The triathlon is a sport that has a long and interesting history. The triathlon as we know it today (swim, cycle, run) was first devised in 1974, but its origins go back even further.
Between 1901 and 1934 there were several variations of the triathlon, with some interesting twists.
The first triathlon involved a canoe! In this article we will be taking a look at the history of the modern triathlon, an event that combines swimming (usually in open water), cycling, and running.
Table of Contents
1974 – 1980 – The History of Triathlon
The triathlon as we know it today can trace its routes back to San Diego in 1974, where the San Diego Mission Bay Track Club created the first triathlon race on the 25th September. This race had been the brainchild of Track Club members Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan. 46 racers took part in that first race.
The sport proved very popular and numbers increased year on year throughout the 1970s. In 1978 the first Ironman Triathlon was completed in Hawaii. The ironman came out due to an argument about which of the three sports required the most endurance.
There were three main races heldin Hawaii each year, a 115-mile cycle race known as the Around Oahu Bike Race,the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles), and a 2.4-mile swim known as the WaikikiRough Water Swim.
All three races were combined tocreate the Ironman triathlon, the cycle race was cut by 3 miles to 112 miles, andthe races between 1978 and 1980 were held in Oahu, before being moved to theBig Island in 1981.
Triathlon races were solelyfocused in the United States for the first six years of its existence, but thatall changed in 1980 when the first European triathlon was held in Pilsen,Czechoslovakia. Triathlon had truly become international.
1981-1990 – The History of Triathlon
Triathlon competitions continued to be held in America and Europe, with the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium hosting events in 1981, and Nice, France hosting an event in 1982.
In this time, the structure of triathlon races was not defined, and several races (such as Nice and Hawaii) were much longer than usual. Interestingly, this is one aspect of triathlons that has not changed over the years. Many races vary in terms of the length of the cycle race, run, or swim. Though usually, the ratio is similar.
In 1985 the first triathlongoverning body was set up in Europe. It was named the European Triathlon Union(ETU), its main purpose was to stand up to American triathlon representatives.This is because the European countries feared that America would dominate anyWorld Triathlon Federations in the future.
France had recently beenrecognised by the French Olympic Committee, it was the first nation to do soand this gave it power within the ETU. The French Triathlon Federation set thestandards for all European Triathlons.
In 1989 the InternationalTriathlon Union (ITU) was formed, this was a landmark moment and marks the exactmoment where triathlon stopped being an amateur sport and began to work towardsprofessionalism.
1991-1999 – The History of Triathlon
The 90s saw many deals made asthe ITU made great strides towards getting triathlons into the Olympics. However,the 90s also saw a schism in the sport when the World Triathlon Corporation(WTC) was formed in 1991. They owned the Ironman races, while the ITU ownedregular triathlon races. This schism led to a lot of tit for tat conflict inthe 2000s.
In 1991 the ITU was recognised bythe International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole governing body fortriathlon. This paved the way for triathlon to be invited to the Pan AmericanGames in Argentina (1995). In 1996 it was invited to be in the Sydney Olympicsin 2000.
2000-Present Day
In 2000 the first Olympic triathlonevent occurred, with Simon Whitfield of Canada and Brigitte McMahon ofSwitzerland winning gold medals in the men’s and women’s races. 2002 sawtriathlon being welcomed to the Commonwealth games in Manchester, and in 2004Hamish Carter of New Zealand and Kate Allen of Austria won gold in the men’sand women’s races in Athens.
2012 saw the rise of the Brownleebrothers from Yorkshire, England. Alistair Brownlee won gold while his brotherJonathan won bronze. Alistair would follow up his 2012 win four years later inRio de Janeiro with another gold medal while Jonathan won silver.
2016 saw the first everParalympic triathlon, known as a paratriathlon. The paratriathlon involved fivedifferent classifications and contained a 820 yard swim, a 12 mile cycle, and a3.1 mile run. Athletes in the PT1 classification used a handcycle during thecycling stage and used a racing wheelchair rather than running.
In 2020 the Olympic games will beheld in Tokyo, where there will be a mixed relay version of a triathlon. Twomen and two women will perform a 300m swim, an 8km cycle, and a 2km run. Theywill then tag a teammate who will also perform the swim, cycle, and run. For atotal of four rounds.
Standard Distances forTriathlon
There are four distances that canbe used in triathlons, though individual triathlon distances can vary. There isa sprint triathlon, an Olympic triathlon, a Half-Ironman triathlon, and anIronman triathlon.
- Sprint Triathlon: The shortest version ofa triathlon, the sprint triathlon involves a 500-yard swim, a 13-mile cycle,and a 3.2-mile run.
- Olympic Triathlon: The Olympic triathlonis a bit longer, but as each course is different in length this can vary quitea bit. An Olympic triathlon involves a 930-yard swim, a 24.8-mile cycle, and a6.2-mile run.
- Half-Ironman Triathlon: Also known as Ironman70.3, the half-ironman triathlon has been around since 1979, though the firstofficially verified Ironman 70.3 was held in the UK in 2001. The Half-IronmanTriathlon is exactly what it says it is, half of the distance of an Ironmantriathlon. A half-ironman triathlon involves a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile cycle,and a 13.1-mile run.
- Ironman Triathlon: The longest triathlonvariation is the ironman triathlon. An ironman triathlon involves swimming2.4-miles, cycling 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles.
