The study consisted of male, English-speaking non-elite, ironman-distance triathletes. They were surveyed using an on-line questionnaire for descriptive characteristics, race history, and training history. Useable results were then sorted into high, mid, or low success groups based upon the athletes' race time or race place by age-group. There were 39 acceptable surveys, yielding a sample of athletes with an average age of 35 years old.
Then training patterns for a 12-month period, based on training distances or training hours in swimming, bicycling, and running, were generated for each group, with noted differences in the high-success group's annual ironman-distance training patterns. Finally, a suggested annual training volume pattern for ironman-distance triathletes was proposed based on the common training volume-pattern elements used by the high success group triathletes sampled in this study (note that the proposed training pattern is based on results from a small sample size and may not be valid for all athletes).
The most significant single factor found in this study was that successful triathletes performed greater total distances of bike training, particularly over the final months leading up to an ironman-distance race, when compared to those athletes that were less successful. This is consistent with findings of other studies.
Some (apparently) common traits among successful triathletes (when compared to those less successful athletes) in this study included:
- a tendency towards lower weight (but not height)
- greater total swim training distances
- greater total bike training distances
- greater total run training distances
- more finishes at shorter distance races
