• Participants in triathlons U.S. 2006-2017

Amongst people in the United States aged six years and older, the number of participants in triathlons amounted to approximately 4.04 million in 2017, down from 4.08 million the previous year.

Different styles of the sport

Triathlons are a popular sport in the United States, with participants either taking part in a conventional triathlon or an off-road triathlon. The conventional triathlon includes swimming, running, and cycling over various distances. Off-road triathlons differ from traditional forms in that the sites for running and cycling are generally unpaved and mountainous. In the U.S., the conventional triathlon is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the more participated-in style of the sport.

Triathlons – the opposite of “adults-only”

The number of children aged between six and 17 years participating in triathlons is higher than may be expected. A 2017 survey found that within that age group approximately 820 thousand children participated in triathlons. Comparatively, the number of young adult participants (aged between 18 and 24 years) in triathlons was around 800 thousand in 2017.

Number of participants in triathlons in the United States from 2006 to 2017 (in millions)*

Characteristic	Number of participants in millions
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Source

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Source

Release date

July 2018

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2006 to 2017

Number of respondents

30,999 respondents

Age group

6 years and older

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

* Includes non-traditional/off-road and traditional/road triathlons.
A weighting technique was used to balance the data to reflect the total U.S. population ages six and above.
A participant is defined as an individual who took part in the activity at least once in the given year.
Number of survey participants: 40,141 (2009) / 38,742 (2010) / 38,742 (2011) / 38,172 (2012) / 19,240 (2013) / 10,778 (2014) / 32,658 (2015) / 24,134 (2016) / 30,999 (2017); Information on survey dates for 2006 to 2008 were not given.
Figures have been rounded.