About Us

Tuggeranong Vikings Triathlon Club (TVTC) was initially established in 1997 as a swim squad by a small group of families in the Tuggeranong Valley looking to maintain some fitness, in a fun & social environment. Since this time, our membership has steadily grown to in excess of 100 people of all ages, with the Club continuing to pride itself on its friendly & social atmosphere, whilst at the same time offering both the serious and 'not so serious' athlete professional triathlon coaching services.

A number of our members have recently branched out into Adventure racing and actively encourage other members to take up the challenge. See the AROC and CORC links for more details on Adventure and off-road racing.

Our Racing History

Many of our members have represented the Club, the Territory, or Australia in some amazing races including THE Hawaii Ironman, Australian Ironman, World Championships (Portugal), Long Distance World Champs, Xterra World Champs, Australian Schools Championship, Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri (Solo), Canberra Marathon, MONT 24 Hour Mountain Bike race, Deca Ironman (former member).

For the past two years the Club has organised a Novice Program in conjunction with Traithlon ACT. The Novice Program is designed to introduce new people into the sport and the focus is on participation, not competition. For those who finish their first season of racing after completing a Novice Program it is an acomplishment in itself! (For more details of our 2005 Novice Program click here)

How Triathlon came to be...

... and on the seventh day (insert your creator here) went for a swim, a ride and a run. Then in 1974 in Mission Bay, Southern California, a group of friends began training together. Amongst them were runners, swimmers and cyclists and before long training sessions turned into informal races. Directed and conceived by Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan the first Mission Bay Triathlon was held on September 25th 1974 and welcomed 46 athletes. Triathlon’s foundations had been set!

In Hawaii, 1978, an argument arose regarding which of the three disciplines required the greatest endurance. At that time Hawaii hosted The Waikiki Rough Water Swim (2.4 miles), The Oahu Bike Race (112 miles) and The Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). Originally events in themselves, they were rolled into one to become the ‘Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.’

The event attracted 15 athletes and of them only 12 crossed the finish line. By 1982 the Hawaii Ironman gained extensive coverage on ABC World Wide Sport and participation levels had increased to 580 competitors. Last year over 3000 athletes completed the grueling challenge.