From what I have seen Olympic and 5150 is the same distance, and International can be the same distance, although sometimes it’s between sprint and Olympic. So what’s the official differences between these three terms and where did the terms come from? Olympic I know, it’s the distance used in the Olympics, but what is 5150 and International? Is 5150 just an Ironman brand thing?
From what I have seen Olympic and 5150 is the same distance, and International can be the same distance, although sometimes it’s between sprint and Olympic. So what’s the official differences between these three terms and where did the terms come from? Olympic I know, it’s the distance used in the Olympics, but what is 5150 and International?** **
Is 5150 just an Ironman brand thing?
yes.
ALL of these should be 1.5k S, 40k B, 10k R.
5150 is an Ironman branded OLY. There are 51.5 KMs in an OLY, hence 5150.
They’re all 1.5/40/10 (or should be).
Don’t forget Standard distance and Intermediate distance which are also terms for 1.5K/40K/10K triathlons 
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Just remember, the 2012 London Olympic triathlon was not Olympic distance.
This is confusing for me here too. Lifetime tri uses “international distance” as wording for a legit olympic distance race. While here we have a race san diego international which is 1k/30k/10k . Could it be something with paying extra to usat for the label olympic distance??
Just remember, the 2012 London Olympic triathlon was not Olympic distance.
The ITU Grand finals in Edmonton this year wasn’t Olympic distance either
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5150 is an Ironman branded OLY. There are 51.5 KMs in an OLY, hence 5150.
They’re all 1.5/40/10 (or should be).
I’ve been wondering about this myself for a while; thanks for clarifying. Figures that WTC would brand these instead of just going with “Olympic” in the name.
Anyone seen am M-Dot “5150” tattoo yet? Imagine trying to explain that one to the non-triathletes you know: “No, Mom, I didn’t join a gang.”
At least in the U.S., there are 4 general race distances:
- Short
- Intermediate
- Long
-Ultra
These are general ranges, usually based on bike distances, with ranges for swim, bike, and run. Each of the legs can vary, and sometimes are relatively short or long compared to the others. Depends on what you have for roads and trails to work with.
Short is also called Sprint. Intermediate used to be known as International.
A half-iron or 70.3 is a specific set of distances within a Long. An iron-distance or Ironman is a specific set of distances within an Ultra. (And yes, even if Chattanooga has a 116-mile bike loop, it will still be an Ironman, much to the chagrin of all the Garmin owners!)
Similarly, an Olympic is supposed to be one and only one set of distances within an Intermediate. Exactly 1.5k, 40k, 10k. If you have a bike loop that is 40.2k, it’s not supposed to be an Olympic.
There may also be licensing issues with calling it an Olympic course without the approval of ITU, just like calling it an Ironman or Ironman 70.3.
Finally, different races may call themselves one thing but be something else.
At least in the U.S., there are 4 general race distances:
- Short
- Intermediate
- Long
-Ultra
These are general ranges, usually based on bike distances, with ranges for swim, bike, and run. Each of the legs can vary, and sometimes are relatively short or long compared to the others. Depends on what you have for roads and trails to work with.
Short is also called Sprint. Intermediate used to be known as International.
A half-iron or 70.3 is a specific set of distances within a Long. An iron-distance or Ironman is a specific set of distances within an Ultra. (And yes, even if Chattanooga has a 116-mile bike loop, it will still be an Ironman, much to the chagrin of all the Garmin owners!)
Similarly, an Olympic is supposed to be one and only one set of distances within an Intermediate. Exactly 1.5k, 40k, 10k. If you have a bike loop that is 40.2k, it’s not supposed to be an Olympic.
There may also be licensing issues with calling it an Olympic course without the approval of ITU, just like calling it an Ironman or Ironman 70.3.
Finally, different races may call themselves one thing but be something else.
I wonder if this is why at Edmonton worlds they called it a standard since the bike was a little short from 40K?
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I think standard/international/intermediate is the actual name(s) as I am pretty sure the IOC has the lock down on anything called Olympic just as WTC has the lockdown on calling anything a 5150
There is also a buffer to the distances, I can’t recall what the % is but there is some leeway as to the actual distances so it doesn’t have to be exactly 1.5/40/10
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Anyone seen am M-Dot “5150” tattoo yet? Imagine trying to explain that one to the non-triathletes you know: “No, Mom, I didn’t join a gang.”
LMAO… !
Is 5150 just an Ironman brand thing?
Currently it is, but Oct 1 will tell us more.
I think standard/international/intermediate is the actual name(s) as I am pretty sure the IOC has the lock down on anything called Olympic just as WTC has the lockdown on calling anything a 5150
There is also a buffer to the distances, I can’t recall what the % is but there is some leeway as to the actual distances so it doesn’t have to be exactly 1.5/40/10
It’s within 5 or 10% I think. Definitely not more.
The standardized distance goes back a pretty long ways. The original standard distance was set by the USTS in 1982. It was 2k/45k/15k. They held this for two years and realized they would get much bigger numbers and easier to manage races if they shortened the distances. So it made sense then to go to the traditional distances in each sport, 1500m swim/ 40k tt bike/ 10k run. This happened in about 1984 and was called international distance soon after. There were no olympics yet, and not even on the horizon. But at some point, and i don’t know by whom(maybe Less McDonald) it became Olympic distance too. Then just a few years ago Ironman just used the combined totals for the 5150.
So to answer they are all the same distance theoretically speaking. Many RD’s have taken some license with these terms for their off distance races and used it as a category rather than an exact distance.
And before any of this, and before Ironman became the Ironman Triathlon, the first Kona Triathlon was called the International Triathlon. Guess once they took the Ironman name they did not care to protect the name International Triathlon anymore, but they did have that first back in 1981.
What’s on October 1st? A lawsuit against WTC? A meeting between WTC and ITU?
Just remember, the 2012 London Olympic triathlon was not Olympic distance.
Didn’t know this. How long was it?
Someone can probably give more details, but the bike was not 40k. I believe it was longer than that.
Monty was the NICE course ever called anythin else but Long course, and was there ever really more than a couple that distance. For me, I liked that distance the best. Grand Columbia had it awhile
Anyone seen am M-Dot “5150” tattoo yet? Imagine trying to explain that one to the non-triathletes you know: “No, Mom, I didn’t join a gang.”
Worse still, imagine explaining getting it to your triathlete friends. May as well get “craves positive reinforcement” on your head.
I believe that the whole 5150 thing is a conspiracy by WTC to convert the US to the metric system. About time too.