How to Train for an Olympic Distance Triathlon
I vividly remember watching the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000 and being captivated by the triathlon competition. It was the first time triathlon was a part of the Olympics. I watched in awe as the athletes swam, bicycled and ran. I couldn't believe they were doing all three disciplines in one race! To top it off, a Canadian, Simon Whitfield, won the gold medal. I knew I had to try that sport one day. Well, that one day took 24 years but in 2024, I decided it was time to get in shape and compete in my first triathlon. In January, I signed up for the Warsaw 5150 on June 6, 2024—an Olympic-distance triathlon where you swim 1.5 km, bicycle 40 km, and run 10 km. After the winter holidays, I weighed myself and I came in at 90 kg. It was the heaviest I had been in some time. I had a lot of work ahead of me.
The first thing I purchased on my journey was a Garmin Venu 3S watch to measure my swimming, bicycling, and running. I ran 5 km, swam 1000 m and bicycled 40 km to get my baseline pace for each. I put this data into ChatGPT and after a few back and forths, I had a 4-month training program.
The swimming portion of the Warsaw 5150 at Jezioro Zegrzyńskie.
To start learning about each discipline, I watched a ton of videos from The Global Triathlon Network and I tried to practise the tips and tricks they shared. I remember during my first month of training, I thought I was in wayyyyyy over my head. I was in terrible shape. Bicycling 25 km and running 3 km immediately after was a huge challenge. Fast forward 4 months and I could complete all three disciplines without stopping. I went from running 5 km in around 30 minutes to 20 minutes. I went from cycling 40 km at 28 km/h to 35 km/h. I went from swimming 100 m in 2 minutes and 5 seconds to 1 minute and 44 seconds over 1500 m. I was amazed at what four months of dedication had done to my fitness level. I had gone from 90 kg to 76 kg on race day.
My goal for the race was a top 150 finish which I predicted would require a time of around 2 hours and 37 minutes. I finished in 2 hours and 39 minutes, translating to 170 out of 516 overall or 25 out of 75 in the 35-39 age group. It was a little below my expectations but I was proud of the result. The best part of taking on this challenge was that it changed my physical and mental health and it gave me the hobby that I’ve always been looking for.
Here are the five things I learned:
Your body can transform in 4 months. It may feel like little progress is being made at first, but it starts to build exponentially. Stick to your plan and trust that the results will follow.
Strength training is important to avoid injury. After 3 months of intense training, my knees were hurting. On one run, my knee just stopped working and said no more. It turned out that I had developed runner’s knee and I couldn't run for the month leading up to the race. It almost derailed my race completely but physiotherapy, stretching and using a roller religiously for a month got me to a place where I could run again. Injuries like this are often due to a lack of muscle strength to support the volume of running and bicycling. Strength training is usually the first thing people stop doing when looking to save time. Don't do it and remember to stretch regularly too!
Buy what you need when you need it. There will be a temptation to buy all the equipment that you see others using. Yes, triathlon does require a lot of stuff but you can keep it simple. Resist the urge to buy things on impulse and only buy things once you’ve truly felt the need a few times.
Fueling (aka eating simple carbs) while training is essential. Sports gels are an easy way to keep you fueled but it can also be as simple as eating a banana. Before I started training properly, I used to think that the feeling of tiredness was due to a lack of fitness but a lot of time it’s just that your body has run out of fuel. The best athletes are fuelling for both training and competition. This changed my training dramatically and allowed me to do training sessions that were over three hours long.
YouTube has a lot of channels dedicated to triathlons, running, bicycling and swimming. I knew nothing about any of the three sports before I started. I didn't use a coach but I did watch a lot of videos and tried to improve my technique from what I learned. It helped me make significant improvements. Does it replace a coach? No, but YouTube can fill in for a coach when you’re just starting and it will help you make progress without additional cost and complexity.
Things you need for a triathlon:
Road bicycle (buy used if you don’t want to break the bank)
Bicycle helmet
Bicycle lights (for training at night)
Sports shirt for bicycling and running
Bicycle shorts with padding
Sports sunglasses to protect your eyes
Running shoes
Running shorts
Swimming Goggles
Tight-fitting swimming suit to avoid drag
Nice to have things for a triathlon:
Sports watch like a Garmin. Look for something specific for triathlons as my Garmin Venu 3S doesn’t have a triathlon mode and I wish it did. A watch is not necessary but in my opinion, this is the easiest way to measure your progress. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend purchasing one.
Bicycle shoes and clip-in pedals.
Bicycle jersey. They are better because they are more aerodynamic and they have pockets to hold things like snacks, keys, etc.
Running belt for long runs. If you are running less than 10km, you can usually get by without water but on longer runs, it's nice to have a water bottle. With a running belt, you don’t have to hold it in your hand.
Running hat. Getting sweat in your eyes sucks. A hat saves you from this and it's good for especially sunny days.
Triathlon suit. This will simplify your transitions from swimming to bicycling and bicycling to running because the trisuit can be worn for every discipline so you don't have to change.
Sports gels. If you train for more than an hour, you'll need to fuel. Gels make it super simple. My favourite brand is Science in Sport (SiS).
I've already signed up for the Warsaw 5150 in 2025. My goal is to podium in the 35-39 age group. I was 35 in 2024, so I have four more years to reach my goal. Let’s see! If you have any triathlon-related questions, get in touch. I'm happy to share my knowledge or even do some training together in Warsaw :)
