For over twenty years the International Triathlon Union has worked hard to be the leading governing body for the sport of triathlon. Creating a path for triathletes of all ages, skill level and gender to showcase their skills and challenge themselves physically and mentally in a competitive swim, bike and run atmosphere.

Triathlon derives from the combination of three sports: swim, bike and run. So, if the root of our sport involves the inclusion of three separate disciplines, why would we want our athletes to be any different?

We pride ourselves on being a sport for every person. It doesn’t matter where you are from, how old you are or what skill level or experience you have, we believe every single person can Tri!

We also believe in equality. From the start, we have promoted a fair sport for both men and women. In fact, we will always be extremely proud in our history as one of the only International Federations to have equal prize money for elite men and women competing.

So, while we are Olympic focused, where we aid and promote athletes who compete to fulfil their Olympic and Paralympic goals, Elites are not our only athletes. In fact, elites make up only a small portion of ITU. We also have our Age-Group athletes, the ones who represent the sport in a variety of skill levels and ages. And those are the athletes we want to get to know!

Did you know you can compete in triathlon when you are 87? It’s true! Just take Bill Ziering (USA) for example, who is a World Champion in his age category.

Or did you know you can also compete in Age-Group events in different multisport categories? There are Age-Group Duathlon races!

Thinking about how diverse our Age-Group athletes are, it got us thinking. These athletes from the around the world are much more than just racers classified behind an age category. They are so much more.

They are athletes. They train for hours in a week. They dedicate their time. They make sacrifices. They step up to start lines. They cross finish lines. They are World Triathletes.

So, who are World Triathletes?

Well, the answer is simple…YOU ARE!

We wanted a way to communicate to the thousands of Age-Group athletes from across themedia in a way that will band them together as a vital part of ITU and the triathlon community. So, when we talk to you on social media and at our races, you might hear us refer to you as World Triathletes, because that is what you are! You are more than just Age-Group athletes, you are triathletes and you are inspiring.

So help us grow and follow along on your journey. We encourage you to use the hashtag #WorldTriathlete on social media and share with us all the ways that make you a #WorldTriathlete!