Tri This - Talent Identification

Any Canadian athlete can apply for acceptance into the Tri This program. Triathlon Canada’s areas of highest selection priority are mature, developed endurance athletes who possess some (or all) of the swim-run skills to be competitive in a short period of time at an International Standard Distance Triathlon. The highest sought after athlete is one who is an exceptional swimmer and who is a word-class runner.

Considering Standard Distance ITU Triathlon races allow drafting on the bike portion of the race, an optimal candidate is someone who has the swim capacity to exit the 1500m swim with the top 6-10 athletes in order to make the ‘main pack’ for the bike. Being a strong cyclist is an asset as it provides the candidate the capacity to stay with the leaders or catch up if a small break away occurs.  Triathlon Canada will consider any past bike skills an asset.

Race victories and Olympic medals are generally (not always) decided on the run. Strong run skills will be highly sought after.  Once off the bike where aerodynamic benefits stop, athletes then need to cover the 10km run distance as fast as they are capable. Championship men are now running sub 30 minutes for 10km off the bike and the top women 33-34 minutes for their 10km split.   Top international triathletes are very competitive runners in open 5k & 10k events but aren’t quite as fast as the best “pure” runners in the world. Triathletes tend to have more muscle mass than top level single discipline runners as they require more strength to deal with the swim and 40km bike prior to the run. That being said, no single body type has dominated the Standard Distance race format. The optimal candidate will have the majority of their athletic career in front of them, have had some provincial, national or collegiate swim or run racing experience in their past, and possess a tremendous desire to put all of their energies into becoming an elite level triathlete for Canada for the balance of their athletic career.   

Athletes who are extremely competent at one sport (swim or run) and below average in the second sport (swim or run) will also be considered for the program. As long as a reasonable strategy of how to improve their least developed sport up to an international triathlon standard is thought to be achievable within 12-24 months.  As stated, priority will be given to athletes who are already very competitive in both sports now.

Younger athletes at the Development level will also be given consideration for inclusion in the program (with expected slower overall swim and run times due to their younger ages).  Triathlon Canada has interest in starting a relationship with younger athletes and their coaches, even if they are not immediately selected for the Tri This program. Athletes may be connected to provincial triathlon programs to help them with their development in triathlon. Younger athletes have the added benefit of gaining triathlon race experience in the Teck National Junior Race Series (Sprint Distance: 750m swim – 20km bike – 5km run).  This race experience is valuable for athletes who are serious about one day being in the elite level triathlete. Motivated development level athletes are encouraged to submit an application form so that Triathlon Canada can start communicating with them, even if they are not an optimal candidate for the current program.