The Olympic triathlon training plan: the benchmark format

1,500 m swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run: the Olympic distance demands endurance in all three disciplines and a real ability to link them. Twelve to sixteen weeks of preparation, long sessions, one brick session a week. You give your race date and your slots: Trainetic builds all three progressions.

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Five rules for Olympic preparation

They come from the French Triathlon Federation (FFTRI) and from published plans. Your plan applies them.

Twelve to sixteen weeks. That's the length of published Olympic plans. The further you start from, the longer the preparation.

Swim the distance in training. The FFTRI recommends sessions of 1,500 m and more: getting to the start knowing you can cover the distance changes the race.

Long sessions in each discipline. A ride of about two hours and a run of an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half build your race-day endurance.

One brick session a week, longer than for a sprint. Twenty to thirty minutes of running off the bike, at race pace at the end of the plan.

Open water takes preparation. 1,500 m with no wall and no line on the bottom, often with a mass start: sighting and staying calm are things you train beforehand.

What your plan sets for an Olympic triathlon (M)

The Trainetic engine settings for this format. Everything else — durations, paces, volume — is calculated from your level and the slots you give it.

Benchmark	In your plan
Minimum slots	Two swim sessions, two bike sessions and two run sessions per week
Long ride	Builds up to two hours
Long run	Builds up to an hour and a half
Run off the bike (brick)	Up to 30 minutes, at race pace at the end of the plan
Taper	Two weeks, volume down and intensity maintained

The long ride and the long run never fall on the same day, except when they form a brick session.

The sessions that make an Olympic

Base, build, race-specific, taper: all three disciplines follow the same calendar of phases.

Swimming, from threshold to race pace

Sets of 100 and 200 m, pyramids, then blocks at race pace. All paces are derived from your 400 m time.

The bike, long and steady

The long ride grows up to two hours; sweet spot and race-pace blocks raise your level.

The run, off the bike

Threshold and maximal aerobic speed (MAS) in the build phase, race pace at the end, and a brick session every week so the 10 km is run on legs that have already ridden.

Swim the race distance

In the race-specific phase, if your slot allows, your plan includes a session where you swim the race's 1,500 m in four segments, with twenty seconds of rest at the wall. And in race-pace sets, a cue reminds you to lift your head to sight every six to eight strokes, as in open water.

Five mistakes that cost you in an Olympic

Discovering the 1,500 m on race day. Swimming the distance in training is the best antidote to start-line nerves.

Riding above your pace. Forty kilometers too fast will have you walking on the ten-kilometer run.

Stacking a long ride and a long run. Two big sessions on the same day, outside a planned brick session, pile up fatigue without adding anything.

Not eating or drinking. Beyond two hours of effort, a bottle and a gel on the bike keep you strong on the run.

Neglecting sighting. In open water, swimming straight saves more time than swimming fast.

Where these values come from

Every benchmark on this page comes from a public source.

The twelve to sixteen weeks: published Olympic plans (RunMotion, Garmin). The advice to swim 1,500 m and more in training and the long run of 1 h 15 min to 1 h 30 min: FFTRI.

Benchmarks published by Triathlete: about six to seven and a half hours a week for an Olympic, two to three swim sessions, two bike sessions, two run sessions.

The twenty-minute tempo brick session for an Olympic: TrainingPeaks.

The two-week taper, intensity maintained: meta-analyses by Bosquet (2007) and in PLOS One (2023).

Questions people ask before an Olympic

How many training hours a week?

Published benchmarks are around six to seven and a half hours. Your plan doesn't set hours: it fills your slots, and tells you if one of the disciplines lacks volume for the format.

Can I go straight to the Olympic distance?

Yes, if you already train regularly, especially in the pool. Otherwise, a sprint plan first is the progression the FFTRI follows: super sprint (XS), then sprint (S), then Olympic (M).

How long should the long ride and the long run be?

In your plan, the ride builds up to two hours and the run up to an hour and a half, at the end of the build. They never fall on the same day, except in a brick session.

How do I swim 1,500 m in open water?

By preparing for it: swim the distance in the pool, practice lifting your head to sight, and do a few sessions in a lake or the sea before the race, ideally in your wetsuit.

Do I need to eat during the race?

In an Olympic, the effort often lasts more than two hours: a bottle of sports drink and a gel on the bike are enough for most triathletes. Test them in training.

Is a wetsuit mandatory?

It depends on the water temperature, measured on race day: FFTRI rules make it mandatory below 16 °C and ban it in warm water, above about 24.5 °C. The exact thresholds are set out in the current rules and announced by the organizer: check them before you register.

What comes after the Olympic?

The middle distance (L) format roughly doubles the distances. See the middle distance (L) plan.

Is it free?

Yes, for the essentials: creating your triathlon plan, taking it with you as a PDF and tracking your sessions. A subscription exists for advanced features, like the written analysis of each session. The plan itself doesn't need it.