Triathlon Time Calculator

Triathlon total finish time is the sum of three discipline times plus transition times. The complete formula is:

Total Time = T_swim + T1 + T_bike + T2 + T_run

Where:

• T_swim = Swim Distance / Swim Pace (per 100m or 100yd)
• T_bike = Bike Distance / Average Bike Speed
• T_run = Run Distance / Average Run Pace (per km or mile)
• T1 = Swim-to-Bike transition time
• T2 = Bike-to-Run transition time

Each segment pace is converted to minutes before summing.

Entering your paces: the pace boxes accept either format. Type 5:30 for five minutes thirty, or 5.5 for the same thing as a decimal. What you must not do is type 5.30 and mean 5:30, because that reads as 5 minutes 18 seconds and will quietly shave two minutes off a 10 km run split.

Worked Example, Sprint Triathlon (750 m / 20 km / 5 km):

• Swim: 750 m at 2:00/100 m = 7.5 × 2:00 = 15:00
• T1 transition: 2:30
• Bike: 20 km at 30 km/h = 20/30 × 60 min = 40:00
• T2 transition: 1:30
• Run: 5 km at 5:30/km = 5 × 5:30 = 27:30
• Total = 15:00 + 2:30 + 40:00 + 1:30 + 27:30 = 1:26:30

Standard Triathlon Distances:

The Ironman distances come from imperial ones: 2.4 miles, 112 miles, 26.2 miles. Rounding the bike to a flat 180 km and the swim to 3.8 km costs about a minute and a half of predicted time between them, which is why this page uses the real figures.

Typical Finish Times (amateur):

• Sprint: 1:00 to 1:45
• Olympic: 2:00 to 3:00
• Half-Ironman: 5:00 to 7:30
• Ironman: 10:00 to 16:59, that last one being the cutoff rather than a target

Transitions run 3 to 8% of the total in shorter races, which is more than most athletes realise. In a sprint, four minutes of fumbling in T1 costs more than a whole minute per kilometre would on the run.