Choose your first triathlon by the swim, not by the finisher medal. If you cannot currently swim the race distance continuously in a pool, in goggles you have worn before, without stopping at the wall, you are not ready for that distance in open water. Almost everyone gets this backwards: they pick the race, then panic about the swim eight weeks out.
I coach a steady trickle of runners and cyclists who have entered a 70.3 on a whim and arrive at the pool looking slightly haunted. They are fit. They are not swimmers. Those are different things, and the sea does not care how fast you run.
Sprint and Olympic distances vary slightly between organisers; the 70.3 and full Ironman distances are fixed. “70.3” is simply the total in miles.
The standard distances
| Race | Swim | Bike | Run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | ~750m | ~20km | ~5km |
| Olympic (standard) | ~1.5km | ~40km | ~10km |
| Half / 70.3 | 1.9km | 90.1km | 21.1km |
| Full Ironman | 3.86km | 180.25km | 42.2km |
How to pick, in order
- Swim the distance in a pool, continuously, today. No pushing off hard, no resting at the wall. If you cannot, that is your answer.
- Add fifty per cent. Open water is slower and more tiring than a lane. Chop, sighting, no walls, other people’s feet in your face. Comfortable pool distance should exceed race distance by a wide margin.
- Swim in open water at least four times before race day. Not once. Four. The first time in a wetsuit and a crowd is not the day to discover you panic.
- Check the bike and run are boring for you. If either is a struggle too, drop a distance. Two hard legs is a race; three is a bad afternoon.
- Choose the shorter option. Almost nobody regrets starting with a sprint. Plenty of people regret a 70.3 they hated.
The swim leg is a different sport
Pool swimming is a controlled environment. You breathe on the same side, you see the black line, you touch a wall every twenty-five metres and get a free push-off. Open water removes all of it. You sight forward every few strokes, which lifts your head and drops your hips. Someone swims over your legs. The water is opaque. Your wetsuit squeezes your chest and your first two hundred metres feel like you cannot breathe — that is normal, it is partly the cold-shock response and partly adrenaline, and it passes if you slow down and breathe out fully. The fix is not more fitness. It is: bilateral breathing, so you can turn away from chop; a straight sighting stroke, practised until it does not wreck your body position; and calm. Our detailed breakdown of the stroke itself is at find a swimming coach near you, and if you are starting from very little swimming, private swimming lesson fees will get you further in six sessions than six months of thrashing.Safety in open water
Never swim open water alone. Not once, not for ten minutes. Swim with a partner or with a group, wear a brightly coloured cap and a tow float, and tell someone on land when you expect to be back. Respect currents, boat traffic and jellyfish. In Singapore’s waters, swim only in designated areas and organised sessions. Sport Singapore and ActiveSG publish guidance on where open-water swimming is permitted. Do not train breath-holding or hypoxic sets to “get used to” the swim. Prolonged breath-holding can cause shallow-water blackout, in which a swimmer loses consciousness with no warning and no struggle. It kills strong swimmers, and it is entirely unnecessary for triathlon. If you get chest pain, dizziness, or a heart rhythm that feels wrong — in training or in a race — stop and get medical help. Do not push through it. Triathlon swim starts are the single most cardiovascularly stressful moment in age-group endurance sport. Get cleared by a doctor before you start training seriously, particularly if you are over forty or returning after time away.Common mistakes
- Entering the race first and learning to swim second. Reverse it.
- Training the swim only in a pool. The pool is where you build the stroke. Open water is where you learn to use it.
- Sprinting off the start line. Go out easy for two hundred metres. You will pass the people who did not.
- Never practising in a wetsuit. It changes your buoyancy, your shoulder range and your breathing.
- Ignoring shoulder pain. Swim volume plus a bike position is hard on shoulders. See a physiotherapist early; do not push through.
- Skipping transition practice. Free time, and nobody does it.
Frequently asked questions
Which triathlon distance should a beginner start with?
A sprint. The swim is short enough that a nervous swimmer can complete it, and the whole race fits into a morning.How well do I need to swim for a 70.3?
Comfortably swimming 2.5 to 3km continuously in a pool, and having done several open-water sessions of at least 1.5km. Anything less and the swim will cost you the rest of the race.Can I do a triathlon if I cannot swim?
Not safely, no. Learn to swim first. Adults learn quickly when taught properly — typically a few months to a competent, repeatable freestyle.Is breaststroke allowed in a triathlon?
Yes. Any stroke is allowed. It is slower and it is fine. Finishing beats style.How long does it take to train for a first triathlon?
From a reasonable fitness base, a sprint is realistic in a few months. If you are learning to swim from scratch, plan on longer and do not set a deadline.Where can I train the swim in Singapore?
Public pools for the stroke work, organised open-water sessions for everything else. Find a pool at swimmingnearme.sg, or look at swimming course options if you want to fix technique before adding volume.Nobody drowns on the bike. Choose the race your swim can handle, and the other two legs will look after themselves.
Find swimming lessons near you
Ready to apply what you learned? Compare swimming course options, browse kids’ lessons and adult lessons, or find a coach by town through SwimmingNearMe.sg. For help narrowing the options, send an enquiry or WhatsApp +65 8832 0217.
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