Triathlon Pace & Race Strategy Calculator
Calculate splits and finish times for any triathlon distance based on your swim, bike, and run paces.
Triathlon Pacing Guide
Standard Triathlon Distances
Sprint: 750m swim + 20km bike + 5km run. Most popular entry distance. Typical times: elites 1:00, age groupers 1:15-2:00. Olympic / Standard: 1500m + 40km + 10km. The Olympic distance for the games. Times: elites 1:55, age groupers 2:15-3:00. Half Ironman / 70.3: 1.9km swim + 90km bike + 21.1km run. The popular 'middle distance.' Times: 4:00-7:00 for most age groupers. Ironman / 140.6: 3.8km swim + 180km bike + 42.2km marathon. The full distance. Times: 9:00-17:00 (17 hour cut-off at most events
Pacing Strategy
Universal triathlon truth: many athletes destroy their race on the bike, not the run. Conservative bike → strong run = good performance. Aggressive bike → walking marathon = bad performance. Sprint and Olympic: aim for negative split run — finish faster than you start. 70.3 and Ironman: bike at 65-75% of FTP (functional threshold power). Save legs for run. Run at marathon pace + 30-60 seconds slower than open marathon equivalent. The 'Ironman shuffle' on the run is real — even elite athletes slo
Transitions
Transitions are 'free time' if rehearsed. Top athletes spend 30-60 seconds in T1/T2. Age groupers typically 2-4 minutes — significant opportunity for improvement. T1 (swim to bike): exit water, wetsuit off, helmet on, run with bike to mount line. Practise wetsuit removal. Bodyglide on neck and ankles prevents wetsuit chafing/sticking. Helmet straps must be done up BEFORE touching bike (rule violation otherwise). T2 (bike to run): dismount, rack bike, helmet off, change shoes, run. Speedlaces sav
Nutrition for Long Course
Sprint and Olympic: minimal nutrition needed. Pre-race breakfast and possibly one gel mid-bike. 70.3: aim for 60-90g carbs/hour. Split between gels, sports drink, and possibly bars. 180-360g carbs total over 4-6 hours. Full Ironman: 60-90g carbs/hour. 600-900g total over 10-14 hours. Practice nutrition extensively in training — race day is not the time to experiment. Sodium: 500-1000mg/hour in hot races. Hydration: drink to thirst (current sports science evidence). Over-hydration as dangerous as
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