Triathlon Swim

What this program is

The swim leg doesn't have to be survival mode. Endurance is a 12-week program for triathletes who want to arrive at T1 with energy left — not just relief that they made it.

We train open water. We train sighting, drafting, crowd starts, and wetsuit swimming. We build the aerobic base and the race-specific skills that pool-only training misses.

"I PR'd the Ironman swim by nine minutes. We worked on sighting for exactly one session and it paid back forever." — Marcus B., Ironman Lake Placid

The 12-week structure

This program is divided into three 4-week blocks. Each block has a specific focus so fitness and skill compound together.

Block 1 — Foundation (Weeks 1–4)

• Aerobic base building at controlled intensity

• Stroke efficiency review and correction

• Introduction to bilateral breathing under fatigue

• Pool-based distance sets building to 2,000m

Block 2 — Race Skills (Weeks 5–8)

• Open water sighting technique

• Drafting position and how to hold a wheel in the water

• Wetsuit swimming differences and adaptation

• Mass start simulation and contact comfort

Block 3 — Race Prep (Weeks 9–12)

• Race-pace sets at goal distance

• Taper protocol for sprint and Olympic distance

• Ironman-specific volume for 70.3 and full distance athletes

• Race-day warm-up and breathing strategy

Who this is for

• First-time triathletes who are nervous about the swim

• Experienced triathletes who want to stop losing time in the water

• Ironman athletes building toward a 70.3 or full distance event

• Open water swimmers looking to add race structure to their training

"The goal isn't to be a swimmer. The goal is to get out of the water fast and ready to ride."

What you'll leave with

A repeatable race-day swim process. Confidence in open water. And a specific, measurable improvement on your previous swim split.