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  Hello, I am a complete novice to this but am training to take part in my first Sprint Triathlon this July after giving up smoking which was part of my life for 25 years! Could you tell me if my times are reasonable at this point or do I require lots more training? Swim 400m 9min 24sec. Bike 20km 44min and run 5k 26 min. Many thanks, love your website!

Jon from Kentucky

  Hi Jon,

Thank you for contacting TriathaNewbie.com! Welcome to the world for triathlons and congratulations on giving up smoking! One great thing about triathlons is that you need every inch of your lung capacity to compete and train for them so our guess is that you’ll never even want to pick up a cigarette again once you’re hooked!

Your times sound reasonable, but we always suggest that you check the website of the race you are planning on entering to really know. They will have results listed from the previous year and you can check them out. Remember, only one person comes in first and then there are the rest of us. Be kind to yourself on the first triathlon and just do your best. Here is an article that we think you might enjoy reading that has more detail on gauging your times: Average Triathlon Times – Beginner Triathlete’s guide to gauging times

As an aside there is another reason to check the race website before competing if you are not sure if your times are competitive. Lots of races are adopting cut-off times for each leg of the race and you’ll want to make sure that you’re moving faster than these times in practice to avoid being stopped after the swim or bike.

Please let us know if you have any other questions and we’d be happy to answer them.

Be well.
~Jack
TriathaNewbie.com staff