About Triathlon Ireland
Triathlon Ireland is the National Governing Body and operates on an All Ireland basis being supported by the Irish Sports Council and Sport Northern Ireland.
The first triathlon in Ireland was held in Skerries in 1983. The race organiser, Maurice Mullins was also a past president of Triathlon Ireland in the late 80’s. The 1983 race was won by Ciaran ‘Ben’ Brady, an accomplished runner who was offered a scholarship to the University of Wyoming in America later that year.
In recent years triathlon has been one of the fastest growing sports in the country with double digit membership increases for the past 9 years. 2014 saw a further 15.5% increase in membership which now stands at 9772 along with 15,000 one day licences being provided. Per capita Ireland is one of the strongest triathlon nations in the world.
The number of clubs and sanctioned events has also increased with an additional 8 clubs in 2014, currently standing at 85 and 190 events sanctioned by Triathlon Ireland. A minimum of two TI Technical Officials attend every sanctioned event making TI events the safest around.
Along with the growth in participation, the number and strength in depth of Irish Elite Triathletes has also increased during 2014. Triathlon Ireland’s Talent Identification Programme has paid dividends with the Junior Squad swelling from 6 athletes in 2013 to 17 in 2014. 2014 also saw the launch of a Talent Transfer Programme which had shown promises in the first 3 months of it’s existence.
With Rio 2016 on the horizon, Triathlon Ireland currently has 1 female athlete and potentially 3 male athletes within the Olympic Qualification zone. The previous best was London 2012 when 1 female and 1 male athlete qualified.
Aileen Reid started her 2014 season off slowly but soon made an impression climbing to 8th in the World and 5th in the World Series Grand Final. For the men, Bryan Keane has continued his rise up the world rankings following injury a number of season ago. He currently sits 38th in the World Triathlon Series. The standard of Irish Elite Athletes took a big step up in 2014 and this was evidenced at the opening round of the World Triathlon Series where Ireland had 3 athletes racing at this highest level for the first time ever.
Distances and Disciplines
Triathlon (swim – bike – run)
Try-a-Tri/Super Sprint: 250m swim, 6km bike, 3km run
Sprint: 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Standard: 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Middle: 1900m swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run
Long: 3800m swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run
Cross: 1km swim, 20-25km mountain bike, 6-8km cross country run
Mixed Team Relay: teams of four (2 x men, 2 x women) with each completing a super sprint triathlon before tagging their team mate.
Paratriathlon: 750m swim, 20km bike (hand bike/tandem), 5km run (racing wheelchair)
Duathlon (run – bike – run)
Sprint: 5km run, 20km bike, 2.5km run
Standard: 10km run, 40km bike, 5km run
Long: 20km run, 80km bike, 10km run
Aquathlon (swim – run)
Sprint: 750m swim, 5km run
Standard: 2000m swim, 10km run
Equipment
Swim – swim suit, googles, wetsuit (open water)
Bike – mountain, hybrid, road or TT bike, helmet
Run – comfortable & well fitted runners
Other – trisuit, lock laces
Jargon buster
· Transition: The changeovers between the three elements of the race.
· Transition time: The time it takes each competitor to complete their transition. These times are counted in their overall time for the race.
· Transition area: A location within which each athlete is allocated an area for the storage of clothing and equipment.
· Penalty box: An area on the bike course or the run course set aside for the implementation of a time penalty for an infringement of the rules.
· Mount line: A line at the exit from the transition area on to the bike course after which athletes must mount their bicycles and proceed. There is also a dismount line at the end of the bike course
Are you up for the challenge?
If you’re interested in trying your hand at multi-sport check out www.triathlonireland.com. Clubs cater for all levels and regularly run open days and ‘New 2 Tri’ sessions. There is also a full range of events from try-a-tri distance to full distance which are suitable for all abilities.
TRIATHLON IRELAND
Phone: +353 (0) 1 2741032