Home › Sports › Running › Triathlon Pace

Triathlon Pace Calculator

Sprint · Olympic · 70.3 Half Ironman · Full Ironman — complete finish time from swim, bike & run paces

Race Settings

Finish Time

—
Select a race distance
Swim
—
T1
—
Bike
—
T2
—
Run
—

Time by Discipline

Split Table

Discipline Distance Pace / Speed Segment Cumulative % of Total
Calculate first

How to Use the Triathlon Pace Calculator

Choose your race format

Select Sprint, Olympic, Half (70.3), or Ironman. The calculator automatically loads the official distances for each segment — swim, bike, and run.

Enter your paces and transitions

Input your swim pace per 100m, average bike speed in mph, run pace per mile, and your expected T1 and T2 transition times in minutes.

Read your split breakdown

Your overall finish time appears instantly. Switch to the Split Breakdown tab to see a full table and bar chart showing how time is distributed across each discipline.

Formulas

Swim Time
(swim_m ÷ 100) × pace_sec
Bike Time
(bike_km ÷ 1.609) ÷ speed_mph × 3600
Run Time
(run_km ÷ 1.609) × pace_sec_per_mi
Total
Swim + T1 + Bike + T2 + Run

Glossary

T1
Transition 1 — the area where you change from swim to bike gear. Time includes exiting water, removing wetsuit, putting on helmet, and mounting your bike.
T2
Transition 2 — changing from bike to run gear. Typically faster than T1 since you're already dry. Includes racking bike, swapping shoes, and grabbing race bib.
Ironman
3.8 km swim · 180 km bike · 42.2 km run. The longest standard triathlon format. Athletes must finish within a 17-hour cutoff.
70.3 / Half Ironman
1.9 km swim · 90 km bike · 21.1 km run. Half the distance of a full Ironman. Total distance = 70.3 miles, hence the name.
Brick Workout
Training session combining two disciplines back-to-back — most commonly bike then run — to adapt to the transition and the heavy feeling in the legs.
Pace per 100m
Standard swim speed measure. A 2:00/100m pace means 2 minutes to cover 100 meters. Multiply by the swim distance in hundreds of meters to get total swim time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a triathlon take to complete?

Finish times vary by format. Sprint: 1–2 hours. Olympic: 2–3 hours. Half Ironman (70.3): 4–7 hours. Full Ironman: 8–17 hours. First-time Ironman athletes commonly finish in 12–14 hours. Elite professionals complete a full Ironman in under 8 hours.

What is a good Ironman finish time?

For age-group athletes, finishing under 12 hours is considered strong. Sub-10 hours is competitive. Sub-9 hours is elite amateur territory. Professional men finish around 7:40–8:10 and professional women around 8:30–9:00. For first-timers, simply finishing is the goal — the 17-hour cutoff gives plenty of time.

How do transitions affect my overall time?

Transitions are called the "fourth discipline" of triathlon. T1 (swim-to-bike) averages 2–5 minutes for experienced athletes; T2 (bike-to-run) averages 1–3 minutes. In an Ironman, elite athletes complete both in under 5 minutes combined; age-groupers may spend 8–15 minutes. Practicing transitions and pre-staging gear saves significant time.

What swim pace should I target?

Beginners typically swim 2:30–3:00/100m. Intermediate athletes target 1:45–2:15/100m. Competitive age-groupers aim for 1:20–1:45/100m. For an Ironman, a 2:00/100m pace results in roughly a 1:16 swim. Always start conservatively — going too hard in the water drains energy needed for the bike and run.

What is a brick workout?

A brick workout combines two triathlon disciplines back-to-back — most commonly bike followed by run. The name describes the heavy, "bricked" feeling in your legs switching from cycling to running. Regular brick sessions train your body to adapt to this transition, which is essential for racing effectively off the bike.

How do I convert my bike speed from km/h to mph?

Divide your km/h speed by 1.60934 to get mph. For example, 30 km/h ÷ 1.60934 = 18.6 mph. Common reference points: 25 km/h ≈ 15.5 mph, 30 km/h ≈ 18.6 mph, 35 km/h ≈ 21.7 mph, 40 km/h ≈ 24.9 mph.