At 160,000, the number of UK triathletes is now significantly greater than the population of many UK towns according to the Triathlon Industry Association (Source: sixth annual research study )
You can find more detailed info on this here (link to: endurancebsuiness.com) but here are a few highlights and an infographic.
- The male to female participant ratio from the survey was 2:1
- Triathletes, on average in 2017, take part in 12 other non-triathlon events.
- STRAVA overtakes Facebook as the place to share sporting stuff
- Almost 70% of expenditure was online
- Bikes were a growth category at +10% with wetsuits +4%. the picture was less rosy elsewhere, perhaps reflecting pre-ownership of the relevent items by long-standing triathletes who had made purchases in previous years.
Last Updated on 17 January 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.
