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Event programsSwimmingCyclingStrength

Aquabike (70.3): 12 weeks, peaks at ~13 h.

1.9 km swim and 90 km bike in about 3–5½ h, no run: a bigger swim share and a bike that can ride a little harder than in a 70.3. That's the intermediate plan; beginner runs 12, advanced runs 10 weeks.

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Written for where you are.

Beginner
12 weeks: three swims plus open water, three or four rides, a swim→bike brick every two weeks and a full-distance simulation in week 9.Shortest runway 8 weeks · research minimum 8 · 8 sources
12 wk
5-10 h a week
Intermediate
12 weeks: four swims including Red Mist, a swim→bike brick every week from week 5 and a full simulation in week 9.Shortest runway 7 weeks · research minimum 7 · 8 sources
12 wk
7-13 h a week
Advanced
10 weeks: four or five swims, two quality rides and a swim→bike brick every week; a race simulation in week 7 and a sharpening week before a one-week taper.Shortest runway 6 weeks · research minimum 6 · 8 sources
10 wk
9-16 h a week

The checklist comes with it.

T-7Know whether the course finishes at the dismount line or after a short run-in to the finish arch.
T-3Bike fuel laid out by the hour.
T-2Wetsuit decision from the water temperature.
T-1T1 layout: helmet first, buckled before you touch the bike.
race morningA 10-min swim warm-up, then a seeded or rolling start.

Every plan cites its homework.

World Triathlon's own aquabike distances could not be verified (commonly cited: standard about 1 km / 30 km, long about 3 km / 120 km), so the plans anchor to the 70.3 aquabike. The +0.03–0.05 IF uplift over a 70.3 bike is the dossier's extrapolation from the Ashburn IF/TSS logic, not a published aquabike norm, and finish-time bands are estimates.

  1. 1Helios research dossier — triathlon, duathlon and aquabike events
  2. 2Wikipedia — Ironman 70.3
  3. 3Best Bike Split — pacing the 70.3 bike leg: IF and TSS
  4. 4Sandbakk et al. 2025 — Norwegian triathlon coaches' best practice (PMC12031707)
  5. 5Jeukendrup 2014 — carbohydrate intake during exercise (PMC4008807)
  6. 6Costa et al. 2017 — gut training (PubMed 28177715)
  7. 7Martinez et al. 2023 — gut training systematic review (PMC10185635)
  8. 8Harris et al. 2017 — deaths in US triathlons (Ann Intern Med)
  9. 9Knechtle et al. 2026 — swimming-induced pulmonary oedema review (PMC13424964)

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