I would only do sprints if I didn't want to get to Kona. It's like the 5k vs. Marathon argument. Both can be difficult if you take it seriously enough. There are always super fast guys at most sprints so just go for it.

---

808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

not so much, while it is a gateway to the sport for some... Its the distance Jr Elites race. Some of the ITU WTS are sprints as well.


its also the distance for most AG draft legal races.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Sprints around here are primarily noobs. That's not by design, but by choice.
Pretentious triathletes all want to race long(ish) it seems.
Doesn't mean you can't show up and race as hard as you want and have fun.

I do only sprints now that I have work and family responsibilities. The days of very long hours on the road for IM and 1/2IM are long gone. I like my hour of power on the trainer and my very fast 5km and 8km runs.

Same goes for me, too. I only have a few hours a week to train given family and work responsibilities, so i like hammering those workouts and then showing up on the weekends and trying to stay on the pointy end of the race.

Best part about sprints is that, if local, you can race back to back days over the weekend and be home before the family even wakes up

Nah, some really good athletes are out at every sprint I have done. I bet the same proportion of newbies to focused performers between HIM distances and sprints is not too different. In a branded HIM, I am generally a mid 30-ish finisher in a division of around 200. In a sprint or Olympic, I am generally top 3 AG in a division of 20 - 30. So, percentage wise, I am a little better in a sprint or Olympic, but not a great deal different.

My experience is I know I lot of folks who will race a sprint when they are not really in shape. They can kick butt in a sprint, but will lose it for an Olympic.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

ITU holds a World Championship for Sprint distance. Why wouldn't it be acceptable to focus on that distance? Everyone has different levels of ability and prefers different races. I wouldn't be concerned until Usain Bolt is frustrated by not being able to keep up with Galen Rupp. Also, stepping up in distance for most triathletes seems to be a path to a bucket list item. Your bucket may vary.

The irony may be that as you train specifically for and race more repetitively at the sprint distance, you may find your competitiveness growing for the one-off Oly distance race you might do. Sprint distance takes a different focus, but it provides a helluva base for any other distance, as well! Moving the other way is often more difficult, since you don't do as much work on top-end speed. Your average IM athlete does not do 400m repeats...at least, not outside the pool.

My experience with sprints is that they are attended by two groups of very different people. There are the obvious newbies just getting into the sport, and there are the super fast people who are there to smash it and win. I see very few people that would otherwise be considered "mid-pack" as they are all racing longer stuff.

I haven't done one in a while but I always found them fun. They hurt bad too when you are trying to squeeze every drop of performance out of yourself that you have available. Also they are over early in the day and you can even get stuff done that afternoon.

I will be putting a lot more focus on sprints next year. From a time commitment, and also, just the feeling of going fast. Plus an hour race isn't going to wreak you for the next 72 hours.

I wish there were more super competitive sprint races that were accessible.

---

USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

Totally fine to do sprints, and there are some really fast people doing sprints.

However, it is def true that sprints attract more newbs due to the shorter swim (and bike/run). So you'll place higher in sprints in your AG relative to the total field, but the fast guys tend to be similarly fast so it's still tough to win OAs in most sprints.

The situations (which are pretty common) where the sprints are typically significantly less competitive are when they are run concurrently as an Oly or HIM on the same day and same course. Most of the real monster athletes will do the Oly or HIM distance race rather than the sprint, at least that's what I'm finding. It's still no pushover to win the sprint race outright, but the winners of the concurrent Oly/HIM race will typically be significantly stronger.

Not a douche move. You're still racing for 45-60 minutes. Look at how hard elite runners train for the 5000 meters to race a fraction of the time. Race for yourself don't worry about other people. As someone pointed out you can race a local sprint and still be home in time to have a whole day with the family.

Not douchey at all.

It's a race, right? Where you try to go as fast as you can and as a result, beat other people?

I have 7 hours a week, at best, that I can devote to training. I can either 'finish' a long course event, or race a sprint or olympic with that constraint. I like to race.

I get that we're not supposed to 'shame' slow people at the local 5k...but I sure as shit don't want to be shamed for trying to go fast at a sprint/olympic.

<--might try a long course next year, but loving the standard stuff now.

not a douche move at all. sprint will always have a fair number of beginners but the ones I've done there are plenty of super fast people as well.

As long as you're not racing in the "first time triathlete" division when you're not a first timer, or doing the kids fun run as an adult, there's no need to worry about finishing too fast in a race being a douche move. It's a race! I've competed at all distances and prefer the sprint distance currently for several reasons. A couple of times this summer I've thought about moving back up to the Oly distance next year because the training and racing wouldn't hurt quite as much, but we all know that when you are trying to go as fast as possible the pain is just different at a longer or shorter distance.


Backhandedly putting down a poster who asks a sincere question. Classy Dave.

No. I spend the vast majority of my time on sprints and love it. There is Triathlon life beyond long course.

I just race harder/faster than most (hopefully all but probably not!) noobies. Is it douchy to race 5k or 10k just because you can "finish" a marathon??? Hell no. You just do so at a faster pace. I personally find the long stuff boring and just find myself thinking the whole time "I wish I were going faster". Both types of racing present different challenges though.

More people need to realize this. No one seems to celebrate going fast anymore. They just think you are a real triathlete if you go long and slow.

---

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I agree and wish more did. Not that I'm stomping the competition at sprints/olys but I wish there was a deeper field in those local race distances

Could not agree more. If I am going to beat myself up let it be for 1-1 1/2 hours max. More to life than just triathlon.

You are not missing anything. Maybe when you start getting a couple of overall wins and/or regular top 3 overall podiums you might want to think on focusing on longer distances. Sure, there are noobies in Sprints but around here there are also a lot of established fast finishers as well. Do what you have fun doing.

I couldn't agree more about the Junior Elites and sprint races.

My wife and I just raced a sprint distance triathlon this weekend. It included...

USA Junior Elite Squad {The winner came from this group and finished in 56:00. He's one of the top 16-17 year olds In the country}

University of Pittsburgh Triathlon Team

Penn State University Triathlon Team

I completed the course in 1:05:29...and beat 2/3 of those "kids" in the above groups. Very stiff competition at some of these sprint races. Go get it!

I've taken it a step further: loving triathlons but hating/sucking at the swim, I'm doing sprint duathlons all next year!

Haven't been this excited to race in a long time. Not dreading that first leg...

---

Want: 58cm Cervelo Soloist. PM me if you have one to sell

Vintage Cervelo: A Resource

Interestingly, when this came up years ago I recall the consensus mostly going the other way (or maybe the naysayers were just REALLY loud).

Someone's going to win every Sprint. It might as well be you. If it is, great! Hopefully you're a gracious winner; I used to be one of the biggest Sprint-targeting bottom-feeders you can imagine (I find them really fun and you can race every week, and if you do that means you're signing up for Bob's Local Sprint Triathlon with not that many people and most of the serious people not in attendance), and that meant a schlub like me won a few outright. Everyone else just asked questions about training and racing and I answered them all as best I could.

People will tell you they're "easy". People will tell you to "move up to a real distance". People will tell you that you're a jerk for bringing out all your aero toys for a Sprint. Don't listen to them - you do you. Just be ready for those comments, and the fact that a whole lot of people won't give you any credit for it, even if you go sub-hour.

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

There is no shame in a Sprint Tri. Going 100% for an hour+ is not easy and hurts like hell.

In fact, consider this my official plea to everyone to do more Sprints/Olys.

Advantages
(1) you go faster which is just more fun
(2) done quicker with race leaving more time for other things in life that day (and possibly, but not necessarily in training)
(3) cheaper
(4) recover faster

Nope, my comment has nothing to do with the OP. It was just an observation for the sprint races I do with my friends. They kick my butt in Sprint races. I cannot
make up the swim differences or bike with my run.

Your choice to read things negative when it is not stated that way.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Triathlon in the US is long course oriented for a couple reasons. One, that is where the history is rooted and two, the sport is most approachable to people who can afford it. Those people cant compete at the highest level anymore so the accomplishment comes from LD racing> 140.6 is impressive. Not too many people know what a tri 14:30 5k means. A marathon of anything sounds impressive. Im not knocking any racers, but its simply a different sport almost. Ask Usain Bolt if he feels like his distance was weak sh*t. Rock the sprint tri!

Good point. There's no reason I should feel bad about myself for completing another sprint in 45minutes.


Sprint distance means I can still get home and cut the grass.

All newbs race sprint. But not all who race sprint are newbs.

sprints are good for the physically injured... I'm doubtful my knee will hold for anything longer then an oly and maybe not even one of those. I'm a little sore after a 7k run.

I was going to say that about my back. I can hammer for 1:10 - 1:20 and my back holds up but hammering for 2:20 Plus hours and my back is SH!T

Or finish the race and get brunch. Same advantage as running races.

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

I find in Australia the Sprints can have the fastest guys as the ITU junior development guys race them.


As for racing and training for them, it's a legit world champs distance and WTS distance so why not ? It's only age groupers who have this weird obsession with longer always being better, do you think Bolt gives a crap about marathons ?

"They are not really in shape"
"will lose it for an Olympic"

If I was your friend, I wouldn't be happy to read this. I could list multiple quotes where you write that those who do sprint tris are "faking it." I guess I'm a snowflake, but jusr sayin'

Not necessarily if they are raced in the manner we are advocating here. That's the point many are making. A sprint isn't an easy athletic endeavor if raced hard. Theoretically I guess less time on the course could be less likely to produce an injury but biking and running hard are hard on the body too.

My friends totally agree with me since I do beat them at Olympic, and can easily lose to them at Sprint. They are have been dealing with injuries and have done little training, especially in the run. So not sure why one cannot be honest. The longer a race, the more one really has to be in shape. One of many reason I do not race long distance anymore.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yeah great point. Those ITU guys doing the shorter stuff don't train enough and aren't in good enough shape to do long distance.


This is the misconception we are trying to bust here. It's different conditioning, yes. But shorter doesn't necessarily equal easier. And you of all people know this.

If long course is death by 1000 cuts, short course is death by a couple shot gun blasts to the gut!

You totally miss the point, but oh well. .1% folks are not the kind of folks ST is talking about.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Last race I did they had a sprint and Olympic. I raced the Sprint and lost. I would have easily won the Olympic. It all depends on who shows up and what they want to race. In most cases you need to be in shape to win a sprint. I've never seen a fat out of shape person win a sprint.

Again, that is not at all what I am saying, but if one does not understand it is easier to run a fast 5K when one is not in total run shape than a fast 10K, I do not know what else to say.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Both are equally hard. A fast 5k is a different pace than a fast 10k. You cant do either if you are not in shape. I don't know what else to say.

Sprint tris have evolved over the decades to the point they now have a world title. Initially, in the '80's, it was considered a race for the newbies before they attempted the regular distance of what was called 'Olympic'. Then, as people became confident at the OD level they eyed off the HIM and IM races as new challenges.

Not only will the sprint distance retain its new found popularity following its wide acceptance as a legitimate distance for a world championship but it will also gain the interest of those who can no longer compete over the longer distances because of injury, age or family/work commitments.

My own $0.02 is that sprints tend to have "odd-ball" fast guys: ex D1 swimmers or runners that don't really know what they're doing but they show up and go fast just on account of the size of their engine.

So I don't get trashed, here's what I mean by "they don't know what they know what they're doing":
-They aren't aero weenies.
-They don't read Friction Facts reports or TomA's crr spreadsheet.
-They don't have their transition setup and execution super refined.
-They've never really "tested" nutrition in training or thought about when to take in nutrition during a race.
-Outside of their specialized sport, they really don't know how to train

After a while of racing against these odd-ball fast guys, some of the sort-of fast adult onset guys that prefer short course gravitate toward the Olympic distance because things like bike setup, transition setup, nutrition, and a proper training structure give them a chance to be competitive against the guys with big engines but minimal tri-specific knowledge. As such, the depth of sprint fields can be erratic.

With all of the foregoing said, sometimes early season sprints see some ridiculously deep fields.

I love sprints, and being an amateur who just does this for fun and as a competitive outlet, I have no problem training hard for sprints. Even this year my 'A' race was a Sprint tri because I liked the course and they had an awesome prize for the winner, way cooler than any Ironman race I've done. For some reason amateur triathletes get stuck in their heads that longer means better, but that simply isn't true. The Sprint and Olympic racing is just as fun (actually more fun because you get to go really fast) and just as competitive if you pick the right races. I guarantee you will get just as good of a big race experience if you do Age Group Nationals vs any regular Ironman, you'll spend way less money, and your family will appreciate not having to run around all day trying to catch glimpses of you going slow.

---

Powertap / Cycleops / Saris

You likely hold this view of sprint races since you only have one speed that you go for every race. Your training is perfect for going one speed, no ability to go any faster, regardless of the distance. So, you get beaten in a sprint because other people pick up the pace since the race is shorter. You keep going the same speed (redline from the gun), and lose a sprint but win an Olympic.

I got toasted in the chute by a Penn State Triathlete by less then 5 seconds. He was 21 years old and told me the the is trying to get faster for short course.

HELL YES, TRAIN FOR SPRINTS...TOP END ATHLETES ARE!

A couple of observation:

1) This year my A race is Ironman Kona. My training volume is the highest it has ever been (especially the bike volume).
My results at Olympic Distance events this year have been the best ever.
I suspect I would also do very well at sprints.
My point:
Volume + intensity + recovery = speed (at all triathlon distances)
2) The people my (age 45-49) who can beat me at a sprint (there are not too many of them), could also beat me at an Ironman, with only minor changes to their training.

Sprint triathlon, 200 m Butterfly, Ironman Kona, Tour de France, USA track and field masters 1500m.......
Just different flavors of pain.
All delicious in their own way.

In the early 80's there was a lot more variety of distance in the "sprint" classification. It's good to see it is starting to be a bit more standardized, from what I can tell getting back to tri's after many years off.

The 80's was also the era of the "no nudity in transition" rule (before tri-shorts), and also very odd order of events some times. I remember the Bud Lite Tri series in the 80's had at least one race in LA that was a run - bike - swim. The earlier years of triathlon were certainly interesting...

Personally, I love(d) sprints because they were small, local races. It's like your neighborhood 5k. There will be competitive types, newbies, and those just in it for fitness. But, as I grew in the sport, the longer distances called. First into the Olympic/International distance, and finally a full IM. But, after that challenge... what was left? Enter the couch potato.

Now, I've spent the last couple of years getting back into some state of physical fitness. I'm building my base and plan to get back into regular sprint races. They don't require the training hours that I can't seem to find anymore, and there are a lot of them around. I was never competitive - tri's are just for fun and fitness. I'd like to include one Olympic distance perhaps a year, but mostly stick to sprints.

So, to the OP, do the distance(s) you can enjoy and have time to properly train. If you want to be competitive, find the distance that works best for you. The best 100 yard sprinter won't win a marathon, or vice versa. Same goes for tri's. Specialists, you know...

Now, where was that how to loose weight thread... ? ;-)

---

I used to have a signature...

I'm just waiting for super sprint tri's to become popular :P So much fun going all out for 25-30 minutes!

---

OlympicHopeful.com - Interviews with aspiring Olympians | Strava
Supported by: Skechers|Zwift|Squirt Lube|TYR|Rubber Ducky Sunscreen|Riplaces|MultiSport Canada|Joshus Bikes
“More often than not bad luck meant bad plans” -Joe Abercrombie

My club runs a kind of super sprint, 250m swim, 11k bike and 3k run.

I keep wanting to do HITS 'open' races but they're usually just kids... If they only had an adult wave vs. kid wave

---

808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Ergo, you could've written it like: 'I find that because I'm not a balanced triathlete, that I focus way too much on my run than my bike, that I can't compete in shorter events where my run doesn't compensate for my lack of bike performance' but again you didn't. Many lenses of perspective to view things through....

I got my club doing that a few years ago. 300 yds, 5 miles, 1 mile.

No charge, local park, do one, rest a bit, do another, rest a bit, do one more.

All about 25 to 30 min

I wish would do the "open" race the day of the 70.3 and their 140.6. If they did, I'd do an "open" on Saturday and a sprint or olympic on Sunday thus getting more value out of my trip.

That is the issue with social media today, IMO. Everyone loves to read other folks stuff half empty, and then snowflake them by saying how they should have written what they meant. :)

I am going to do a draft legal sprint tri in 3 weeks. Will get my buck kicked. :)

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

You can now 'snowflake' someone?? You are a complete moron.

Me too!

No. This is not a social media issue. You continue to make posts with a passive-aggressive tone, that anyone with the reading comprehension of a 6th-grader would interpret as such. Then, you hide behind that ambiguity and call people 'snowflakes' for calling you out. Further, you annoyingly add a smiley face to bolster your claim of naivete.

Dave, MAN the FUCK UP and stand behind your posts' intent. In the highly unlikely event that far too many of your posts are routinely mistakenly misunderstood, please have a responsible adult proof-read prior to hitting the 'post' button. (To be clear, this is a dig). ...no smiley face...

Agree,Also easier to finish a IM than podium in a sprint, 100% full gas is not easy

This. H2ofun, one of the following is true:

1) You are a terrible writer and are oblivious to the tone of many of your posts.
2) You are completely oblivious to the concept of implicit vs explicit statements, or "reading between the lines".
3) You are a passive-aggressive little punk who enjoys getting little digs at people that you then disclaim with another insult.

---

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

That has to do more with your ability to really crush a 5km run.. A 5k run is done at a harder pace than a 10k run. Maybe you should push yourself more in training! But I guess not everyone is willing to endure the suffering it takes to do a fast sprint triathlon as opposed to a more easier paced OD...



To the OP:
Sprint triathlons are every bit as much a triathlon as the full distance is. In the netherlands we even have a competition consisting out of sprinttriathlons and one OD, in which clubteams can battle it out ;-)

I race primarily Sprint and Olympic distances because I enjoy them. I could care less about perceptions of them being easy. If you want to be good at them, then yes, train for it. I've found there's less margin for errors and things like transitions can be the difference in a podium or not.

Agreed with the transition comment. Practice your transition and have it done in under 1 minute from swim to bike and under 30 seconds from bike to run. This has allowed me placings much higher than my actual swim, bike and run times.

Double-truth. Sprints, teach you to optimize transition. I still suck in transition, but I suck a lot less now. In every sprint I have done, my transitions were the difference in one or two AG podium places. In one race, I would have moved from 3rd AG to 1st AG if I had only done my transitions a little better-- not even great. I am now much better in transition, and it has benefitted me in HIM as well.

Agreed re transitions. If your T1 and T2 times are outside of the top 5 you're unlikely to make the podium. One year at Fort Desoto I went with flat pedals and rigged up my race number in a plastic bag in one of my back pockets. I think my T2 time was like 19 seconds haha ;)