10 Triathlon Bucket List Races You Must Do

Published on November 3rd 2017

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The first official Triathlon took place in the early 1970s, and now there are a number of iconic races that should be on everyone's bucket list. And the great thing is, you don't need to qualify for most of them. Anyone can do them. At number one, we have the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon tipped as one of the toughest triathlons out there, starting from Eodfjord in Norway. And in a similar way to Escape from Alcatraz, athletes start off the back of a ferry, plunging into freezing cold fjord waters to complete a 3.8 km swim. Then, they start a 180 km bike through the scenic Norwegian terrain, and then they finish with a 42.2 km run to the top of Mount Gaustatoppen, at 1,800 metres above sea level. At number two, we have the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Now, this race starts with you jumping off the ferry near to Alcatraz island, into the icy cold waters of San Francisco Bay, and then swimming the 1.5 miles back to shore as if you are an escaping prisoner. And to make this event really epic, you're jumping into 12 degree Celsius water, choppy conditions and even strong currents. But the fun doesn't stop there, because you exit the swim onto a hilly, 18 mile bike course and then it finishes with an eight mile run, including the Equinox Sand Ladder of 400 steps up the cliff. However, the event has become so popular, organisers have had to resort to a lottery and qualification process to fill the slots, capped at 2,000 entries. At number three, we have Challenge Roth. Now, this historic course is considered to be the fastest, iron distance course in the world, with the men's record currently standing at seven hours and 35 minutes set by Jan Frodeno in 2016. Whilst the women's record stands at eight hours and eighteen minutes set by Chrissie Wellington in 2011. It's a 3.8 km swim in the canal, started with a cannon and hot air balloons, and then a 180 km bike over a spectator-packed course. And you even get to split the spectators as you climb the Solar hill. And then it finishes with a fast 42.2 km run. This race has a great festival atmosphere and it concludes with a giant firework display. Subscribe to GTN: http://gtn.io/SubscribetoGTN Check out the GTN Shop: http://gtn.io/3E 1. Thank you to the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon for use of their race footage. Content provided by Isklar / Dominoproductions and Robby MacBeath/nxtri.com. 2. Thank you to the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon for use of their race footage. 3. Thank you to the Challenge Roth Triathlon for use of their race footage. 4. Thank you to the Triathlon Alpe d'Huez for use of their race footage. 5. Thank you to the Wildflower Triathlon for use of their race footage. 6. Thank you to Ironman Wales for use of their race footage. 7. Thank you to Ötillö Engadin for use of their race footage. 8. Thank you to Xterra France for use of their race footage. 9. Thank you to the Noosa Triathlon for use of their race footage. 10. Thank you to the Laguna Phuket Triathlon for use of their race footage. Music: Epidemic Sound Loud And Proud 2 - Anders Bothén If you'd like to contribute captions and video info in your language, here's the link 👍 http://gtn.io/3F Watch more on GTN... 📹 5 Essential Swim Skills To Master - http://gtn.io/SwimSkills 📹 How To Run Like A Pro - http://gtn.io/RunPro