Accidentally doing a triathlon

[adebrunner]

I called a friend out who was doing the 5k portion of a sprint triathlon because that was the only event she was doing and her sister and dad were swimming and biking. She got mad so I responded by telling her that I can beat her whole family by myself. This was probably a mistake as I can't swim very well. I am in decent shape, but would like to know what a good time for a first sprint tri is so if I lose, at least I'll know if they beat me or if I'm just an idiot who can't run, swim and bike well.

[az_cyclist]

How many tri's have you done so far?

[caloso]

Sprint triathlons don't have standardized distances so it's impossible to even give a ballpark time without knowing the distances of the bike and swim legs.

[StanSeven]

Sprint triathlons don't have standardized distances so it's impossible to even give a ballpark time without knowing the distances of the bike and swim legs.

Plus hills, the amount of turns on the course, and whether the swim is in a like, river, or pool all factors in. Do a google search of the tri and see if they post last years times

[caloso]

Transitions too. I did one (Tri at Pacific Grove) where it was at least a 100m in and out.

[az_cyclist]

What training have you done so far for this tri?

[cjbruin]

I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you trying to find some consolation that even if you lose, you will place well in the event? What's the name of the event?

[trsidn]

Well, if you can't swim well, you are already behind the 8-ball.

Everyone else will be fresh for their event.

[edbikebabe]

You made a bold & brash statement. Put your money where your mouth is, do the race & if you suck & they beat you - remember it the next time you belittle someone else's endeavors.

[trsidn]

^^^ what she said.

[az_cyclist]

Well, if you can't swim well, you are already behind the 8-ball.

Everyone else will be fresh for their event.

Actually that will depend on the length of the swim and how good he is in the bike and run. If the swim is 400 meters, he might not lose that much time. If it is 750 or 1000 meters, it will be another story.

We also dont know how strong he is in the bike and run.

I am just an average middle-aged athlete, but have enjoyed (to an extent) training for a triathlon. In my next tri ( a spring, 1000m swim, 23 k bike, 5 k run) I hope to average 19 mph for the bike and under 30:00 from the run. I am not sure about the swim... under 24:00 minutes? I can average 20 mph for a 20 mile ride (including stops for traffic lights) and I average between 26 and 27 minutes for a 3 mile run. I am considering I will be somewhat slower on race day.

[knatchwa]

to offer a challenge you need to follow through, have a good time with it. May just be the moment where you see you can truly push yourself beyond where you have been before. Certainly it does matter as a tri is exactly that. Course that is one opinion.

[aeleven]

You need to do the right thing, throw yourself down a flight of stairs, break your legs, so you have an excuse not to do it.

[Edonis13]

you sound like a real piece of work. i hope they beat you.

[joolied]

^^ what he said, but if you really want to know what times will make you competitive view the race results for your age group from the previous year(s).

[Pshrynk]

^^^^

Yup, you deserve to be beated.