Modern triathlon can be called a young sport. In its current format, triathlon combines three disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. In this material, we tell you what is important to know and take into account if you decide to bet on a triathlon, and also remind you in which bookmakers in Russia you can bet on this sport.
As mentioned above, triathlon includes three disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. The standard distance used in the Olympics is 1500 m swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km jogging. However, there are different triathlon formats: double Olympic distance, triple Olympic distance and the famous “iron distance”.
If you decide to bet on a triathlon, the first step is to find out what format the competition has.
The Ironman competition includes 3800 meters of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42 km of running. In total, 226 kilometers are covered by “iron men” for a distance. Not everyone makes it to the finish line.
The difference between triathlon and pentathlon or decathlon is simple: all three stages of the competition take place one after the other, without interruption. Only a truly “iron man” can withstand such loads.
Olympic distance and Ironman: on the difference and rates
The controversy in triathlon began in 1989 with the creation of the International Triathlon Union, whose main goal was to include triathlon in the program of the Olympic Games. Naturally, the first step was the question of the duration of a separate race. As an Ironman, 16 hours are usually allocated to cover the distance, so it was decided to reduce the format of the race to be able to fit everything into a TV broadcast. In 2000, in Sydney, the triathlon made its debut at the Games in the format of “1500 meters of swimming, 40 kilometers of cycling and 10 kilometers of running”.
Among triathlon athletes, winning the Olympics is not as honorable as just walking the “iron distance”. For bettors, the opposite is true: rare bookmakers offer triathlon lines outside of the Olympic Games. We have to play the market that we have. That is, bets on triathlon are bets, first of all, on the Olympic program of this sport.
The main types of bets on triathlon
Winning bets . Standard bet in bookmaker lines: the bookmaker offers its own odds on the winner, the player chooses the athlete and places a bet on him.
A bet on a win at a separate stage . There are three stages in a triathlon (swimming, cycling and running). Each of them has its own winner. Bookmakers are ready to offer bets on the winner of a separate stage.
Betting on getting to the top. A triathlon is rarely won by the same competitor. Therefore, bookmakers offer to predict whether the selected participant will get into the top three, top 5 or top 10 participants.
A bet on the comparison of the results of the participants . One of the most popular triathlon bets. It is proposed to compare the results of the performances of the two participants. This type of bet increases the chances of winning, but at the same time decreases the odds.
Time limit betting . At each stage in a triathlon, there are time limits that a participant must meet in order not to receive penalties. Bookmakers offer bets on how many participants will meet the time limit at each stage.
Winner Time Bets . Predicting the course of any race in a triathlon is extremely difficult. Bookmakers in the lines place a bet on the final time, which will be shown by the winner: will it be more and less than the mark set by the bookmaker?
How to bet on the Olympic distance in triathlon
Since bookmakers rarely offer triathlon lines outside the Olympic Games, we consider the features of bets only within the framework of the Olympics.
The Olympic distance is significantly shorter than the Ironman and several other key triathlon distances. Therefore, you should not take the results of more difficult races for analysis. Triathlon at the Olympics is more and more approaching speed competition rather than endurance battle.
The first factor to analyze is the age of the athlete. Young people (under 25) may not maintain the same pace throughout the distance. Elderly athletes (over 35 years old) participate in triathlon more often not for the sake of victory, but for the very participation. The optimal age for winners is between 26 and 33 years old. There are exceptions.
It is important to consider the athlete’s home track. If a triathlete trains on the track, then it is easier for him to cover the entire distance.
The degree of triathlon development in the country is also of great importance when choosing rates. Triathlon is especially popular in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and some European countries.
In betting on individual stages of a triathlon, sometimes you can get high odds due to information about the past of the participants. Someone was a swimmer, someone was a runner, someone was a cyclist. At the appropriate stage, the best athlete will be the one who has more experience in a particular discipline.