Ultra triathlon training plan

How the Ultra compares

The training for an Ultra and a 70.3 is almost identical, so this plan works for either. The race is long enough that pacing and fuelling decide your day as much as fitness does. If you haven't raced a sprint or Olympic yet, start with the sprint and Olympic triathlon guide.

How much training?

From a solid Olympic-distance base, allow 16 to 20 weeks. Most age-groupers build to about 8 to 12 hours a week in their biggest weeks. The key sessions are a long ride of three hours or more, a long run of about 90 minutes and a long brick. Everything else supports those.

20-week outline

Take an easier week every third or fourth week throughout. Fatigue from three sports adds up faster than it seems.

A typical peak week

Pacing: the bike sets up the run

• Ride your own race. Drafting is not allowed in the Ultra series races, so there is no bunch to sit in. Train to hold a steady effort alone, ideally by heart rate or power.
• Hold back on the bike. Most people who struggle on the run rode too hard. Ride at an effort that feels a little too easy for the first hour.
• Start the run steadily. Your legs will feel heavy for the first two kilometres off the bike. Settle in, then build if you feel good after halfway.

Fuelling a five to seven hour day

• On the bike: aim for 60 to 90 g of carbohydrate an hour from mixed sources, with fluid and some sodium. The bike is where you can eat most easily.
• On the run: keep taking carbohydrate, a gel or drink every 20 to 30 minutes.
• Heat: Durban in March is humid and Sun City can be hot. Drink to thirst, and practise your fuelling on hot training days.
• Rehearse it: every long brick is a fuelling rehearsal with the products you will race with. The nutrition tracking guide covers fuelling the training around it.

The swim

Two kilometres in open water is a long time if the swim is your weakest sport. Build to swimming 2.5 km continuously in the pool, practise sighting and swimming close to others, and do several open-water swims of race distance. Triathlon South Africa officials decide on wetsuits on race day, and they can be compulsory in water below 15°C, so train with and without yours. The Midmar Mile guide covers open-water skills, and the Mile is good early-season race practice.

The Ultra Triathlon Series

The Ultra Triathlon Series, organised by B-Active Events, runs races around the country. Dates as listed on ultratri.co.za on 4 November 2026:

• Cut-offs: at Durban, Sun City and Joburg the Ultra allows one hour for the swim, four hours for the bike and two and a half hours for the run, 7 hours 30 minutes in all.
• Minimum age: 18 for the Ultra and the Standard distance.
• Midlands is shorter: its Ultra is a 1.6 km dam swim, 55 km bike and 12 km run.
• Other distances: the races also offer sprint and standard distances, and some offer relays and an aquabike.
• T100: the Durban and Sun City Ultras have served as qualifying events for the T100 World Championships. Check ultratri.co.za for 2027 qualifying details.

Always confirm dates, distances, cut-offs and entry deadlines on ultratri.co.za before you enter.

Going further

A full-distance triathlon (3.8 km, 180 km, 42.2 km) roughly doubles everything above: longer rides and runs, a bigger fuelling plan, and a build of six months or more. An Ultra or 70.3 is the usual stepping stone, and the habits you build for it carry straight over.

How SportMentor builds your ultra triathlon plan

Tell your mentor your race, its date and how many hours a week you can train. It reads your swims, rides and runs from your own training, whether that comes from Garmin, COROS, Polar, Suunto, Intervals.icu, Strava or Fitbit, or from sessions you log yourself, and builds a week-by-week plan across all three sports, long bricks included.

• Sessions are set from your current swim pace, run pace and riding, by heart rate, or by power if your device records it.
• Missed a long ride or had a heavy week at work? The weeks ahead rebalance across the three sports.
• Race-week fuelling follows the calendar: taper, carb-load, race day and recovery.
• Guided strength sessions fit around your training and your kit.

There is no subscription. Sign up free, get a free credit to try it, and after that you pay only for what you use.

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Questions triathletes ask

How long does it take to train for an ultra triathlon?

About 16 to 20 weeks if you have already finished an Olympic distance and train regularly in all three sports. If you are newer to triathlon, race a sprint or Olympic first and give yourself six months or more.

How many hours a week do I need to train?

Most age-groupers build to about 8 to 12 hours a week in their biggest weeks, with a long ride of three hours or more and a long run of about 90 minutes. Earlier in the plan, 6 to 8 hours is enough.

Is an Ultra the same as a 70.3?

Close, but not the same. The Ultra is a 2 km swim, 80 km bike and 18 km run, while a 70.3 is 1.9 km, 90 km and 21.1 km. The training is almost identical, so this plan works for either.

What are the cut-offs at the Ultra series races?

At Durban, Sun City and Joburg the Ultra cut-offs are one hour for the swim, four hours for the bike and two and a half hours for the run, 7 hours 30 minutes in all. Check the race page on ultratri.co.za before you enter, as details can change.

Can I wear a wetsuit?

Triathlon South Africa officials decide on race day, about an hour before the swim start, and wetsuits can be made compulsory when the water is below 15 degrees. Train in your wetsuit in open water, but be ready to swim without it.

This guide is general training information, not medical advice. Open-water swimming and long days in the heat carry real risk: follow the race safety briefing, and check with your doctor before you start a long-distance build, especially if you have a heart condition, an injury or another health concern.