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Full-distance triathlon training

Your first Ironman.

3.8 km of swimming, 180 km on the bike and a marathon to finish. Training for your first Ironman is less about heroic sessions than about months of steady weeks that fit around work, family and sleep. Here is how long it takes, how big the weeks get, and how Triku builds a full-distance plan back from your race day.

How long it takes The sessions that matter Half first?

How long to train for an Ironman

It depends on
where you start.

Triku asks where you are before it counts weeks. These are the shortest full-distance builds it plans for each starting point. More time is always better: it absorbs the cold, the work trip and the week your child is ill.

Minimum build lengths from Triku’s plan engine. With fewer weeks, Triku still builds a plan but tells you the build is short.
What that meansShortest planLongest ride
Starting freshNew to endurance training, or back after a long break24 weeksAbout 5 h 30
Finding your rhythm againYou’ve trained before and want to get consistent20 weeksAbout 5 h 30
Training regularlyTraining is already part of your week16 weeksAbout 5 h 45
Chasing a new bestYou train consistently and race to improve14 weeksAbout 6 h

What the build is made of

The sessions
that matter.

A full-distance plan has a lot of sessions in it. These six decide whether race day goes well.

  1. The long ride

    The bike is the longest leg, so the long ride is the backbone of the plan. In Triku it grows by about 20 minutes a week, never by more than a fifth of its length, up to about 5 hours 30 for a first-timer.

  2. The long run, without the marathon

    The long run grows by about 15 minutes a week and stops at about 2 hours 30. Running 42 km in training costs more recovery than it gives back. The marathon on race day is built on the bike miles underneath it.

  3. The brick

    A long ride with a run straight after it is the closest you’ll get to race day in training. Late in the build, a typical Triku Saturday is a ride of more than four and a half hours followed by a 40-minute run.

  4. The swim, and open water

    3.8 km is a long way to swim if front crawl is new. Triku starts with technique and builds distance from there, then adds open-water sessions in the final six weeks so the wetsuit, sighting and the mass start aren’t new on the day.

  5. Eating on the bike

    Over 10 to 17 hours, fuelling is the fourth discipline. Use the long rides to practise eating and drinking at race effort. Triku Academy has lessons on fuel and training the gut, and you can log meals by photo, voice or text.

  6. Rest, and the taper

    Every third week is lighter, so the work sinks in. The last two weeks taper, so you arrive at the start fresh rather than fit and exhausted.

Straight to a full?

Half
first?

You don’t have to, but most people are glad they did.

A sprint, Olympic or half-distance (70.3) race teaches the things training can’t: a crowded swim start, a transition under pressure, how your stomach copes with eating at race effort, and how your legs feel at kilometre 15 of a run after a long ride. A common route is a half in the season before your full distance. Its 20-week first-timer plan is a good base for the full build after it.

If you’ve entered a full distance anyway, that’s fine too. Tell Triku your race date and starting point. If the time looks too tight, it says so and lets you decide. It doesn’t quietly pretend every date is a good idea.

Starting with a shorter race? Your first triathlon

An Ironman training app, honestly

What Triku
does.

An app can carry the planning. Some things stay with you.

What Triku gives you

  1. A plan built back from race day.

    Long rides and runs aim at what a full distance needs, swim, bike and run in one week around the days you can train.

  2. A plan that bends with your life.

    Tell Coach about the busy week or the cold. It proposes what to move and why; nothing changes until you accept, and you can undo it.

  3. Race-ready, measured.

    See how your longest ride, run, swim and brick compare with what race day asks, with the weakest one counting most.

  4. Race week, covered.

    A kit list, pacing, taper and transitions, plus routes, Zwift export for indoor rides and workout sync from Apple Health or Health Connect.

What stays your job

  1. A health check.

    If you’re new to endurance sport or have a medical condition, see a doctor before a full-distance build.

  2. A bike that fits.

    Five hours in the saddle shows up every fit problem. A bike fit is worth it before the long rides start.

  3. Supervised open water.

    Swim with others or at a supervised venue. Triku’s map shows spots and safety reminders, but it can’t watch you swim.

  4. Sleep.

    The training only works if you recover from it. No app can sleep for you.

Questions

Asked
a lot.

How long does it take to train for a first Ironman?

In Triku, a first full-distance triathlon needs at least 24 weeks if you’re starting fresh, 20 if you’ve trained before and want to get consistent again, and 16 if training is already part of your week. Many first-timers give themselves a year, with a shorter triathlon on the way.

Can a beginner do an Ironman?

Yes, with enough time. Most coaches suggest racing a sprint, Olympic or half first, which teaches open water, transitions and eating on the bike under race nerves. Triku tells you when a race date looks too tight for where you are, and you decide whether to go ahead.

How many hours a week do you train for an Ironman?

In a 24-week Triku plan for a first-timer training six days a week, weeks start at about 8 hours and build to about 15 or 16 in the biggest weeks. Every third week is lighter, and the last two weeks taper so you arrive fresh.

Do you run a marathon in Ironman training?

No. In a Triku plan the long run tops out at about 2 hours 30 for a first-timer and never goes past 3 hours. Running the full distance in training costs more recovery than it gives back, so the long rides and bricks build the rest.

What is the longest ride before an Ironman?

About 5 hours 30 for a first-timer in a Triku plan, and up to about 6 hours for experienced athletes, reached a few weeks before the taper. Use those rides to practise eating and drinking at race effort.

Is there an app to train for a first Ironman?

Triku plans full-distance triathlons on iPhone and Android: swim, bike and run as one week around your available days, long sessions built back from race day, bricks, open-water practice and race-week guidance. Coach adjusts the plan with you when life gets in the way. Triku is not affiliated with IRONMAN.

Sources

The weeks, hours and session lengths on this page come from Triku’s plan engine. Its targets are drawn from published full-distance plans and coaching guidance, including these:

  1. Triathlete: 20-week and 24-week Ironman training plans
  2. Triathlete: 20-week first 70.3 and 16-week intermediate 70.3 plans
  3. TrainingPeaks: 5 keys to stepping up to long-course triathlon training
  4. Joe Friel, Training Bible: the Ironman run
  5. IRONMAN: key facts, distances and time limits

Triku is a training companion, not medical advice. It does not replace a doctor’s check or qualified in-person coaching.

IRONMAN® and IRONMAN 70.3® are registered trademarks of World Triathlon Corporation. “Ironman” is used on this page to describe full-distance triathlon. Triku is not affiliated with or endorsed by IRONMAN or World Triathlon Corporation.

226 kilometres starts with one week.

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WEEK BY WEEK.

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