Starting triathlon means learning three sports at once, and usually fitting them around a job and a family. Triku is a starter triathlon app for iPhone and Android: it plans your swim, bike and run as one week, starts the swim from zero if it needs to and changes the plan with you when life gets in the way. Below is how we’d approach a first triathlon, with the numbers our plans actually use.
Most people start with a sprint. It teaches you the swim start, transitions and running on tired legs without taking over your life. These are the shortest builds Triku plans for someone new to triathlon, and the size of a big week near the end.
From Triku’s plan engine, for a first-timer training four to six days a week. Your own plan depends on your history and the days you have.
The race
Shortest plan
A big week
Sprint
750 m, 20 km, 5 km
8 weeks
About 3 to 4 hours
Olympic
1.5 km, 40 km, 10 km
12 weeks
About 7 hours
Half distance (70.3)
1.9 km, 90 km, 21.1 km
20 weeks
About 9 to 10 hours
Full distance
3.8 km, 180 km, 42.2 km
24 weeks
About 15 to 16 hours
Fewer weeks than this and Triku still gets you to the start line, but it tells you the build is short and lets you decide. Aiming at a full distance? Read training for your first Ironman ↗
From maybe to day one
How to start training.
Six steps that cover most first triathlons. None of them needs expensive kit or a coaching background.
Pick a race 8 to 12 weeks away
A date makes the training real. A sprint close to home, with a pool swim or a calm lake, is the friendliest first race. Note the swim venue: it decides whether you’ll need open-water practice and a wetsuit.
Be honest about the swim
The swim worries first-timers most, and it is the leg that skill limits more than fitness. If 400 metres of front crawl isn’t possible yet, start with breathing, body position and short drills, two or three times a week if you can. Frequency beats long sessions while you’re learning.
Ride the bike you have
Any bike in good working order and a helmet will get you round a sprint. Most of your weekly time goes to the bike because it is the longest leg, and it is the easiest place to build fitness without getting hurt.
Keep the running easy
Most of your runs should feel conversational. Running is where new triathletes most often get injured, so the long run grows a little each week and every third week is lighter.
Practise running off the bike
Your legs feel strange for the first minutes after a ride. A brick session, a ride followed straight away by a short run, teaches you that feeling before race day, not during it.
Rehearse race week
Lay out your kit, walk through transition, practise in open water if your race has it, and ease off in the final week so you arrive fresh. The details nobody tells you about are where first races go wrong.
What it looks like
A beginner week.
Week four of a ten-week sprint plan Triku built for someone who trains four days a week and is still learning front crawl.
MonSwim skills30 min in the pool, open-water skills
TueLong run30 min at an easy pace
WedRestRecovery is training too
ThuBrick repeatsShort rides and runs back to back
FriRestOr move a session here
SatLong brick45 min ride, then a 15 min run
SunRestFamily day
Just under 3 hours in all. If Thursday disappears, tell Coach: it proposes where the session could go, you approve it, and you can undo it.
Choosing a starter triathlon app
What to look for.
Plenty of apps can give you a calendar of workouts. For a first triathlon, these are the things that make the difference.
What Triku gives you
One plan for three sports.
Swim, bike and run planned as one week, around the days you can train, from sprint to full distance.
Swimming from zero.
Technique first if front crawl is new, with illustrated drills. A swim test sets your paces once you’re confident, and a map shows open-water spots with safety reminders.
Changes you can read.
Busy week, a cold, a work trip: Coach proposes what to move and why. Nothing changes until you accept, and you can undo it.
Answers to the basic questions.
Triku Academy has short lessons on swimming, cycling, running, fuel and recovery, with sources you can open.
Ask any app before you pay
Does it plan the swim and the bike?
Some running apps sell triathlon plans that cover the running only. See Triku vs Runna.
Can it start a weak swimmer?
Many plans open with swim intervals at a pace you can’t hold yet.
Scores and acronyms are hard to act on in your first season. See Triku vs TriDot.
Questions
Asked a lot.
What is the best app for a first triathlon?+
Look for an app that plans all three sports as one week, can start the swim from zero, adjusts when a week goes wrong and tells you why. Triku is built for exactly that. It is a triathlon training app for beginners on iPhone and Android, and it also plans Olympic, half and full-distance races for when you want more.
How many weeks do I need to train for my first sprint triathlon?+
Triku plans a first sprint over at least 8 weeks, and 10 to 12 weeks leaves room for a cold or a busy week. With fewer weeks, Triku still builds a plan but tells you the build is short. A first Olympic-distance race needs at least 12 weeks.
Can I do a triathlon if I can’t swim front crawl yet?+
Yes, and many first-timers can’t. Tell Triku front crawl is new and your swim block starts with breathing, body position and illustrated drills, with open-water practice before race day. Triathlon rules generally allow any stroke, so breaststroke is fine on the day. Lessons with a swim coach are a valuable addition: an app cannot supervise you in the water.
How many hours a week does beginner triathlon training take?+
For a first sprint, about 2 to 4 hours a week over four sessions in a Triku plan. A first Olympic distance builds to about 7 hours in its biggest weeks, a half distance to about 9 or 10, and a full distance to about 15 or 16.
Do I need a road bike or a wetsuit for my first triathlon?+
No. Any bike in good working order and a helmet will do for a first sprint, and hybrids and mountain bikes are a common sight. A wetsuit matters for cold open water, so check your race’s rules and the water temperature. Goggles, a swimsuit and running shoes cover the rest.
Does Triku work with my Apple Watch or Garmin?+
Yes, through your phone. Workouts reach Triku from Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android, so an Apple Watch works directly, and a Garmin works once Garmin Connect shares with Apple Health or Health Connect. Direct Garmin Connect and Strava integrations are planned.
Sources
The weeks and hours on this page come from Triku’s plan engine. Its long-session targets and minimum build lengths are drawn from published week-by-week plans and race rules, including these:
Triku is a training companion, not medical advice. If you have a health condition or haven’t exercised in a while, check with a doctor before you start.
You don’t have to be a triathlete to start.
THAT’S WHAT THE START IS FOR.
Your first length. Your first brick. Your finish line.