Full distance triathlon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Full Distance Triathlon (sometimes referred to improperly as an Iron Distance Triathlon) is a triathlon performed over the following distances:

3.8 km (2.4 mi) swimming
180 km (112 mi) bicycling
42.2 km (26.2 mi) running (the length of a standard marathon)

The historically first and most well known example is the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. The term "Ironman Triathlon" is trademarked by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), which runs a series of races under that name. The ITU organizes a series of races called Long Distance Triathlons. The distances for these races are close to but slightly different from the specifications for the Ironman Triathlon. Many independent (non-WTC sanctioned) events are held each year throughout the world.

A variety of double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, and deca (10x) full distance events are also held each year. In a deca full distance event, for example, a 38 km swim is followed by an 1800 km bike race and a 422 km run. Astrid Benöhr holds the women's world records over the triple, quadruple and quintuple full distances.

In 1998, a double deca triathlon (20x full distance) was held in Monterrey, Mexico. The winner, Vidmantas Urbonas of Lithuania, completed the race in 437 hrs 21 min 40 sec.