What are the fastest times in triathlon?

In a sport like triathlon, determining a ‘world record’ can be tricky. Because triathlon is an outdoor sport that takes place in different locations with varying climates, topography, and weather conditions, it’s hard to compare one race to another.

Also, most triathlons don’t have official certified course distances, which makes determining a ‘world’s best’ time almost impossible.

However, if we just look at the ‘big name’ races that dominate the global sporting calendar – such as Ironman, Challenge Roth, World Champs – we can pick out the speediest times with (relative) ease.

So which male and female triathletes currently hold the world’s fastest triathlon times across long distance, Ironman, 70.3 and World Triathlon? Let’s find out…

Long-distance triathlon world records

MEN’S – Magnus Ditlev, 2024 Challenge Roth, 7:23:24

WOMEN’S – Anne Haug, 2024 Challenge Roth, 8:02:38

Challenge Roth is a fast course that’s produced many record times over the years. In 2022, Magnus Ditlev won the race in 7:35:48, just nine seconds slower than Jan Frodeno’s then record time.

A year later, though, and Ditlev had smashed the record by 11mins to set a new world-best of 7:24:40 (including a course record 3:57:45 bike split). Another 12 months on and Ditlev reduced that time again, with a 7:23:24.

At Roth 2023, Daniela Ryf finally smashed Chrissie Wellington‘s 2011 long-distance record with an 8:08:21, taking almost 10mins off the Brit’s time. Incredibly, Ryf only held the title for a year, though, when Anne Haug took a further 6mins off the record with a 8:02:38 in 2024.

In this category, we also have to consider the Tri Battle Royale, a head-to-head competition between Frodeno and Lionel Sanders, where the former improved on his Roth time by a few minutes with a 7:27:53.

However, there were special circumstances in this race, such as velodrome-style turns on the bike course and the athletes being handed bottles from motorbikes.

There’s also the Sub7/Sub8 Challenge that allowed drafting, pacers, and non-traditional equipment. As a result, this effort wasn’t sanctioned nor recognised by a governing body.

However, Kristian Blummenfelt’s time of 6:44:25 and Kat Matthews’ time of 7:31:54 showed just how fast an athlete can cover 140.6 miles.

Fastest Ironman time

MEN’S – Kristian Blummenfelt, 2021 Ironman Cozumel, 7:21:12

Featuring a current-assisted swim, IM Cozumel was the site of Blummenfelt’s speedy time with a 39:41 swim, 4:02:40 bike, and 2:35:24 run. Another fast time in a race without a current-assisted swim was set by Tim Don at 2017 Ironman Brazil with 7:40:23.

WOMEN’S – Laura Philipp, 2022 Ironman Hamburg, 8:18:20

Philipp’s time at IM Hamburg was impressive with a 54:38 swim, 4:31:14 bike, and 2:45:38 run. Also notable, she came within 7 seconds of Chrissie Wellington’s full-distance record at Roth. Prior to Philipp, Sara Svensk held this record with 8:22:41 at 2021 IM Cozumel.

Ironman World Championship Kona records

MEN’S – Gustav Iden, 2022, 7:40:24

WOMEN’S – Lucy Charles-Barclay, 2023, 8:24:31

The 2022 race on the Big Island saw Frodeno’s 2019 men’s course record of 7:51:13 fall to not one, but four, men and they were all Kona rookies: Gustav Iden (7:40:24), Sam Laidlow (7:42:24), Kristian Blummenfelt (7:43:23), and Max Neumann (7:44:44).

Other Kona records achieved that year include the new men’s bike course record of Sam Laidlow (4:04:36) and Gustav Iden’s men’s run course record (2:36:15).

Jan Sibbersen holds the men’s swim course record with his 46:29 from 2018.

(When the men’s event switched to Nice in 2023, Patrick Lange clocked the fastest Ironman world champs’ run ever with a 2:32:41.)

Lucy-Charles-Barclay broke Daniela Ryf’s 2018 record by almost 2mins in 2023 with an 8:24:31.

The women’s swim course record is held by Lucy Charles-Barclay (48:14) set in 2018; Ryf holds the women’s bike course record with a 4:26:07, also set in 2018; while the women’s run course record (which had been held for nine years by Mirinda Carfrae with a 2:50:26) was set in 2023 by Germany’s Anne Haug thanks to a 2:48:23 marathon.

When the postponed 2021 Ironman World Championship was moved to St. George, Utah, in 2022, Ryf set the clock with a time of 8:34:59. Great Britain’s Kat Matthews was second with 8:43:49. On the men’s side, Kristian Blummenfelt won with a 7:49:16 and Lionel Sanders was second with 7:54:03.

British records over Ironman or long distance

MEN’S – Tom Bishop, 2024 Challenge Roth, 7:37:54

WOMEN’S – Chrissie Wellington, 2011 Challenge Roth, 8:18:13

Tom Bishop set a new men’s British long-course record at Challenge Roth in 2024, while one of Great Britain’s most celebrated triathletes, Alistair Brownlee, still retains the British Ironman record from Ironman Sweden in 2022 in 7:38:48.

FASTEST GB MEN IN KONA – Joe Skipper, 2022, 7:54:05; David McNamee, 2018, 8:01:09

FASTEST GB WOMEN IN KONA – Lucy Charles Barclay, 2023, 8:24:31; Chrissie Wellington, 2009, 8:54:02

Half Ironman/70.3 world records

MEN’S – Marten Van Riel, 2022 IM 70.3 Dubai, 3:26:06

WOMEN’S – Taylor Knibb, 2023 IM 70.3 World Champs, Lahti, Finland, 3:53:02

Knibb’s time pipped Germany’s Laura Philipp’s 2022 IM 70.3 Dubai clocking by just 1 second.

But what about Kristian Blummenfelt’s time of 3:25:21 and Holly Lawrence’s time of 3:52:51 at Bahrain 70.3 in 2019?

Since the bike course in Bahrain was known to be short (approximately 53.9 miles instead of the standard 56 miles) Ironman recognises Van Riel and Knibb as having the fastest known times for the 70.3 distance.

Ironman 70.3 World Championship records

MEN’S – Rico Bogen, 2023 Lahti, Finland, 3:32:22

WOMEN’S – Taylor Knibb, 2023 Lahti, Finland, 3:53:02

Michael Raelert and Julie Dibens previously held the record times of 3:34:04 and 3:59:33, set back in 2009 in Clearwater, Florida; Dibens becoming the first woman to break the 4hr barrier.

All that changed in Finland over the weekend of 26-27 August 2023, when Knibb posted the fastest 70.3 time ever, before Bogen, 22, followed a day later (his was the fastest 70.3 Worlds’ time, not the fastest 70.3 time), making him the youngest-ever winner of the 70.3 Worlds.

World Triathlon Olympic/standard fastest times

The Olympic and sprint distances are challenging, because there are both drafting and non-drafting races, and the actual distance among events can vary. Still, there are a few contenders for best-known times in these categories.

MEN

Alex Yee, WTC Series Cagliari, 1:40:19 (*38km bike)
Alistair Brownlee, 2009 ITU WCS London, 1:41:50

Fastest at the Olympics: Alistair Brownlee, 2016 Rio, 1:45:01

WOMEN

Emma Snowsill, 2010 ITU World Champsionship Final, 1:49:43

Fastest at the Olympics: Flora Duffy, 2020 Tokyo, 1:55:36

World Triathlon sprint fastest times

MEN

Vincent Luis, 2020 WTCS Hamburg, 49:13 (*18.6km bike)
Mario Mola, 2014 ITU WT London, 49:46 (*19.1km bike)
Alistair Brownlee, 2015 ITU WT London, 50:39 (*19.1km bike)

WOMEN

Georgia Taylor-Brown, 2020 WTCS Hamburg, 54:16 (*18.6km bike)
Gwen Jorgensen, 2014 ITU WT London, 54:44 (*19.1km bike)
Flora Duffy, 2021 WTCS Abu Dhabi, 55:41

Top image credit: Credit: Mana Group/Pho3nix Foundation