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Has triathlon reached peak performance? Tri experts and legends on how much faster triathletes could get

2025 has already seen a slew of record-breaking times across long-distance racing – a trend that started a few years ago. But why? And has the sport hit its speed limit? If not, just what kind of times can we expect in the future? To answer these questions and more, we spoke to several experts across the tri community to talk all things speed…

By Liz Barrett

Triathlon Journalist

Last updated -

16 Jul 2025

On 1 June, in Hamburg, Germany’s Laura Philipp clocked a new fastest women’s Ironman time with a jaw-dropping 8:03:13. The world champ’s splits would read – 54:40 for the 3.8km swim, a 4:23:38 for the...

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Written by

Liz Barrett

Former 220 Triathlon deputy editor Liz Barrett has almost 20 years’ experience in the world of triathlon, reporting live from almost every major triathlon across the globe.

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