USA Triathlon is hosting its first virtual triathlon in which athletes complete real-life workouts then upload their results online. The Time to Tri Virtual Triathlon opened Nov. 1 and lasts through Dec. 1.
According to USA Triathlon, the race will be the world’s first entirely online swim, bike, and run event. Participants must be at least 13 years old and can register for the race for free via the Team USA website. All racers will receive a $20 gift card to Roka upon completion of their triathlon.
The virtual race offers an Olympic-distance triathlon option for advanced athletes (1,500-meter swim, 25-mile bike and 6.2-mile run), while beginners are encouraged to select the shorter sprint-distance triathlon which consists of a 500-meter swim, 12.5-mile bike and 3.1-mile run. Athletes will be tasked with completing the events in real life, then unloading their results to USA Triathlon’s online platform, which is powered by FitRankings. The platform will feature live leaderboards throughout the month.
The virtual racing platform can sync with fitness apps and smartwatches such as Garmin, Apple Watch, FitBit, Misfit, Polar, Strava, Suunto, Google Fit, RunKeeper, Apple Health and MapMyFitness, allowing users to automatically upload their event results. Results can also be uploaded manually. Workouts can be done outdoors or via machines such as pool swims, spin bikes, stationary bikes, bike trainers and treadmills.
“In order to grow our triathlon community, we need to meet prospective triathletes at the very start of their journey and make their introduction to the sport as seamless as possible,” Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO, said in a press release. “The virtual triathlon does exactly that—enabling participants to swim, bike and run on their own time and in whatever format works best for them. If we can create a positive first experience, we know we will inspire many athletes to sign up for a local race as the next step.”
