Triathlon is a three-part sporting discipline which is comprised of swimming, cycling and running. The three sports are combined to be a continuous event without rest. An individual can race either by themselves or as part of a team over a variety of distances.
Triathlon history dates back to the early 1970s and originated with the San Diego Track Club. The triathlon was designed to be an alternative to hard track training. The first triathlon event was held on September 25th 1974. Don Shanahan and Jack Johnstone are pioneers in the history of the triathlon. The San Diego Track Club sponsored the event. The triathlon then comprised a 10km run, 8km cycle and 500 meter swim.
In Hawaii, 1978, an argument arose regarding which of the three disciplines required the greatest endurance. At that time Hawaii hosted The Waikiki Rough Water Swim (2.4 miles), The Oahu Bike Race (112 miles) and The Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). Originally events in themselves, they were rolled into one to become the ‘Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.’
The event attracted 15 athletes and of them only 12 crossed the finish line. By 1982 the Hawaii Ironman gained extensive coverage on ABC World Wide Sport and participation levels had increased to 580 competitors. Last year over 3000 athletes completed the grueling challenge. The fastest women finish the course in just under nine hours and the fastest men finishing in little over eight hours!
In 1989, the sport was awarded Olympic status and featured for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia. Since then, the sport has grown in popularity. In fact, no other sport achieved Olympic status in such a short time. Over the next decade, triathlon grew by leaps and bounds and soon gained recognition worldwide.
In 1989, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was founded in Avignon, France, and the first official world championships were held. The official distance for triathlon was set at a 1500 metre swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run - taken from existing events in each discipline already on the Olympic programme. This standard distance is used for the ITU World Cup series and was also featured at the Sydney Olympic Games.
Sources:
www.beginnertriathlete.com/history.htm
www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-triathlon.htm