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The Triathlete Blueprint Newsletter #122-Are You Doing Triathlon for the Wrong Reason?It’s not a bucket list – it’s a lifestyle.
- Yan Busset
- Aug 30, 2025
- 7 min read
Read time: 7min.
By Coach Yan Busset
Why You Started Isn’t Why You’ll Stay
I’ve been in triathlon for most of my life. I live triathlon, I eat triathlon, I coach triathlon, and I’ve never lost the fire. Becoming a professional coach never killed the hobby – I’m still passionate about this sport. And maybe that’s why I sometimes reflect on the reasons people start triathlon, and more importantly, why so many of them stay.
Because here’s the truth: people come into triathlon for all sorts of reasons. Some arrive with the wrong ones, but discover the right ones along the way. They come chasing a one-off challenge, and instead they find a lifestyle that stays with them for years – sometimes for life.
Of course, others tick the box and move on. But the real story I want to highlight is how many come for one reason and end up staying for another. They stay because triathlon is not just a race – it’s a lifestyle.
The reasons why people start triathlon
It often comes down to why people started in the first place. Some come for the wrong reason, but stay for the right one. Others start for the wrong reason and leave for the wrong reason too.
Take the bucket list crowd. They’ve done a marathon, climbed Mont Blanc, ticked off an obstacle race, and now triathlon is next on the list. They’ve heard of Ironman, and they want that finisher medal. Maybe it looks good on their LinkedIn profile, maybe it impresses colleagues. But that’s just an ego trip, and it doesn’t last.
At the same time, some people who start with that very same bucket list mentality end up falling in love with the sport. Training for an Ironman takes a year or more if you want to do it properly. And along the way, some discover the lifestyle, the rhythm of training, the balance, and they stay. Triathlon becomes part of who they are.
But I’ve also seen plenty who invest heavily, buy all the gear, do their first sprint, 70.3, or Ironman, and then say “That’s it, I’ve done it.” The problem with that approach is that you’ll never be satisfied in life. What’s next after Ironman? An ultra Ironman? Base jumping? Where does it stop? If you always chase the next thing, you’ll never feel fulfilled.
The real key is to find the distance that suits you. It doesn’t have to be Ironman. It can be sprint, Olympic, 70.3, or whatever you enjoy. You can spend a lifetime improving in that distance. And when you reach a plateau, or age slows you down, then just maintaining fitness is already a huge achievement. Using triathlon to age gracefully, to stay healthy, to keep moving so that one day you can still play with your grandchildren – that’s worth far more than checking boxes.
The lifestyle approach
Many quit because they put too much pressure on themselves. They chase perfection, train endless hours, burn out, and then stop completely. Often it’s people who were already sporty, but then life happens: marriage, kids, responsibilities. Suddenly the partner is pushing them to stop because training seems to take too much time away from the family.
But the problem isn’t triathlon itself – it’s the way it’s approached. You can push volume for short-term results, and maybe it works for a performance peak. But if you want to last, the only way is consistency. Training hours need to fit your lifestyle. You can perform well even with a few hours a week, but you must not abandon fitness altogether.
I’ve seen too many who stop and then stop everything – gaining weight, losing health. I did it myself at one point. After moving to Finland, adjusting to harsher training conditions, having a child, and some health issues, I stopped too abruptly. Looking back, I know the secret is balance.
Triathlon is probably the most complete sport in the world. Swim, bike, run – upper body, lower body, cardio, endurance, strength. Add proper strength training and you’ve got a perfect long-term health sport. If approached intelligently, it’s sustainable for life. Yes, at different ages performance looks different. As a student with no kids, you may have endless hours. Later, with work and family, you adapt. You can still be competitive, but above all, you can still have fun. That’s the key: enjoyment. Races are great, but they are just the motivation. What really matters is the daily grind: the bike rides, the runs, the swims, the gym sessions that keep your body alive.
And don’t forget: fitness means being able to do daily tasks with ease. In our sedentary lives, glued to phones and computers, training isn’t optional – it’s a necessity. If you quit, you’re living on borrowed credit. The bill comes later, and it’s never cheap.
Personal reminders
I’ve had experiences that reminded me just how important sport is. Years ago, I nearly died from a rare autoimmune blood disease. More recently, a shoulder injury kept me out of the pool for four months. When sport is taken away, you realize its value. It’s a shame to need such wake-up calls to appreciate it, but sometimes that’s how life teaches us.
So yes, push for performance when you can, race and chase goals. But think long term. Think of sport as health. Improvement doesn’t come from one heroic block of training, but from years and years of accumulated sessions. The real challenge isn’t finishing one Ironman – it’s lasting.
A lesson I learned
When I started triathlon as a teenager, one of my training partners was already in his 40s. Every day he swam almost the same set. I followed and made big progress. Soon I was faster, and honestly, I got bored. Years later, while racing at a high level, I saw him still doing the same intervals. I thought it was repetitive, maybe even mocked him in my head.
Fast forward 20 years. I had stopped training, gained weight, lost fitness. Back in my hometown, I went to the pool – and there he was, still training at lunchtime, still fit, still consistent. That’s when it hit me. Respect. I had had my peak performances, but he had lasted. He taught me the true lesson: anyone can perform once, but to endure year after year, that’s the real challenge.
Don’t forget the culture
One last point – something cultural. In cycling, if you ask riders who won the Tour de France, they know. In football, everyone knows who won the World Cup. But I meet triathletes training 15 hours a week who don’t even know who the Ironman World Champion is. They’ve done the sport for years, yet they have no idea who won Kona last year.
Why? Because the Ironman marketing machine is brilliant. It sells you the experience of being the hero for a day, but it can also turn triathlon into nothing more than an ego trip. I find that sad.
I grew up in short-course triathlon, before the Ironman boom. Back then, we devoured magazines, race reports, stories. I had posters of champions in my teenage bedroom. I knew all the names, all the results. We lived the culture. And now, I see athletes doing triathlon with no interest in its history, its present, or its champions. They’re missing out. Following the sport, knowing its stories, its legends – it’s part of the fun, part of belonging.
And one way to really belong – to make triathlon a lifestyle – is to be part of a community. When I moved to Finland, I noticed this community feel was missing compared to what I had experienced in France. That’s why I created Tri-Coaching Finland. Over the years, it has grown into a group with a strong atmosphere where athletes support each other, train together, and build friendships. It makes triathlon sustainable and enjoyable in the long term. I’m proud to say that the vast majority of the athletes I’ve coached are still doing triathlon today, many still in the group, and others still training on their own. I like to think I’ve contributed in a small way to helping people discover that triathlon is not just about finishing a race, but about living the sport day after day, year after year.
So I invite you to reflect. Why did you start triathlon? What role does it play in your life? Are you chasing endless bucket lists, or are you building a lifestyle that lasts? Respect the sport. Stay humble. Don’t quit just because you’ve “done an Ironman.” The real challenge is to keep going for life.
Performance is great, but longevity is greater. Even 20 minutes of mobility in the morning or 30 minutes of running is enough to keep the flame alive. If you can’t do the big sessions anymore, it doesn’t matter. What matters is to stay active, to keep training, to keep moving.
Triathlon is a gift. It’s one of the most complete sports in existence. Treat it with respect, embrace the culture, and think long term. Because the finish line isn’t the end. The finish line is being able to keep doing this sport – and enjoying it – for life.
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