Many shorter triathlons are a little more balanced with the swim distance. Olympic-distance triathlon has a 1.5 km/.93 mile swim, followed by a 40 km/25 mile bike, finishing with a 10k/6.2 mile run. Ironman owes its particular distances to a quirk in how it came about. The original race was a mashup of three events local to Honolulu/Oahu at the time: The Honolulu open water swim, the 'Round Oahu bicycle ride, and the Honolulu Marathon.
city_guy t1_ivf9quv wrote
Reply to comment by NarcissusLovesEcho in [OC] An Ironman Triathlon, by the minute by ptgorman
Many shorter triathlons are a little more balanced with the swim distance. Olympic-distance triathlon has a 1.5 km/.93 mile swim, followed by a 40 km/25 mile bike, finishing with a 10k/6.2 mile run. Ironman owes its particular distances to a quirk in how it came about. The original race was a mashup of three events local to Honolulu/Oahu at the time: The Honolulu open water swim, the 'Round Oahu bicycle ride, and the Honolulu Marathon.