Running and triathlon are two very popular ways of staying fit. But which is right for you? I make arguments for both, to help you decide which suits your lifestyle better.
Time required
There is no denying that training for three sports (swimming, cycling and running) is more time consuming than training for one. While most athletes will train 5-6 days a week regardless, the volume of training required to get fit on the bike is greater than running alone. Making it to the pool is also challenging, so if you are very time crunched, running may be the better option. Shorter triathlons could be an option however, as they would take up less training time than a marathon.
Cost
Running is not as cheap as some people would have you believe. Between shoes, clothing, race entries, Garmin watches, gym fees, travel and physiotherapy, it can add up fast. Yes it can be done on a shoestring with a pair of trainers and some shorts, but if you want to take on big events then the prices can creep up pretty quickly.
However, this still has nothing on triathlon. While you can do your first pool based tri with the bike you found in the back of your shed, a pair of trucks and some running shoes, by the time you start looking at longer events, the costs can shoot right up.
If you are on a tight budget, running is the way to go.
Variety of training
There is no denying that training for three sports is more engaging than training for one. While some may love the predictable routine of running every day, most would prefer a bit more variety. Especially if they have been training for several years.
Within running you still have road running, fell running, cross country, ultra running and many other variations so there is more variety than you’d find in many other sports, but it doesn’t change the fact you’ll be running most days.
Injury risk
Many triathletes discover the sport as injured runners. If you are pounding the pavement 5-6 days a week, you are at a much higher risk than a triathlete who may only run 2-3 times a week. While triathlon also brings the potential of cycling and swimming injuries, running still makes up the lion’s share of injuries a triathlete is prone to.
Strength training and moderating volume carefully are key to reducing injury risk in both sports, but running is the sport with more injuries associated.
Social opportunities
Running is an inherently more social sport than triathlon. You can chat with others more easily when running, there are many more runners than triathletes, and thousands of running clubs you can join.
This isn’t to say that triathlon is anti-social. You can still join a club, swim in a group session and ride in a group, but there is less general chit-chat as you can only talk when resting while swimming, and when riding it’s not always safe to ride next to each other to shoot the breeze.
A large percentage of triathletes choose to train completely solo, to ensure their training is optimal, as they don’t want to be held back by slower athletes, or push themselves harder than they’d like to. Some runners can be the same, but in general they’re less uptight.
That being said, triathletes are generally very welcoming and encouraging to new athletes, where runners can be very uptight and are more prone to gatekeeping.
Bragging rights
Completing a triathlon is going to carry more clout than completing a running event in most cases. People associate triathlons with those who are super fit, although this isn’t always the case by any means.
A marathon is rightly considered to be the achievement of a lifetime. When I was younger it was the pinnacle of athletic achievement, or at least it felt so at the time.
Then IRONMAN became popular, a race that ends with a marathon. This takes human endurance to another level entirely. If someone has never heard of an IRONMAN triathlon, not only can you have the pleasure of telling them you have completed one, you can also watch their jaw hit the floor when you tell them the distances involved.
That being said, I had much more support from friends and family when I complete the London Marathon than my first IRONMAN. Probably because it’s a race steeped in so much history and more relatable than an IRONMAN, which seems to utterly removed from what most people can imagine doing themselves.
Conclusion
Triathlon is broadly considered to be the more time consuming and expensive of the sports, while running is a more social sport, albeit with a higher risk of injury.
There really is no right or wrong answer here. I love both sports, but as a triathlete I get to enjoy both. So if in doubt, I’d push you towards triathlon.
