Triathlon distance names. Do they need to be renamed? 

I remember when we first signed up to our first tri, we were debating doing a sprint, supersprint or Olympic distance. We went with Olympic as it looked like a harder challenge than the shorter distances… or rather, it would require a year of training to get fit enough to complete one! 
As part of my training plan, I wanted to complete two shorter tri’s in the season to get prepared for things like the crowded swim, the transitions and to measure how my training was going. 
I still remember the nerves of arriving at my first sprint tri. I remember the nerves of wondering if I’d done enough prep. Had I laid my kit out properly? Did I even have all the right kit. Was my number stuck on properly? I remember wondering what the “battle” would be like in the frozen sea water swim. I also remember looking at some of the competition and thinking they just needed to eat a good meal! 

But I also remember my fear of what the other racers would be like. Not thinking about them beating me, I was racing my own race, but because it was a Sprint Triathlon I thought everyone would be super fast. I mean it was called a sprint…so it would be right?? I thought the whistle would go and I’d be left for dust!

Recently, I was talking to some colleagues about triathlons a few weeks after the BandHTri and trying to get them to sign up for a tri in 2017. We were talking distances and that they didn’t have to worry about doing an Olympic distance but just to focus on a sprint or super sprint instead.  

I was met with a shocked kind of silence. The reason? Their faces dropped at the word sprint.

On went the discussion about how it’s not really about completing it like Usain Bolt, but rather it’s a clever way of describing a shorter distance. Suddenly I had them back in the room. They were interested again.

I’ve tried finding a reason about how the name sprint or super sprint came up and can’t see anything specific. I mean the sport itself is still actually very young, so maybe it can still evolve? 

My history lesson is going to assume that the very nature of sprint / super sprint tri’s came about because it was shorter than an Olympic and super fit people could race them really quickly. Of course it also meant doing it on a shorter course. 

We know and hear repeatedly about how popular triathlon is becoming ( 2015 had a 38% rise year on year). We know the likes of the Brownlee’s, Non, Jodie & co have really helped to capture the nations eyes on this awesome sport, but… do short distance triathlons need to be renamed to get even more people involved? 

I don’t have any scientific evidence to say it should.

However, what I have had is maybe a dozen conversations about it, when the terminology had been raised. I also thought about it as a newbie. My TriPal thought about it. Would more people take part if they realised they didn’t have to be running a 4 minute kilometre? But that 6,7,8 or even 20 minute kilometres is fine? 

What do you think? Did the word “sprint” have you worried when you signed up to your first event?