Competing in the Paris Olympic Triathlon sounds like an incredible opportunity! The Olympic triathlon distance typically consists of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride, and a 10km run. Here at Recharge, we have created standards for you to aim for, achieving a 3 hour finish for men & 3 hour 15 minutes for women is a great standard.
For the swimming, most local swimming pools have a full length of 25 meters, so tackling 1500 meters will require completing 60 lengths. For men, you should be achieving a time of 50 seconds per length, 55 seconds for women. This will give you a finish time of 50 minutes & 55 minutes respectively.
Preparing for a 1.5K swim requires great endurance. Swimmers often incorporate distance training, interval training, and technique drills into their routines. We recommend including all-round weight training 2-3 times a week, using compound & functional movements to improve power with movement such as bench press, slam balls & squats.
Get on your bike, or check out the local leisure centre for a stationary bike. 40,000 meters sounds monstrous, but with a strong mindset & great prep, you'll breeze it.
Looking at a pace of 1 minute & 45 seconds/k will give you a 1 hour & 10 minute finish for men, 1 minute & 52.5 seconds/k lands a 1 hour & 15 minute time.
Big focus on the legs as these are the pistons that will drive you through this section. We suggest training legs primarily with squats, deadlifts & lunges 2-3 times a week, adding an upper body exercise such as pull-ups & a balancing exercise like single-leg dumbbell deadlifts.
Running shoes on & out the door! Being the most viable section, all you need is a measured route anywhere local to you with little to no traffic. Step up the 5K challenge & double it. In order to finish with times of 1 hour & 1 hour 5 minutes, we are looking at paces of 9 minutes 39 seconds & 10 minutes 28 seconds per mile.
Keeping the legs warm from the cycling, this is the last stretch of the triathlon. For training, we would recommend a similar style to cycling, but switch the compound weight exercise for more functional movements, alongside the cardio work required.
Just for reference, Alex Yee achieved a total time of 1:43:33, taking the gold at the Paris Olympics, whilst Beth Potter gained a bronze with her time of 1:55:10, two medals for Team GB. Broken down times are:
Alex Yee
Swam in 20:37
Cycled in 51:57
Ran in 29:47
Beth Potter
Swam in 22:25
Cycled in 56:35
Ran in 32:59
Good luck!
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