Completing Your First Triathlon Event

Completing a triathlon event

What can seem a huge hurdle to overcome is, in fact, a catalyst to so much more. Crossing your first triathlon finish line not only makes you a triathlete but it also provides an immediate level of merit that few of us can walk away from.

Make completing your priority

Before we can run we must walk. If you have never completed a triathlon, don't worry – everything is possible. Completing is your priority, so leave competing for prizes for another day. This 'complete-it' attitude does one of two things:

1 In training you have no unrealistic expectations or pressures to beat a certain time. Enjoy training in the knowledge that you can crack the distance but you don't get overly focused on training to a predicted race pace.

2 On race day, enjoy the experience rather than clock-watch the whole time. And, as you have no triathlons to your name and no previous best to beat, it's going to be a personal best (PB) anyway.

Successful transitions

To complete any triathlon you not only need to be capable of the individual distances but also able to 'transition' between the events. This is daunting to a beginner, but with practice and planning it is not to be feared. Triathion is just a swim, then a bike and then a run. With training and a shorter distance 'sprint' event, you complete the challenge. As long as your first triathlon is one of the shorter distances and you feel it's attainable, completion is possible.

Learning is a long-term process

Even after years of triathlon training and racing, there is still a lot for us to learn as well as many new technological changes to adapt to, so be patient because becoming a fully competent triathlete takes time. Learning about new events and even longer distances takes you through the completion-conquer and compete phases. It takes time to move through each phase – no one can be an expert until they have done something several times. That's the fun that continues to motivate many athletes one, two or even three decades after their first triathlon.

Top Tip

Triathlons are so popular you often need to enter months in advance. In some cases, they fill up in a matter of hours or days. Even small pool- based events fill up quickly. Be ahead of the game by knowing your goal event(s) and enter as soon as the entry forms are available.