Key Takeaways
- Your finish time is swim, T1, bike, T2 and run added together. At 2:10 per 100 m, 28 km/h and 5:45 per km, an Olympic race with 3:00 and 2:00 transitions comes to 3:00:43.
- World Triathlon sets the sprint and standard distances[1], and IRONMAN states its two in miles[2]. IRONMAN cut-offs run from your own start, at 8:30 overall for a 70.3 and 17:00 for a full distance[3][4].
- The tool adds the numbers you type and applies no correction for a wetsuit, open water, running after the bike, heat, hills or wind. Studies on the first and the last of those show real effects, but not a figure you can safely reuse[5][6].
- Add a target time and the tool scales swim, bike and run by one percentage. For 3:00:00 on the example above, that is 0.4% quicker on each leg.
How the Race Time Is Worked Out
Each leg is distance times pace, or distance divided by speed. If you already know a leg time, type that instead. The finish time is the five pieces added up, with your T1 and T2 in between.
| To find | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Swim time | Distance ÷ 100 × pace per 100 m | 1,500 ÷ 100 × 2:10 = 32:30 |
| Bike time | Distance ÷ speed | 40 km ÷ 28 km/h = 1:25:43 |
| Run time | Distance × pace per km | 10 km × 5:45 = 57:30 |
| Finish time | Swim + T1 + bike + T2 + run | 3:00:43 |
| Pace per 100 yd | Pace per 100 m × 0.9144 | 2:10 → 1:59 |
The triathlon time formulas with a worked example for each.
A mile is exactly 1,609.344 m, so the IRONMAN distances convert without rounding[7]. The results also show the clock at the end of each leg and what a small gain in each leg would save.
Triathlon Distances
World Triathlon fixes sprint and standard (Olympic) and gives ranges for super sprint, middle and long distance[1]. IRONMAN states its two distances in miles[2].
| Race | Swim | Bike | Run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super sprint | 500 m | 13.0 km | 3.5 km |
| Sprint | 750 m | 20.0 km | 5.0 km |
| Olympic (standard) | 1,500 m | 40.0 km | 10.0 km |
| 70.3 (half) | 1.2 mi (1,931 m) | 56 mi (90.1 km) | 13.1 mi (21.1 km) |
| 140.6 (full) | 2.4 mi (3,862 m) | 112 mi (180.2 km) | 26.2 mi (42.2 km) |
Swim, bike and run distances for each race preset in the calculator.
Super sprint is a range of 250 to 500 m, 6.5 to 13 km and 1.7 to 3.5 km, and the preset uses the top of each range.
IRONMAN also quotes kilometres rounded to one decimal, so its 26.2-mile run is 42.2 km. The tool uses the exact miles, which makes that run 30 m shorter than the 42,195 m marathon. If your course is measured differently, choose Custom and type the distances.
IRONMAN Cut-Off Times
The 2026 athlete guides for IRONMAN California and IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta list these cut-offs[3][4]. The other 2026 guides checked, from Florida and Texas to Melbourne and Agadir, read the same. Each cut-off is counted from your own start time, not the gun.
| Point | IRONMAN 70.3 | IRONMAN (140.6) |
|---|---|---|
| Swim exit | 1:10:00 | 2:20:00 |
| End of bike (swim, T1 and bike) | 5:30:00 | 10:30:00 |
| Finish | 8:30:00 | 17:00:00 |
Standard IRONMAN 70.3 and full-distance cut-off times, counted from the athlete's own start.
Missing a cut-off means a DNF or a Not Classified result, depending on the race and where you are on the course. Races can also add intermediate cut-offs, such as a clock time at a bike turnaround, so read the guide for your own race.
Transition Times
T1 runs from the water to the start of the bike, and T2 from bike dismount to the start of the run. Both include the walk or run through the transition area, so the course layout matters.
This tool does not rely on a published transition table. The 2:30 and 1:30 in the form are placeholders, so time a practice transition and enter that. Every 30 seconds you take off one of them is 30 seconds off your finish time.
What the Total Leaves Out
The total is only as good as the three numbers you enter. These are the effects worth knowing about, and what the research actually says.
- Wetsuits. In one study of 33 swimmers doing two maximal 400 m front-crawl swims in a 25 m pool, the wetsuit swims took about 6% less time[5]. That is one pool test, so it is not a number to apply to open water.
- Running after cycling. A 2022 systematic review of 39 studies found most reported worse running after cycling, but the studies used different methods and conflicted on the physiology[6]. An older review put the extra energy cost of running at 1.6 to 11.6% and said any drop in 10 km speed needed more study[8].
- Pacing. Eight trained male triathletes raced sprint, Olympic and half-Ironman distances, and the authors concluded pacing is highly influenced by distance and discipline[9]. One even average across a leg is a simplification.
- Heat, hills and wind. No source on this page gives a correction for them, so none is applied.
The what-if fields let you try a percentage on the swim and the run. No source sets that percentage, so use an average from a similar effort when you can.
Bike Time From Power
The power option turns average watts, weight, drag area and rolling resistance into a speed, using the power balance Martin and colleagues validated against measured road-cycling power[10].
That speed is for a flat road, still air and steady power. For hills or wind, use the cycling race predictor, or type an average speed from a similar race.
Working Back From a Target Time
Enter a target and the tool scales swim, bike and run by one factor, leaving T1 and T2 as typed. For 3:00:00 on the example above, each leg is 0.4% quicker.
That means a 32:22 swim, a 1:25:22 bike and a 57:16 run. Few athletes can find the same percentage in all three, so treat it as a starting point.
The savings table works the other way. In the same example, 5 s faster per 100 m saves 1:15, 1 km/h faster saves 2:57 and 5 s faster per km saves 0:50.
Limits of the Estimate
- It adds the numbers you enter. It does not predict how fast you will swim, ride or run.
- Cut-offs are included for IRONMAN 70.3 and full-distance races only.
- For single-sport times, see the swimming performance calculator, the running pace calculator and the cycling time calculator.
Planning tool, not coaching
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
- World Triathlon Competition Rules: Appendix A (competition distances). World Triathlon. World Triathlon Competition Rules (2026)
- IRONMAN distances explained: how to pick your perfect race. IRONMAN. ironman.com
- 2026 IRONMAN California Athlete Guide: race timing and cut-offs. IRONMAN. IRONMAN athlete guide (2026)
- 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta Athlete Guide: race timing and cut-offs. IRONMAN. IRONMAN athlete guide (2026)
- Is Swimmers' Performance Influenced by Wetsuit Use?. Gay A, López-Contreras G, Fernandes RJ, Arellano R. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 15(1):46-51 (2020)
- Biomechanical and physiological implications to running after cycling and strategies to improve cycling to running transition: A systematic review. Bini RR, Canal Jacques T, Hunter J, Figueiredo P. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 25(10):861-866 (2022)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Special Publication 811
- Physiological and biomechanical adaptations to the cycle to run transition in Olympic triathlon: review and practical recommendations for training. Millet GP, Vleck VE. British Journal of Sports Medicine 34(5):384-390 (2000)
- Pacing strategies during the swim, cycle and run disciplines of sprint, Olympic and half-Ironman triathlons. Wu SSX, Peiffer JJ, Brisswalter J, Nosaka K, Lau WY, Abbiss CR. European Journal of Applied Physiology 115(5):1147-1154 (2015)
- Validation of a Mathematical Model for Road Cycling Power. Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 14(3):276-291 (1998)
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Disclaimer: This calculator adds the paces, speeds and times you enter and compares the result with published race distances and cut-offs. It does not predict how you will perform on the day, and real races vary with conditions, course and fatigue. It is not coaching or medical advice.