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Triathlon Atlas
A group of elite triathletes riding through a city street

Guide

Triathlon distances: sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and full

The calendar holds 167 half-distance races, 69 full-distance races and 39 Olympic-distance road races. Here is what each distance asks, and where and when each one is raced.

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The three most raced distances

Individual courses can differ by a few hundred metres, and a few are shortened or lengthened for local reasons.

  • Half distance (70.3): 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run, or 1.2, 56 and 13.1 miles. The 70.3 in the name is the total in miles.
  • Full distance: 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run, or 2.4, 112 and 26.2 miles, for a total of 140.6 miles.
  • Short course: the Olympic distance of 1.5 km, 40 km and 10 km. 39 road races on the calendar are held over this distance. The 25 XTERRA off-road races filed at this level set their own distances, with 22 to 43 km on the bike.

Every distance in kilometres and miles

Swim, bike and run for each format, with the number of races the site lists at each one.

  • Super sprint: 400 m / 10 km / 2.5 km (0.25 / 6.2 / 1.6 mi). Races in this category: 0 on the road and 4 XTERRA off-road, on their own distances.
  • Sprint: 750 m / 20 km / 5 km (0.47 / 12.4 / 3.1 mi). 20 races in this category, 18 of them XTERRA off-road races on their own distances.
  • Olympic: 1.5 km / 40 km / 10 km (0.93 / 24.9 / 6.2 mi). 64 races in this category, 39 of them on the road over these distances; the XTERRA races set their own.
  • 100 km: 2 km / 80 km / 18 km (1.24 / 49.7 / 11.2 mi). 20 races, including 10 in the Challenge Family circuit and 8 in the T100 series.
  • Half distance (70.3): 1.9 km / 90 km / 21.1 km (1.2 / 56 / 13.1 mi). 167 races.
  • Full distance (140.6): 3.8 km / 180 km / 42.2 km (2.4 / 112 / 26.2 mi). 69 races.
  • Other formats: 10 races use a distance of their own, given on each race page.

For a single distance in detail, the half IRONMAN distance and IRONMAN distance guides go leg by leg.

The four triathlon formats

Four formats cover most races. Each has its own page with the distance in miles, typical finish times and the races held at that distance.

Off-road triathlons use their own names for these formats. The XTERRA races guide explains what an XTERRA Full Distance covers.

Triathletes wading out of the sea at the end of the swim

Half distance

167 half-distance races across 56 countries

The half distance is the largest part of the calendar by a wide margin. It is raced in 12 months of the year, and September has the most races.

It is the usual step between the Olympic distance and a full distance. The bike leg is 90 km, against 40 km at the Olympic distance, and the run is a half marathon, so the day is long enough for pacing and nutrition to matter while staying within reach of a steady training block.

To pick one in Europe by month, water and climbing, see half-distance triathlons in Europe.

Two triathletes on the bike leg on a wet curving road

Full distance

69 full-distance races, from January to December

Full-distance races are spread over 11 months, and no single month holds more than 14 of them.

Of the 69, 13 carry a flat label on both the bike and the run.

For full-distance IRONMAN races alone, the IRONMAN calendar sorts them by month, with the water and air to expect in each part of the season.

Side by side

Compare a half and a full at the same venue

Some venues host both distances. The rows show what changes and what stays the same.

IRONMAN 70.3 Portugal-Cascais

IRONMAN Portugal-Cascais

  1. Race 1 IRONMAN 70.3 Portugal-Cascais
  2. Race 2 IRONMAN Portugal-Cascais
Circuit
IRONMANIRONMAN
Distance
Middle distanceFull distance
Terrain
RoadRoad
Swim
1.9 km3.8 km
Bike
90 km180 km
Run
21.1 km42.2 km
Date
23 Oct 202723 Oct 2027
Country
PortugalPortugal
Registration
Sold outSold out
Swim venue
BayBay
Average water temperature
17 °C17 °C
High air temperature
25 °C25 °C
Low air temperature
18 °C18 °C
Bike profile
HillyHilly
Bike elevation gain
771 m1,400 m
Run profile
RollingRolling
Run elevation gain
127 m325 m
Overall cut-off
8 h 30 min16 h 15 min
Altitude
8 m8 m
First edition
20172021
Swim start
Rolling startRolling start

Questions

What does 70.3 mean?

The total distance in miles: 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 of cycling and 13.1 of running add up to 70.3.

And 140.6?

The same sum for the full distance: 2.4, 112 and 26.2 miles.

Can I compare a half and a full on this site?

Yes. The comparator accepts any mix of races, and the distance has its own row.

Choose a distance, then a race

Tick a distance in the finder and add the month and the region.

Half distance in the finderFull distance in the finder
Triathletes running along a road on the run leg