What does a sub 2 hour Olympic distance triathlon equate to?

Do they really measure those things. Isn't the 10K run anywhere between 8.5 and 9.7K?

The simplest and most truthful answer is that it shows your ability to run a 35 minute 10k after swimming 1500m in 20 min and biking 40k in 63.

But you want some other comparison so I will give you one data point. Make of this what you will. I am NOT a decent runner - at least compared to you - so this won't be THAT useful.

But last year I did the Wilkes Barre Triathlon which is Olympic distance (except that the run is 7 miles and both the bike and run are very hilly particularly the run) I did it in 2:26. Here were my splits

Swim 1500M: 28:40

T1: 1:36

Bike 40 KM: 1:12:13 (20.7 mph)

T2: 1:32

Run 7 MI: 42:34 (6:11 / mile)

Right now I am about a 2:40 marathoner. I'm shooting for 2:37 at my next one.

A few weeks after that one, I did a half ironman (Timberman). Then about 6 weeks after that I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2:41.

My best Olympic Distance tri was 1:57:58 in 1998. (Best IM was 9:49). At the time I was a 32-minute 10K runner. My splits in that particular race:

swim: 23:00

Bike: 57:30

Run 36:00.

Add transitions, and there you go.

This was an accurate course-I was a fanatic about knowing which courses were accurate, since I am a runner.

Best run split ever was on the same course: 33:45. Damn near killed me. I was chasing Bruce Gennari and Barry Something-or-other. Didn't catch them.

Spend your time learning to swim. A good runner can pick up the cycling rather quickly, but there's no substitute for imprinting good swim habits. I didn't get those...

potential triathlete wrote:

What is a sub 2 triathlon worth? 2:30 marathon or better?

When I did one in about 2:10 I doubt I was even in 2:50 shape, so I would guess it depends on how good you are at swimming and biking.

While you can't really predict a triathlon time based on a running time or vis versa, I think 32 minutes for 10K on the roads and 2 hours for an accurate Olympic Distance triathlon are very comparable performances. Both put you solidly in the class of a decent, but not great, regional competitor.

My best triathlon time is 2:01 and my best road 10K is 32:07. Though whenever I can do one, I am about 5% off of the other because of the different training. Both will win you $50 here and there at the bigger local races, but you will never beat anyone who is actually good (unless they crash or are really out of shape), and whether or not you place is more dependent on who shows up than how you compete that day.

When I did 2:01 my splits were:

1500 Swim - 20:54

40K Bike - 1:01:04

10K Run - 36:17

Add the transitions and there you have it. Right before that race I ran 33:22 in a road 10K and swam just under 20 minutes for 1600 short course yards in the pool (no wetsuit). I didn't really train for the bike and that really cost me on the run. Most of the time I struggled to break 40 for the last 10K so I would recommend doing more cycling.

I used to swim way back in H.S....there is no way you would break 20 min for the swim, wouldn't happen after a few months of training....especially in open water. I used to race bicycles pretty seriously (category 1), and dropping a 60 minute 40k time trial, which is 25 miles per hr, then trying to run under 36 min, which is still over 6 min per mile, is a lot tougher than you think. There is a huge difference between 65 minutes and 60 minutes pace in a 40K. So here is my guess, if you are a 32 minute type, you would swim 25 minutes, bike about 65-67 minutes, and then struggle to break 40 minutes. with about 2 minutes per transition, I would give you about a 2:25....

i cant compare it to a marathon but here\'s the two i did

1

1500m swim: 19\'xx\"

40 km bike: 80\'00\"

10k run: 42\'0\" (400m run fault over bridge = 2 minutes)

i was empty on that one take aa drink in your bottle to evens tart decent on the bike.

2 (not that much more training but a bit older and whiser with the drinks)

1500m swim: 20\'xx\"

40 km bike: 74\'xx\"

10 km run: 36\'xx\"

2 hours 10 minutes xx seconds

(ran 17 minutes something 5 km in a very hot 5 km before but my intervals seemed to give a 16\'30\"- 16\'50\" 5 km shape the time i did the triathlon, so if you follow the bike easy run hard tactique you\'ll probably run 33 high in your first triathlon :-D wich is great)

Swimming is indeed mostly mileage buisness once you get passed basic technique. If you want to break it(2 hours) here\'s what i\'d do(at least)

swim: 10 miles in 4 days

bike: 120 miles in 4 days

run: 40 miles in 4-6 days

(i didnt got to these numbers, my biking was farrrr off and my swimming was more like 6 miles and running 15 miles(but fast miles))

IF you do these at least for a couple of months you \'ll be in great shape. Especially focus on swimming do the 4 days every week. Its a big difference with 3 one hour sessions.

And if you can get away in front of other triathletes; i came out top 10 on both occasions its a mental boost. If you\'re used to sitting on the bike it cant go wrong after that. One tip though. On the biking to break 2 hours just focus on going within the hour and not much faster so you can work on your run freshly. You\'d be amazed how fast you run if you didnt went near your threshold on the bike...

Back then 20 mph was comfortly but you didnt have to ask me to do 26 mph and then run 6.2 miles.Now my running probably is to 40 minutes (i dont run anymore) but my cycling is great(so is my swimming).Maybe i could pull of a 2 hour one on my current conditionning no joke.(i could go under 55 minutes on a 40 km flat cours without the other 2 components) and swimming well i\'m sure i can go under 19 mintues at least.(i weigh 185 now though so the running would be a close call, but i know it wont cost me an hour to do the running(6.2mi) my general conditionning is to good for t..that ,...i hope....)

My swimming has improved to where i swim 19\' for 1500 meter in the pool in training and without wetsuit. Thats from 4 weeks at 10-15 miles/week...I do 5 - 7 short sessions on a ergometer. Standard is 20 minutes hard at 400 watt, a test where i increase power every 2 minutes or 20 minutes easy at 300 watt.(riding between 20 - 36 minutes). Also add 3-4 hours of weights,stretching in there.Now im more of a swimmer with \"dreams\" like 3\'50\" or faster for 400 meter.Im far off(currently its 4\'55\") but i just started training again for a month.And my height is there this time.It used to be a lot less at 5\'6\" the last time... Maybe ;-) i\'ll never get there... but it will keep me obsessing for the years to come... Something most runners here will most likely know.

if i look at your current conditionning here\'s what i\'d go after say 20 minutes 1500 meter or sub. ANd change 1 minute = 21 minutes + bike 60 - 65 minutes(including change) + run: 33 - 34 minutes.Go slow on the bike so you dont burn out in the run thats a good tip though.I\'ve known runners better then i\'ll ever be with a way worse 10 km triathlon pr.

swim till you are death + bike = recovery but fast recovery + drinking in the first half(aa drink for me) + run fast.

Anywayz i cant say enough stay under the anerobic threshold till after the biking. MAybe pro\'s can play with it on the bike ride. But they have many miles and many years behind them. And pr\'s like 29-30 minutes for 10 km (not so far from you thus). 50 - 55 minutes on the bike and 16 minutes on the swimming.

that running is something i'd probably never rule in. BTW my runnng pr is 35'30" +/-. And my best running shape ever was just under 20 minutes for 6 km. So with a 32 minute 10 km pr and a lot more running talent then i have you shouldnt aim for only 35 minutes. try going for 33 - 34... IF its more laps aim for 17 minutes the first 5 km. and faster the second half.

Also your 65 minute 40 km tt is also better then i did back then(at the triathlon time). I think i was weighing a lot less then now. And my best bike performance then was like 70 minutes for 40 km. It was funny i could ride 46 km/h for 5 minutes but i couldnt even get to 35 km/hour for 40 km on the same conditions.My bike threshold was really low i was dying as soon as i went over 150 bpm on my polar under it i went fine. Now i can hold 160-165 for an hour.My max curent max is 190. Whats the difference: more days of biking now and i bike winter thru summer. Dont bike a couple of days and think your ready.Or bike a week then lay off 2 weeks and bike again a week.

My splits were:

19:00 swim - wore a wetsuit which can make a big difference for runners. For beginners as much as 2 minutes for a 1.5k. Long run to the bike transition.

1:01 bike - technical course with lots of turns

36:00 run - kinda hot

Total time 1:59 low...

So I was about a 34 minute 10k guy at the time but was doing about 20 mpw and no speed work.

So I think that you could split a 35 minute 10k and maybe 1:05 on the bike if you legally draft. I agree with the other guy, there's no way you'll be able to swim 20 minutes in 6 months. It would probably take you a couple years to get there (unless you have an extensive swimming background).

So here's what I would do. Significantly reduce your running miles, ride and swim as much as you can from now until then but I still give you a 2:10. Maybe in 18 months you can take a shot at 2 hours.

What does a sub 2 hr. convert to in a marathon? Absolutely nothing. And with a 90 second transition. I would love to see that. Double or triple that at the least. Especially since every transition area for every triathlon can vary a lot. And sub 20 in 6 months. Man that is fast. It does not matter how fast you go in a pool. You are tumbling into a washing machine with many other people who will kick you in the face, you have no experience sighting, entering the water, or exiting. And if you want to get that fast, learn to swim better before training. Learn body position and rotation, and breathing. Sounds to me like you are a 30+ min. swimmer now with lots of room for improvement, but it is a bitch to break 23. And the bike in 65 minutes? No offense, but that's not gonna nearly cut it. You've gotta go very low 1 hour or below. Especially with that swim time. Give it shot though. They sure are fun and good luck.

I'll give you a hint... your PR's in one particular leg of a TRI don't matter for beans compared to your total time. My 8k PR is about 26:50 but I rolled a 33:00 when I came off the bike...

a sub 2 hour triathlon is not very attainable within 6 months( there still is a chance though to complete it), i race in the male junior elite cat. and just racing sub 1 hour for half the distance is what only the top 17 to 19 year olds can do, it also comes down to the course, is it a technical course?, or a flat course?, is it straight?, is it hilly? also is the race draft legal? if it is, and you are a good cyclist you can certify a good sub hour bike time, if you look at the race as this, sub 20min swim(this will possibly be the most intensive if the race is draft legal), sub 60min bike(above 45km/h, this sounds fast but it isn't), and an easy sub 40min run(4min per km, super easy), transition time will fit in where time is available, transition time should also be kept to a minimum, this means no socks, swim in what you plan to bike and run in, and by no means carry anything to change a tire, if it goes flat, the race is over, its too fast of a race to even consider to get a new tube in or change your wheel, next your food should be limited to just a 50/50 mix of H2O and a sports drink (no vitamin water) and possibly an energy gel. then again your whole race is going to come down to your training, your going to need bike training to even consider 40km/h, same with swimming, running will be the easy part. (just a part to consider, the ITU elite males take about 1:45 to finish their race, while elite women take about 2:00 to complete the standard Olympic distance)

To go sub 2, you need to crush the bike since that is where you will spend the largest portion of the race doing.

I have gone sub 2 with 24 and 25 minute swims. The swim doesn't matter. Swimming 20 minutes is damn near impossible unless you grew up swimming/competing.

Actually just based on percentages; say the best Olympic Triathlon has been done in 1:46, then 2 hours is 13% slower. So a 2:19 marathon is comparable to a 2 hour Olympic Tri.

Cicirunner wrote:

Swimming 20 minutes is damn near impossible unless you grew up swimming/competing.

Definitely not true. I was a runner all the way through college. After a few months of training for tris, I was able to swim under 20 minutes (with a wetsuit of course). I'm not a good triathlete though because my bike is average and my running isn't that great either. Just like running, natural talent plays a big role. I didn't know I had natural talent in swimming until I was mid 20s. Oh well.

I may be the exception though. I was working out with my friend who had a 10k pr a good 3 minutes faster than mine, but I would absolutely rock him in swimming workouts. I would finish my 100 meter repeats in 2/3rds the time. I would also beat him slightly on the bike, but lose badly to him in the running. We ended up fairly even to each other.

Looking at us it made sense though. He was 6-4 with short arms and very thin. I was 6-1 with a 6-5 armspan and naturally pack on muscle around my shoulders and upper back.

The point is, the OP may get into the water and discover he is a natural swimming. Most likely though, if he is a typical runner, he will struggle with the swim portion.

But as somebody already pointed out, the bike is the biggest factor in triathlon success.

oldguy1 wrote:

Actually just based on percentages; say the best Olympic Triathlon has been done in 1:46, then 2 hours is 13% slower. So a 2:19 marathon is comparable to a 2 hour Olympic Tri.

I can't believe I'm posting on a thread I posted on seven years ago.

No way

[quote]Johnny Rotten wrote:

Barry Something-or-other. Didn't catch them.

Barry Knight

you must have been racing somewhere in the Southeast

What are you smoking desert runner? A 32 min 10k runner would only do a 2:25 olympic tri? lol. You're way off. I'm a 34 min 10k runner and I go sub 2 hours. I run mid-high 34 fresh and mid 35 in a tri. It's not that hard because your legs are warmed up on the bike.