Frequently Asked Questions

How can I contact Durham Triathlon Club?
Please use the web form on the Contact Us page. Alternatively we’d be delighted to see you at any one of the following venues:  Durham pool – Saturdays 5.30-6.30pm (ask for Ian MacKenzie/Bob Hogg);  Wolsingham pool – Fridays 7.30-8.30pm (ask for Ian MacKenzie/Bob Hogg);  Maiden Castle Sports Centre – Mondays  6.30-7.30pm (ask for Allan Seheult/Ian MacKenzie);   Meadowfield Sports Centre – Club Duathlon (check the calendar, ask for Allan Seheult/Ian MacKenzie);  Sunday bike rides - ‘The Lodge’ pub on the A167 near Tollhouse Road – Sundays 8.45-9.00am (just introduce yourself to whoever is there).

What are the normal distances in triathlons?
Triathlon events come in a variety of sizes. The Olympic distance - the standard triathlon - is a 1500m swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.
Shorter events are the Sprint  where the distances are 750m swim/20km bike/5km run; and and Super Sprint which is 400m swim/10km bike/2.5km run.
Longer events are the Ironman - 2.4-mile(3.9 km) swim/ 112 mile bike/26.2-mile(42.2 km) run, and the half-Ironman.

I'm an absolute beginner - what do I need to do?
Look at the short article 'Starting Triathlon - a Guide for Novices' in the Resources section.

Does everybody start all together?
A lot of Triathlons have pool swims, so 'waves' of swimmers are started at different times. Depending on the pool size and on the organisers, there could be from 1 to 4 swimmers per lane so it's not crowded.
Open water swims can be in rivers, resevoirs, lakes, or the sea. Again, depending on the space available - both swimming space in the water and start-line space, there will probably be separate waves of swimmers set off at intervals.

I'm not much of a swimmer - is it all over for me?
No! You can't escape that easily! Check out our coached swim sessions in Durham and Wolsingham where you can develop your swim skills and stamina. After a relatively short time you'll be raring to go!
In the meantime, try our monthly Duathlon in order to sharpen up your biking, running, and transition skills. [see the next question]

Actually I can't swim at all because of injury - is it all over now?
No! Our sister sport is Duathlon. This event is done on a run/bike/run format, so you get to switch between disciplines and race through Transition without even getting wet. Standard distances for Duathlon are 5km run/20km bike/5km run, and 10km run/40km bike/5km run. We run a monthly Duathlon as a short training event so come on down and give it a go!

How can I find out where and when events are on?
Look in our Calendar for what we have going on. Events big and small around the North East region are listed on the www.northernpulse.co.uk website. Or you can search more widely on the British Triathlon website.

I'm 35 or 51 or 64...I'll be last....!
And 20 minutes later you'll feel so exhilarated with your success!
The first person you're racing against is your self, and you'll quickly find that the other competitors are really pleased that you improved your overall time, or that you did a great bike time, or that your transition was brilliant. Triathlon and Duathlon events are usually organised in age groups of 5 or 10 years so you can guage your performance against others of a similar age, whatever it is. And don't be at all surprised to find someone even older out there...

Three sports? It must be really expensive!
Like many activities, you can spend a lot if you really really want to. But you don't have to. Look at the article 'Starting Triathlon - a Guide for Novices' in the Resources section of this website and you'll see that getting started needn't cost a fortune.