Triathlon finish time calculator
Put in your swim pace, bike speed and run pace to get your finish time for a sprint, Olympic, 70.3 or Ironman triathlon, leg by leg, with transitions and the share of the day each part takes. At 2:00 per 100 m, 18 mph and 10:00 a mile, for example, an Ironman takes about 11 h 59 min. It assumes you can hold those numbers on race day, which in a long race is the hard part, above all on the run.
How it works
Each leg is its distance at your pace: the swim is the distance in hundreds times your pace per 100, the bike is the distance divided by your speed, and the run is the distance times your pace per mile or km. T1 (swim to bike) and T2 (bike to run) are added as you type them, or as typical times when you leave them blank. An Ironman bike is 180 km, which is 111.8 miles, and its run is a full marathon.
The answer is only as good as the paces you give it. Use race-day numbers: open water is usually slower than the pool (a wetsuit can give some of it back), bike speed depends on the course and the wind, and running off the bike is slower than running fresh, more so the longer the race. If in doubt, put in a run pace a little slower than your open-race pace for the distance.
Use it to set a realistic goal, to check you are comfortably inside the cut-offs, and to see where time is cheapest to find. The bike is about half the day in a 70.3 or Ironman, so a small gain in speed there moves the finish more than a big gain in the water. Our swim pace calculator gives a race pace from a pool test, and the glossary explains transitions and brick sessions.
What an Ironman or 70.3 finish time takes
Three example ways to each finish time, with 8 minutes in transition: a strong swimmer, a strong cyclist and a strong runner. Swim pace is per 100 m.
Ironman
| Finish | Example | Swim | Bike mph | Bike km/h | Run /mi | Run /km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 h | Strong swimmer | 1:22 | 19.4 | 31.3 | 9:42 | 6:02 |
| Strong cyclist | 1:53 | 21.0 | 33.8 | 9:57 | 6:11 | |
| Strong runner | 1:53 | 18.7 | 30.1 | 8:27 | 5:15 | |
| 12 h | Strong swimmer | 1:30 | 17.8 | 28.6 | 10:35 | 6:35 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:04 | 19.2 | 31.0 | 10:52 | 6:45 | |
| Strong runner | 2:04 | 17.1 | 27.6 | 9:14 | 5:44 | |
| 13 h | Strong swimmer | 1:38 | 16.4 | 26.4 | 11:29 | 7:08 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:14 | 17.7 | 28.6 | 11:47 | 7:19 | |
| Strong runner | 2:14 | 15.8 | 25.4 | 10:01 | 6:13 | |
| 14 h | Strong swimmer | 1:45 | 15.2 | 24.5 | 12:23 | 7:41 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:25 | 16.5 | 26.5 | 12:42 | 7:53 | |
| Strong runner | 2:25 | 14.7 | 23.6 | 10:47 | 6:42 | |
| 15 h | Strong swimmer | 1:53 | 14.2 | 22.8 | 13:16 | 8:15 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:35 | 15.4 | 24.7 | 13:37 | 8:27 | |
| Strong runner | 2:35 | 13.7 | 22.0 | 11:34 | 7:11 | |
| 16 h | Strong swimmer | 2:00 | 13.3 | 21.4 | 14:10 | 8:48 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:45 | 14.4 | 23.2 | 14:31 | 9:01 | |
| Strong runner | 2:45 | 12.8 | 20.6 | 12:21 | 7:40 |
70.3
| Finish | Example | Swim | Bike mph | Bike km/h | Run /mi | Run /km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 h | Strong swimmer | 1:14 | 21.7 | 34.9 | 8:41 | 5:24 |
| Strong cyclist | 1:41 | 23.5 | 37.7 | 8:55 | 5:32 | |
| Strong runner | 1:41 | 20.9 | 33.6 | 7:34 | 4:42 | |
| 5 h 30 min | Strong swimmer | 1:21 | 19.7 | 31.6 | 9:35 | 5:57 |
| Strong cyclist | 1:52 | 21.3 | 34.2 | 9:50 | 6:06 | |
| Strong runner | 1:52 | 18.9 | 30.5 | 8:21 | 5:11 | |
| 6 h | Strong swimmer | 1:29 | 18.0 | 28.9 | 10:28 | 6:30 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:02 | 19.5 | 31.3 | 10:44 | 6:40 | |
| Strong runner | 2:02 | 17.3 | 27.9 | 9:08 | 5:40 | |
| 6 h 30 min | Strong swimmer | 1:37 | 16.6 | 26.7 | 11:22 | 7:04 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:13 | 17.9 | 28.8 | 11:39 | 7:15 | |
| Strong runner | 2:13 | 16.0 | 25.7 | 9:54 | 6:09 | |
| 7 h | Strong swimmer | 1:44 | 15.4 | 24.7 | 12:15 | 7:37 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:23 | 16.6 | 26.7 | 12:34 | 7:49 | |
| Strong runner | 2:23 | 14.8 | 23.8 | 10:41 | 6:38 | |
| 7 h 30 min | Strong swimmer | 1:52 | 14.3 | 23.1 | 13:09 | 8:10 |
| Strong cyclist | 2:34 | 15.5 | 24.9 | 13:29 | 8:23 | |
| Strong runner | 2:34 | 13.8 | 22.2 | 11:28 | 7:07 |
Questions
- What is a good Ironman time for a first-timer?
- Finishing is the goal, and the clock comes second. A typical age-group finish is somewhere around 12 to 14 hours, and plenty of first-timers take longer and have a great day. The usual mistake is riding too hard: a bike split a little slower than you could manage buys back far more time on the marathon.
- How fast do I need to bike for a sub-6 70.3?
- It depends on the other two legs. With a 2:00 per 100 m swim, a 9:00 per mile run and 8 minutes in transition, you need to average about 17.1 mph (27.5 km/h) over the 90 km. At 20 mph with the same swim and run you would finish in about 5 h 32 min. Put your own numbers in above to see where the time is easiest to find.
- How long are transitions?
- In a sprint or Olympic race most age-groupers take two to four minutes for each. In a 70.3 or Ironman they are longer: you may change clothes, the transition area is bigger, and there is no rush worth a mistake. This calculator assumes 3 and 2 minutes for the short races and 5 and 3 for 70.3 and Ironman unless you type your own.
- What are the cut-offs in a 70.3 or Ironman?
- Each race publishes its own, but typical limits for a full-distance race are about 2 h 20 min for the swim, 10 h 30 min from the start to finish the bike and 17 h to finish. For a 70.3 they are typically about 1 h 10 min, 5 h 30 min and 8 h 30 min. Sprint and Olympic limits are usually generous. Always check your own race’s rules.
Training for this race?
A finish time is a goal; a plan is how you get there. Build a free week-by-week plan around your swim, bike and run, with bricks and a taper, from the training you do now.