An Aquathlon has three stages: swim, transition and run. All stages are timed and the aim is for all
competitors to complete the entire race as quickly as possible. There is no standard Aquathlon distance
and you will often find races ranging from 200m-1500m, (swim) to 3k-10k, (run) and sometimes other
distances will apply. Our race on the 16th of August will be a 400m swim and a 5k run.

THE SWIM
You will be swimming in a 25m indoor pool. The pool is split into 4 lanes and competitors will swim
2 per lane for the 16 lengths that make up 400m. All competitors will be started individually by the
race starter at approximately 30 second intervals beginning with the slowest swimmers. Once 16
lengths have been completed you can exit the pool and make your way to the transition area.

TRANSITION
Transition is a marked area where competitors change out of their swimming costume and into their
running gear. In our race it will be outdoors, (weather permitting) and will consist of a large,
rectangular roped off area where you can place your change of clothes before the start of the race. For
most people their transition gear will consist of a towel, running shoes, socks, and a top. The whole
point of transition is to get from swimming to running as quickly as possible and for that reason it is
timed and will be regarded as part of the race. Transition is a controlled and marshalled area, so any
clothing and bags placed here before the race should be safe.

Tip: It should be warm in August so many competitors will simply towel themselves down after the
swim, pull on their running shoes and vest/top and then run wearing their swimming costume. This
saves a lot of time in transition.

RUN
At our race the run starts the moment that you leave the transition area and will be clearly marked.
Marshals will direct you first along a short stretch of footpath and road before reaching the crosscountry
section roughly 1k into the race. Then it is a combination of road and footpaths across
farmland returning to the school. The finish is just inside the school gates and will be clearly marked.

TIMINGS
There are various ways to time an Aquathlon and we will be using one of the most common which is
sometimes called a ‘rolling clock’. Essentially this means that a stopwatch will be started before the
race and each competitor will be timed against that stopwatch. This has the advantage of not having to
start each competitor at a specific time but rather that as long as we know when you start and finish
each section of the race then we can extract individual timings from the rolling clock.

There are 3 timekeepers at our race: swim start, swim finish and run finish. At the end of the race you
will be given 3 timings: your overall race time, your swim time, and your run, (including transition)
time. The overall race time will give you your position on the list of finishers for the race.

FINALLY
Don’t be worried if this is your first Aquathlon. We intend to make everybody welcome at our race
whether you are a novice and experienced competitor. The main aim should be to enjoy the event.
We hope you enjoy the race…

We will be sending out more detailed information with the Race Info Pack, which will go to all
competitors 1 week before the race.