall. A few years later, while stationed in Hawaii, Collins created the Hawaiian Ironman. It consisted of the same events as the original triathlon but at much greater distances and in a different order: a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, the latter of which constitutes a full marathon. The initial staging of the Hawaiian Ironman triathlon drew only 15 competitors. That said, several participants ranked among the leading long-distance runners in the world, drawing considerable attention to the race, which quickly grew in popularity and prestige. Just a few decades later, the event was drawing approximately 1,600 athletes from over 50 countries. Local running clubs supported early triathlon races, but the popularity of the Hawaiian Ironman garnered the attention of corporate sponsors. In response, athletes established the International Triathlon Union, now known as World Triathlon, as the sport's governing body in Avignon, France. Today, World Triathlon is the host of the annual World Championship Series. Over time, triathlon officials have recognized several race variants. The ironman lengths are popular among endurance fanatics, while multi-disciplinary track and field competitions often prefer the sprint triathlon, which consists of a half-mile run, a 15.5-mile ride, and a three-mile run. Both the Olympics and World Triathlon events feature slightly extended lengths of just under one mile of swimming, a 25-mile cycling portion, and a six-mile run. Male athletes usually finish the race in around one hour and 50 minutes, while women typically complete the race in a little under two hours. At the Olympic and World Triathlon distance, Alex Yee holds the world record for men at one hour, 41 minutes, and 50 seconds, which he accomplished at 2022 WTCS Cagliari. Emma Snowsill set the women's record during the 2010 ITU World Championship Final, finishing the race in one hour, 49 minutes, and 43 seconds. By comparison, top athletes can complete an Ironman triathlon in around nine hours. In recent years, the international running community has grown increasingly interested in ultramarathon races. Triathlon organizers have followed suit, developing extended triathlons to test the limits of an athlete's endurance. That said, it is unlikely that any future triathlon length surpasses that of the 1998 double deca-triathlon in Monterrey, Mexico, which was designed to be 20 times the length of an Ironman event. Vidmantas Urbonas completed the race first, taking just under 438 hours.
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