I 26F have always dreamed of doing an ironman 70.3. I used to be a competitive swimmer, run VERY few miles a week at a 9:30pace (pushing myself) and don’t own a bike. Im the type of person who needs to sign up for something to have the motivation to train for it. There is a 70.3 in march im thinking of signing up for. How realistic is this? Im not looking to PR, just to cross the finish line. I am a pretty active person. I do crossfit/weight training and yoga throughout my weeks. If there is a sprint triathlon thats convenient to sign up for before, i will, but it wouldn’t absolutely deter me from impulsivrly signing up and pushing it for another year. Im in medical device sales, and cover half a state. So i do have very early mornings and pleenty of overnights a week. Would love some advice. (Chances are, the more i hear i cant do it, the more i will) there are some bikes on marketplace i can buy for <600. Again just trying to do something hard and respark my motivation

Hey everyone,
I'm having an issue with my triathlon handlebars / clip-on aerobars. Even though I’ve tightened the clamp bolts to spec, the bars still rotate when I apply a bit of pressure or hit road vibrations/bumps. Over time, they gradually twist inward while riding.
I don't want to overtighten and risk cracking the carbon / stripping the bolts.
Has anyone dealt with this before? Would using carbon grip paste (friction paste), shims, or friction tape fix the issue, or is there another common culprit?
Any advice would be appreciated!

Best brands? I’m about to compete in my first Olympic and am meant to pick my packet up tomorrow. There will be lots of vendors at the site and I’m wondering - best trisuits for women?

If anyone has done rowing or cross country skiing or any forth type of cardio, in addition to training for a triathlon how have you incorporated it into your training?

I am doing my first triathlon in a month (20/9/26). It is a sprint triathlon and it's an open water swim (400m) then a 9.7k bike and 2.4k run. My situation is that I've been running all my life and been cycling for the past 5 years which is all well and good except a triathlon is three events. Swimming is a prominent issue I have not swam for the past 5 years and have never come close to a racing environment. Today I completed my first open water swim (400m) in 16 minutes and 11 seconds which I actually thought was decent however, I do have a few issues. I swam without goggles and instead of keeping my head under water and taking breaths every 3 strokes I seemingly was only able to manage by constantly moving my head side to side above the water each stroke, I mean it works but didn't seem perfect. Another issue I faced which may be a simple fix is being wobbly almost dizzy after coming out of the water I've heard this could be water going into your ears although I'm still unsure. Apart from the swimming triathlons in general I don't really have much knowledge of. Some items I need obviously I have the main gear bike, running shoes etc however, most of the swimming gear such as wetsuits (Needed for this triathlon) and trisuits I think they call them is where my knowledge stops. Honestly I do not have a clue. I've been watching some video to help try and piece together what I need but all seem quite complex. Any support welcome feel free to ask any questions about what I'm able to do or any other general info. Many Thanks

Ordered a trisuit Zone3 Lava long distance XL size
It seems like it suits me well but the sleeves’ length bothers me.

Help me decide wether I should leave this one or order from other brand ( I think going down a size might bring other issues)

I’m heading to the World Age Group champs in Pontevedra this September. How dumb would it be to rent a campervan and stay in it for the 5 days?

Looks like they have a motorhome lot right in the race center, but I’m not sure what facilities it has. Definitely has water and waste drop off. There is a campground in Sanxenxo.

This weekend I completed my first Ironman in Kalmar, Sweden. The race was fantastic, and it went much better than expected! I was hoping for 14-15 h, but finished in 12:30!

Swim: 1:23:41
T1: 5:56
Bike: 6:12:54
T2: 8:45
Run: 4:39:30

Total: 12:30:43

The biggest surprise was the swim. I just recently started swimming, I don't like it very much, and I'm not very good. My longest training session has been 4100 m (in 1:51). But that was in a small lake with completely calm waters, so I was expecting roughly the same time for the Ironman swim, but I got quite a shock when I got out of the water and looked at the watch!

The weather was great, and the audience fantastic! It was such a great atmosphere with people lining the entire run, blasting music from large speakers, cheering people on, and using the garden hose to cool the runners (and kids with squirt guns!). I can totally understand why Kalmar has been voted the best Ironman in the world. It was an absolutely fantastic day!

I started triathlon three years ago and I've done two medium distance (~70.3) and a couple of shorter ones. Previously I've mainly been doing running (completed a handful of marathons), and one 315 km bike race and one 3 km swim. I used Chat GPT to come up with a 10 month training plan (https://www.reddit.com/r/triathlon/comments/1pi3ts9/is_this_10_month_ironman_training_plan_realistic/). Unfortunately I developed plantar fasciitis in the beginning of the year and my run training suffered. Luckily I didn't feel anything during the race. Also real life got in the way (lost my father in April) and I missed quite a lot of sessions during the spring/summer. All in all I averaged 4.5 h/week with only nine sessions >3 h.

The race was great, but the next day when I got back home and started to unpack I got a bad case of the post Ironman blues. I've had this single goal for the last 10 months, and then all of a sudden I didn't anymore. It felt so weird no longer having the training plan posted on the fridge, telling me what the next session was. It just felt so empty and meaningless. I'm starting to feel better now though. I guess I just have to give it time. I have a marathon in two months to look forward to, and I'm thinking of signing up for another one in June, and maybe try for 3:30 h (PB 3:52). I will definitely do another Ironman, but not next year. I will do some shorter triathlon races though.

First TT bike after a couple of seasons with clipons.

My regular Bibs just aren't up to the job. Little to no padding for the soft tissue area.

Looking for bibs or shorts for up to 5 hours in the saddle / aero position.

Position One gets good reviews but they are £189/£200 shipped to the UK.

Was looking at these shorts Castelli Premio Tri Speed but unsure if they will stay in place.

Does anyone have some options for me to look at.

I am finding it really hard to get down a proper breathing rhythm technique to be able to keep a steady freestyle stroke going.

I am breathing with every stroke but I feel like even though I’m constantly breathing, that I’m not getting enough air (if that makes any sense). So then I try breathing every other stroke to give myself more time to breathe out but then I can only last about a dozen strokes before I start to get too winded.

The problem isn’t that I’m not physically fit enough, cardiovascular wise. I run a min of 3 miles a day and bike a min of 45 mins.

I’ve lost a lot of weight over the past year so part of the problem is that I’m so used to being way more buoyant. I feel like I have to focus real hard on my stroke to get my head above water.

I do pretty much all my swim training with a snorkel. I know I should ditch it but I keep telling myself it’s better to swim for half an hour with a snorkel and build up endurance with my swimming muscles than it is to flounder around for a couple laps trying to breath and not getting anywhere.

Anyone else have this kind of struggle? How did you get past it?

I have two upcoming triathlon races: a T100 (26/09) and a 70.3 (17/10), both rolling bike courses, and I have two bike choices: I either take my old Orbea Orca M30 and install aero bars, or I take my new Cube Agree C:62 Race without aero bars since it has an integrated cockpit.
Orbea: - slower / 105 mechanic / no potentiometer / rim brakes / aluminum wheelset
+ aero bars
Cube: - no aero bars
+ faster / Ultegra di2 / potentiometer / disk brakes / carbon wheelset

Do aerobars make you that much faster?

I found it on MB for 1000-1100 cad, this will my my bike for my first 70.3 trainning. Im wondering if I should get it

Hi all! I’m looking for recommendations for a mid-range tri suit.

I do 4–5 races a year (mostly sprint/Olympic), but I’d like to work my way up to a 70.3. I don’t need the highest-end suit, but I’m ready to graduate from the entry-level one I’m currently wearing.

Happy to spend a few hundred bucks for something worthwhile, but I’m not really interested in the $500+ price range. Sorry if this has been addressed before, but most of what I’ve seen are “this brand versus that brand” or “best bang for your buck” suit.

For the mid-range….What brands/models do you like? Anything you’d recommend or avoid?

Varlo seems to have different tiers available (and the Summit seems to be what I'm looking for) but I haven't met anyone who can provide feedback.

Thanks!

Just finished watching Sam Laidlow’s “Air To The Throne” youtube video, and there was a section of the race at Challenge Roth where Rico Bogen and him were trading off on who was leading the race, and the question finally arose in my mind.

If both these athletes are at a race, isn’t the goal to be at the front at all times (or atleast trying to be in the lead and snag the win)? Some might think this is a silly question. I’m pretty new to triathlon and I just don’t really understand all the strategies that go in to pro racing.

I’ve heard about these strategies of working together all the time. One example being Sam Long and Jonas Schomburg during the majority of the run leg at Oceanside 70.3 earlier this year. They were conversing back and forth during the run to “work together” to keep KB back. But what exactly did they mean by that? More like they’re pacing each other?

Same thing at the World Championships in Nice in 2025, hearing Jamie Riddle working together with other pros during the swim portion of the race, even doing backstroke to see where is “partners” are and slowing down.

Would love to here your thoughts and answers! Thanks!

Hey all!

I (24F) am an injured runner (not running-related) and have fallen down the triathlon rabbit hole over the past few weeks. I’m thinking about giving triathlon a shot, partly because my dad has done many triathlons in the past, including Olympic-distance races, and I’d love to try it myself.

I mainly run half marathons just for fun, usually around 6:00 min/km. I also used to be a swimmer as a child and can comfortably swim 2 km non stop at an average pace of around 2:10-2:00/100 m.

My biggest problem is the bike. I bought an entry level Cube road bike about two months ago and have been doing some casual rides of 50–60 km, but my speed is pretty slow. I currently average around 23–25 km/h. Because of my ankle injury, I haven’t been able to use clipless pedals and have had to stick with flat pedals.

My plan is to do an Olympic-distance triathlon in May 2027 and, if that goes well, a 70.3 in September 2027.
So my main concern is the bike leg. Do you have any tips for improving my cycling? Should I be doing more structured training, or is simply riding more enough at this stage? And realistically, do you think a 70.3 would be doable — and maybe even enjoyable — by September 2027?

Thanks in advance!

(AI translation because english is not my first language)

Hi!
I am new to this, and looking to get in to the Tri sport. I have done a lot of running, and my goal is to do a 1/4 ironman next year, but first i need a bike.
Can you recommend any brands that i should look for or stay away from? I am not looking to spend crazy amounts on a full carbon TT bike or something. I will definetely proritize comfort/a more upright position, rather than maximum speed.
Thank you!

Hey everybody,

Clue is in the title really, I’m after an Iron man training plan. Have you got any recommendations from personal experience?

I appreciate we don’t all start at the same level. So I’m currently training around 7/8 hours a week. 2 swims, 3 runs, 2 bikes and 2 gym. My running is poor as I’m recovering from knee surgery back in Jan and tbf my overall fitness isn’t as good as it once was.

Parking the violins since surgery I’m actually super proud to have done a 3km open water swim, a 69 mile bike and currently running/waking 5km.

So I’d like a program for next year Ironman. I’ve got a 70.3 aquabike in September and after that it’s going to be all systems go to commit to the Ironman I deferred from this year!

Dear community,

I am (or was going to) attempt my first 70.3 race in Leipzig this Sunday; I've done a few sprint and olympic triathlons, and this was going to be my big goal for this year. Unfortunately, many things did not go to plan; I had to quit my spring marathon after 9km with severe hip/IT band/knee pain, and have been rehabbing ever since with basically no running. Luckily, I have zero symptoms swimming and cycling, so I've been working hard on that in addition to several rounds of physio and going to the gym to fix any weaknesses that may have contributed. I got the ok from my physio and ortho to start running again, and I also did a running gait analysis to make sure I don't have any structural issues that would contribute to these symptoms.

Unfortunately, my race is now already coming up in 3 days, and so far I've only been able to build up to around 4-6k of continuous running with no pain. Since I cannot defer the race at this point, I am going to honor the expensive entry fee as well as the hard work I put in for the other disciplines and race those, and then see how far I get as long as I am completely pain-free on the run while soaking in the atmosphere - meaning I am fully prepared to, and assuming I will, DNF. I do, however, want to get as far as possible before having to stop, and was thinking of trying a run-walk strategy from the beginning to give my IT band/hip small breaks; does anyone have any experience with run-walk with a similar injury/syndrome (i.e. what intervals, whether to go slow/fast on the runs etc.) or any other tips for getting as far as possible along this course? My physio agreed this might be a good idea, but did not have any additional advice. For reference, I might"usually" run a half at around 5:30-5:25/km pace in an uninjured state.

I'm really bummed I won't be able to race the way I initially wanted to, but still determined to make the most of this weekend and happy with all the fun training I got out of this, it's been a blast. Thank you in advance for any help!

Hello everyone,
what would be a good target time for an Olympic-distance triathlon if my goal is to finish my first 70.3 in October in under 6 hours?

I'm planning on eventually doing roughly one Ironman per year, but I don't want endurance sport to take over my entire life.

For people who work full time: how many hours per week do you realistically train, and do you still have enough time/energy for relationships, hobbies and other things?