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

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.

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

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.

Tri Battle Royale and Sub 7/8 Challenge

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, Ironman 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 Ironman Hamburg was impressive with a 54:38 swim, 4:31:14 bike, and 2:45:38 run. Prior to Philipp, Sara Svensk held this record with 8:22:41 at 2021 IM Cozumel.

Ironman World Championship Kona records

MEN’S – Patrick Lange, 2024, 7:35:53

The 2022 race on the Big Island was notable for a host of jaw-dropping records being set, including 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 included the men’s bike course record of Sam Laidlow (4:04:36 but broken in 2024, see below) and Gustav Iden’s men’s run course record (2:36:15), which still stands.

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.

In 2024 the men were back in Kona, where Lange took his third world title and with it the course record, smashing Iden’s 2022 time by nearly 5mins with a 7:35:53.

2023 Ironman world champion Laidlow also set a new men’s bike course record of 3:57:22, one of seven men to go under Laidlow’s previous record of 4:04:36.

The men’s swim course record was also broken in 2024, Australia’s Sam Askey-Doran clocking a 45:43 for the 3.8K.

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

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 also held by Lucy Charles-Barclay (48:14) set in 2018; Daniela Ryf holds the women’s bike course record with a 4:26:07, also clocked 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 broken 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 stopped the clock at 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 – Kieran Lindars, 2024 Ironman Frankfurt, 7:32:14

Tom Bishop held the British long-course record (Challenge Roth, 7:37:54) for all of six weeks in the summer of 2024, before newcomer Kieran Lindars blasted across the line at Ironman Frankfurt in 7:32:14 to place second (behind Blummenfelt) and set a new British benchmark.

The previous Ironman British male record was held by one of Great Britain’s most celebrated triathletes, Alistair Brownlee, set at Ironman Sweden in 2022 with a 7:38:48.

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

Outside of the Ironman Worlds’ sphere, Wellington still holds the fastest long-distance women’s British record from 2011 at Challenge Roth.

FASTEST GB MEN IN KONA – Kieran Lindars, 2024, 7:51:55; Joe Skipper, 2022, 7:54:04; David McNamee, 2024, 7:57:48

FASTEST GB WOMEN IN KONA/NICE – Lucy Charles-Barclay, 2023, 8:24:31 (WR); Kat Matthews, 2024 (Nice), 8:53:20; 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 – Laura Philipp, 2022 IM 70.3 Dubai, 3:53:03

*These are times set outside of a World Championship.

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 Taylor Knibb (set at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds, see below) 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 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, 2022 WTCS Cagliari, 1:40:19 (*38km bike)
Alistair Brownlee, 2009 WTCS London, 1:41:50

Fastest at the Olympics: Alex Yee, 2024 Paris, 1:43:33

WOMEN

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

Fastest at the Olympics: Cassandre Beaugrand, 2024 Paris, 1:54:55

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