The Time to Tri Virtual Triathlon wrapped up last week and more than 4,700 athletes participated in this first-ever entirely online swim, bike, run event. Flexibility was the driving factor in this event, allowing anyone to participate at any time from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. The event could be completed all at once, or broken up and completed over the course of the month, and boy did the athletes get it done. The Virtual Triathlon showed that triathlon is an approachable sport that anyone can do!
Just completed a virtual Sprint triathlon sponsored by USA Triathlon. Great way to get back into the swing of things. Give it a try yourself. Happy Thanksgiving! #virtualtri
— Ron Cothran (@TriHardRon) November 27, 2019
Elite athletes and beginners alike participated in the race at their own pace, on their own time. Ground was covered anywhere and everywhere, outside and inside. Overall, athletes traveled a total of 1,666.87 miles swimming, 44,959.74 miles biking and 13,541.87 miles running. Athletes swam in their local pool, ran on the trails and in their local turkey trot, and even went for a bike ride at the birthplace of triathlon.
Finished my Virtual Tri today! I ran 4.4 miles on 1 November and cycled 21.3 miles on the second. Today I swam 1,050 yards at the pool in my athletic club. Yay!🏊🏾♀️🚴🏾♀️🏃🏾♀️ #VirtualTri
— Carol Coram (@triathlondiva) November 6, 2019
Athletes were motivated to get a training session in, and beginners were pushed out of their comfort zone, everyone pushing themselves to finish the challenge. 265,699.99 minutes were spent competing —that’s 4,428.33 hours and 184.5 days.
Olympic length virtual triathlon completed! My primary fitness goal of completing a triathlon is done! Challenged myself to do the longer length and nailed it. #virtualtri
— Beth (@bthgt4) November 25, 2019
Getting a rainy day run in on @gozwifttriathlon, and using the #virtualtri as motivation to mix a hard 5k into an otherwise boring 30 minutes!#NuunElite #triathlon #timetotri #speedsherpanation #swimbikerun #triathlete #nevergiveup #anythingispossible #virtualtriathlon pic.twitter.com/heM4bYnDFH
— Dr. Chris DeRienzo (@ChrisDeRienzoMD) November 19, 2019
Everyday athletes took a stab at their first Olympic-distance triathlon, and the virtual aspect was fully taken advantage of. Wearable technology was a huge advantage to tracking progress, and indoor training equipment was the star of the show for those in cold climates. Whether training indoors, outside, or in a virtual simulation, every athlete got to take on the challenge in their own way.
And just like that my first #virtualtri is complete! .93 mi swim 🏊🏼♂️ 24.8 mi bike 🚲 6.2 mi run 🏃 thank you @amann4edu for the challenge & competing with me #olympictriathlon #olympictri #sundayfunday #fitleaders #fitover40 #boycottaverage pic.twitter.com/o6ahlgx1gz
— Jeff Mann (@Mann4Edu) November 10, 2019
The event was completely free, so participating was without hassle. Plus, participants received a $20 ROKA gift card, just for participating!
And ... it was so much fun, even the athletes’ pets wanted in on the action!