Triathlon for beginners over 50: Your Road to Fitness and Adventure

Tackling a triathlon for beginners when your 50 years or older is an audacious challenge but one that’s more than achievable, and in some ways the journey can be even more rewarding as an older athlete. This is an introduction to a series of articles that will give you a foundation in everything you need to know to get started in triathlon over 50.

1. Assess your ability

Let’s start with the basics. Triathlon is made up of 3 sports - swimming, biking, and running. Can you do all three of those or do you have some work to do to get up to speed in one or more of them?

Next, we need to define what we mean by ‘can you do’ each of those sports, because like most things in life, this is not a black and white answer. Each of us is somewhere on the continuum between coach potato and Olympic champion.

How far can you swim, bike and run comfortably without stopping and at approximately what pace? Don’t worry about putting them together initially. Just assess your ability in each sport individually.

2. Get moving!

The most important quality that contributes to being good at triathlon is consistency. For older triathletes, not getting injured is a crucial part of that (more on that below). But for now, just get moving. Do any form of swimming, biking or running. Start with what you are most comfortable with.

Don’t do anything too unusual or challenging compared to your normal lifestyle. But whatever you do, get moving. Everything else in the process will make more sense once you do.

3. Set your goals

Once you have assessed your abilities in swimming, biking and running you can choose your goals. You may have general health goals such as controlling weight and body composition, or improving mental wellbeing. If you are experienced in one or more of the three sports that make up triathlon, you may have time or distance goals.

That’s all great, but there is nothing like committing to a race to get you motivated to train and learn. Don’t worry about the things you don’t know yet. Like a car driving at night, the headlights only light up the next 100 meters, but have faith the journey will unfold as you go.

Choose a race at least 6 months in the future. Think about the distance, the terrain, the time of year, and the type of race organisers to find a race that suits you best for your first triathlon.

4. Join a club

Triathlon training is often a solitary activity, but getting in touch with like minded people and doing some learning and training in groups can make a huge difference to motivation and to your progress.

There are lots of triathlon clubs around where beginners can learn all they need – including confidence and sharing experiences. You might be surprised about how many older athletes there are in those clubs and how much enthusiastic support you will get.

But it doesn’t need to be formal club. Group rides and runs with friends are hugely beneficial. likewise, many local swimming centres offer coached sessions for all abilities. And there are an increasing number of open water swimming locations offering group sessions.

One of the advantages of being an older athlete is that you have already build valuable networks, or know how to. Use your networks to reach out and in touch with the people who can help you learn and stay motivated.

5. Get a training plan

You have three sports to train for, plus complimentary activities such as strength and mobility. As an amateur athlete of over 50 you likely have a lot of other pressures on your time from family and career.

Work out how much time you have available for training on a weekly basis and work from there. Having a structured training plan will help enormously to fit your training into your lifestyle.

There are plenty of free or low cost training plans out there. Choose one that’s geared both to the type of race you are aiming for, and to the level you are at. Training Peaks and Scientific Triathlon are good examples of free or low cost plans.

Training is a vast subject involving science, art and feel. We will delve deeper into it in other articles, but there are a few concepts to be aware of from the start.

Training volume and intensity

Don’t increase overall volume and or intensity by more than 10% per week. Doing so will significantly increase your risk of injury, And as an older athlete it will take you longer to recover from injury compared to your younger self. This is the single biggest mistake that beginner older triathletes make. Trust me, you will lose more through injury than you gain by tiring to run before you can walk.

Periodisation

You need a period of much lighter load every so often, Typically one week in every three or four, but this should be personalised to you. Your training programme will also vary every few weeks depending on how close you are to your next race.

Recovery, Sleep and Nutrition

Each of these is a vast topic in itself, but as an older athlete, recovery may be where your biggest gains come from. Sleep and nutrition are your two biggest levers in the recovery. It’s counter intuitive to most triathletes who just want to push harder, but comprising on sleep to fit in an extra workout is a red flag.

6. Hire a coach

Apart from injury prevention hiring a coach is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your chances of success, however you're measuring that. And the coach is probably one of the best ways to help you prevent injury.

You can find an experienced triathlon coach for less than you might think, depending on the level of service you want. This might seem like a big investment, especially at the higher end, but compared to expensive bike upgrades, for example, you will get more bang for your buck in terms of performance from a coach than almost anything else you can spend your hard earned money on.

7. Get race day experience

There is no getting away from it, your first race can be daunting. There is so much to think about in terms of equipment, transitions, and executing your plan.

Talking to people in clubs and groups, and with your coach can be a big help. But there is no substitute for experiencing first hand what race day is like. Luckily there are a few ways you can do this even before you take the plunge with your first race.

You could volunteer to be a marshal in a similar race or even the race you want to enter a year ahead. Many race organisers offer reward schemes where you exchange your hard work for free or lower cost entry to a future race. But much more valuable is that you will get intimate knowledge of how that race works.

You could also enter your first triathlon as part of a relay team. If you are already proficient at one of the three sports, why not team up with others who are good at the others? This is a great way to see how the race works up close and personal without the pressure of doing the whole thing solo.

8. Equipment list

There is no denying that Triathlon can be a bottomless drain on finances in an endless search for gains, but before you get involved in that obsession, know that it is more than possible to successfully complete a triathlon without breaking the bank. Here is a brief overview of the equipment you’ll need to get started:

Wetsuit

Not all triathlons are in open water, and the ones that are may or may not require wetsuits. Check your race rules. Often the need for a wetsuit can change on race day depending on the water temperature. Choosing a wetsuit is one of the most difficult and important decisions when starting triathlon. Modern swim wetsuits are flexible and buoyant. There are decent starter wetsuits that are more than good enough to get you through your first few seasons. We would advise leaving the expensive wetsuits as an upgrade once you know you are in it for the long term.

Goggles

Not much to say here. Your eyes are kind of important and googles are cheap. Even If you are near sighted, prescription goggles are not expensive and are a worthwhile investment, given that you are likely to be aiming for distant buoys.

Swim Hat

Your race organiser will provide a swim cap for the race, which must be worn for safety so you can be seen in the water. It’s a good idea to wear a swim cap at all times in open water so you can be seen by other users of the open water space. When training in the pool you can wear a cap or not as you see fit.

Bike

If you have a road bike, use that. Don’t worry about a TT bike for your first race. One cheap upgrade you might consider is clip on aero bars for your road bike, but that is far from essential. If all you have is a gravel bike or a mountain bike that’s more than fine for your first shorter distance triathlon.

Bike shoes

If you have a road bike you can use whatever shoes you already use on your bike. In most cases it makes sense to be clipped in to your pedals as your pedal stroke will be more efficient, but if you use are not riding clipped in, you could even ride in tour running shoes for shorter distances.

Tri clothing

A one piece tri suit can be worn under your wetsuit and stays on for the bike and the run, making transitions far easier. But it is by no means essential. Do remember that many races do not have changing areas and you will be disqualified if you get naked, so you will need to wear your cycle clothing under your wetsuit. Definitely avoid cotton or any material that will not dry quickly. Also avoid running in cycling shorts that have heavy padded seats. Tri suits have lighter seat pads that you can run in.

Helmet

Another one that needs no explanation. Always wear a helmet when doing any kind of cycling whether racing, training or just messing around. Any good quality helmet will do. Leave the expensive aero options as a longer term upgrade.

Run shoes

It’s worth going to a running shop to get a video analysis of your gait on a treadmill so you get running shoes that are optimised tp your needs. Also keep track of your runs and make sure you replace your running shoes once they have hit the recommended distance (typically 500 miles / 800 km or less). This will help to prevent injuries as running is the most impactful of the three spots that make up triathlon.

9. Smash your goals and set new ones

One you have done all of the above you are ready for race day! Above all, enjoy the day and lock in that peak experience for life.

We suggest you prioritise finishing over a fast time for your first race. Remember not to go out too fast and conserve energy. Triathlon is all about efficiency, especially at the longer distances.

Treat it as a learning experience. Do not put too much pressure on yourself and you will undoubtedly create a memorable day that will exceed your expectations.

Once you cross the finish line you will be buzzing so much you’ll probably want to sign up for next year’s race there and then! But we suggest you leave it a week to reassess your next goals now you’re a proper triathlete.

Remember to let us know how you got on and what your future triathlon plans are!

Read next: Assessing Your Triathlon Abilities After 50: A Step-By-Step Guide