Triathlon Training Calculator — Paces & Training Zones
Enter your target race paces for each leg to get estimated split times, plus easy (aerobic/Zone 2) and tempo (threshold/Zone 3–4) training paces for swimming, cycling and running — so you can structure workouts at the right intensity.
Event distance
min / 100 m
km/h
min / km
min
min
= 2:55:43 (h:mm:ss)
- 1
Swim time
(1.5 km × 10) × 2 min/100 m = 30 - 2
Bike time
40 km ÷ 28 km/h × 60 = 85.7 - 3
Run time
10 km × 5.5 min/km = 55 - 4
Total race time
30 + 3 + 85.7 + 2 + 55 = 175.7Swim + T1 + Bike + T2 + Run, in minutes.
How does this calculator work?
Split times: swim = 100 m segments × pace; bike = km ÷ speed × 60; run = km × min/km pace. Training zones are derived from race pace — easy swim is +18 s/100 m, easy run is +1:30/km, easy bike is 78% of race speed. Tempo zones are ~85–90% of race effort. Enter your target paces to see the full breakdown.
Formula
How this is calculated
Each leg is calculated from its own pace formula. Swim time equals the number of 100 m segments multiplied by your pace per 100 m. Bike time is the distance in km divided by speed in km/h, then converted to minutes. Run time is distance times pace in min/km. Transition times are added directly. The bar chart lets you see at a glance which leg dominates your total time.
From the race pace, two training zones are derived per discipline. Easy-intensity swimming uses a pace about 18 seconds per 100 m slower than race pace (the aerobic base zone); tempo is 6 seconds slower (threshold). Easy cycling targets 78% of race speed; tempo 90%. Easy running is 1:30 per km slower than race pace; tempo is 0:18 per km slower. These guidelines align with established frameworks such as Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible and typical 5-zone heart-rate models.
These are starting points — precise training zones should be confirmed with a swim CSS test, a cycling FTP test or a running lactate threshold test. Open-water swim pace is typically 5–15 seconds per 100 m slower than pool pace, so account for that when entering your target.
Frequently asked questions
Enter your expected open-water race pace, not your pool pace. Open-water swimming is typically 5–15 seconds per 100 m slower due to sighting, turns and conditions. Recreational age-groupers commonly swim at 1:45–2:30 min/100 m; competitive age-groupers at 1:20–1:45.
Easy (Zone 2) is conversational effort — you could hold a sentence without gasping. This is where most of your weekly training volume should live. Tempo (Zone 3–4) is comfortably hard — you can speak only in short phrases. Tempo sessions raise your lactate threshold and improve race-pace efficiency.
A common guideline for age-group triathletes is roughly 15–20% swimming, 50–55% cycling and 30–35% running by training time. The bike leg represents about 45–55% of race time, making it the highest-impact discipline to improve for most athletes.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Triathlon Training Calculator — Paces & Training Zones [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/triathlon-training-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Triathlon Training Calculator — Paces & Training Zones." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/triathlon-training-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Triathlon Training Calculator — Paces & Training Zones," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/triathlon-training-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_triathlon_training_calculator, title = {Triathlon Training Calculator — Paces & Training Zones}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/triathlon-training-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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