Media Centre

History of Triathlon:
The first recorded triathlon was in California on September 24, 1974. It was organized by the San Diego Track and Field Club at Mission Bay and created an alternative to the rigors of athletic training on the track. There were 46 finishers in this inaugural triathlon, and the event consisted of a 5.3-mile run, followed by a five-mile bike race and 600 yards of swimming in the ocean.

Over the next decade triathlon significantly grew, and soon gained recognition throughout the world. The sport finally caught the attention of the International Olympic Committee in 1988 when IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, organized a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden with the intention of including triathlon in the Olympic Summer Games line-up.

The International Triathlon Union was then founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. A group of 30 national federations attended, elections were held and preparations for the first World Championship race were planned for Avignon, France on August 6, 1989 where more than 800 athletes, representing 40 countries, competed.

The ITU later began its first World Cup series in 1991 with 11 events in eight different countries. In 1994, triathlon was awarded full-medal status on the Olympic programme during the IOC Congress in Paris, France. The sport finally made its debut at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.

Triathlon Today:
Triathlon is a sport growing in popularity around the world. Race participation has increased by more than 300 per cent in the last five years.  In Canada, triathlon is one of the nation’s most rapidly growing sports – thanks in large part to Simon Whitfield’s Olympic gold and silver medals.

Provincial memberships for adults and juniors have grown from 4,589 in 1998 to 11,619 in 2008.

Participation may be most notable at the grassroots level with Canadian youth. In the last seven years, Triathlon Canada has witnessed the following growth in its Kids of Steel program, which introduces newcomers to the sport:

• number of Kids of Steel clubs have grown from 12 to 37;
• number of members of Kids of Steel clubs have grown from 144 to 767;
• number of Kids of Steel race participants have grown from 2,022 to 14,908;
• number of youth involved in Kids of Steel school programs have grown from 794 to 1,534;
• number of Kids of Steel races have grown from 62 to 95 each year;
• number of Kids of Steel training camps have grown from six-to-15.

Olympic Race Distance:
The official distance for a triathlon race was set at the inaugural ITU Congress in Avignon, France. Both men and women athletes complete a mass-start 1.5-kilometre swim, followed by 40 kilometres on the bike and conclude with a 10-kilometre run. Athletes enter a transition zone to change equipment between each discipline while the clock continues to run. The first athlete to cross the finish line is declared the winner.

Getting Started in Triathlon:
Triathlon Canada has introduced a Kids of Steel program designed to offer kids and young adults across the country the opportunity to experience the sport of triathlon in a positive environment. The distances are much shorter than those in adult triathlons, and increase as participants mature in the sport. Every province in Canada has its own series of youth triathlons that may or may not bear the name Kids of Steel. The races offer families a chance to travel within their province and provide kids the opportunity to develop great friendships and enjoy sport. Many Kids of Steel races are held in conjunction with an adult race, allowing the entire family to be involved. For more information on the Kids of Steel program, please call your provincial association, or e-mail us at raceentries@triathloncanada.com.

Team Teck National Junior Series:
Triathlon Canada operates the Team Teck National Junior Series across the country to provide the nation’s best junior athletes with a  highly-competitive draft-legal racing experience in a cost-effective manner. A series of three races are held across the country and points are accumulated based on athlete results to determine the overall series winner. Non-Canadian athletes are welcome to compete in the races in an effort to create a highly-competitive racing environment. For more information on the Team Teck National Junior Series, please contact us at or e-mail us at raceentries@triathloncanada.com.

Triathlon at the Olympic Summer Games:
Triathlon made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia where Canada’s Simon Whitfield captured the gold medal. Triathlon made an immediate impact setting a new Olympic attendance record with more than 120,000 spectators for the women’s and men’s competitions. The success of the sport at the Games continued through to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athen’s, Greece where it was on one of only a few events to enjoy a complete sell out. Triathlon made its third appearance at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China with the competitions scheduled for primetime television exposure in North America.


Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series:                 
The International Triathlon Union introduced a new World Championship Series in 2009, representing a creative change to the sport of triathlon by creating seven elite World Championship events, and a Grand Final, rather than a single-day world championship event. The world’s best triathletes will compete head-to-head, featuring live international television for the fist time in every event. A total purse of $3.3-million USD will be available for both the World Championship and World Cup Series.    

Highlights of the new series include:                
                                                                                                              
World Championships move from a single competition to eight events (seven and a Grand Final);

• World Class venues in internationally-renowned cities;
• Guaranteed live television;
• Increased prize money.

*****
For More Information:
Chris Dornan
Triathlon Canada
T: 281-703-4394
E-mail: communications@triathloncanada.com