Key facts

Venue: Hyde Park
Dates: Saturday 4 and Tuesday 7 August
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 110 (55 men, 55 women)

The precise origins of Triathlon are unknown: some say that the sport began in France between the wars, others that it really developed in the United States during the late 1970s. Whatever the true history, Triathlon is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and the London 2012 competition in Hyde Park promises to draw enormous and enthusiastic crowds.

The basics

Triathlon races combine swimming, cycling and running, in that order. Events are conducted over a variety of distances: for the Olympic Games, the men’s and women’s Triathlons will consist of a 1,500m swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. There are no heats: both the men’s and women’s events consist of a single race.

View the London 2012 Triathlon route

Olympic Triathlon, past and present

More than half a million spectators lined the Sydney streets to watch the first ever Olympic Triathlon at the 2000 Games. The six Triathlon events held since the sport’s Olympic debut have been won by athletes from six different countries: Canada and Switzerland in 2000; New Zealand and Austria in 2004; and Germany and Australia in 2008.

At London 2012, the Triathlon will begin and end in Hyde Park. The events will begin with a 1,500m swim in the Serpentine; continue with a seven-lap, 40km bike ride around a course that takes in Buckingham Palace and the Wellington Arch; and end with a four-lap, 10km run around the Serpentine to the finish.

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 course at the end of the bike course.

See the London 2012 Olympic Games competition schedule

Get involved

Triathlon is a sport for people of all ages and backgrounds, and with races held over a wide range of distances, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. The British Triathlon Federation  and its affiliated associations – Triathlon England, Triathlon Scotland and Welsh Triathlon – oversee a network of clubs, coaches, volunteers and races across Britain.  If you are in Northern Ireland, contact the Ulster branch of Triathlon Ireland 

Or, for more on international competition, check the website of the International Triathlon Union.

See also