Calories burned
triathlon
956 kcal / hour Triathlon burns approximately 956 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 478 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 683 to 1,638 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 13 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Calories burned triathlon by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 171 | 341 | 512 | 683 | 1,024 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 205 | 410 | 614 | 819 | 1,229 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 239 | 478 | 717 | 956 | 1,433 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 273 | 546 | 819 | 1,092 | 1,638 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 307 | 614 | 921 | 1,229 | 1,843 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 341 | 683 | 1,024 | 1,365 | 2,048 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 375 | 751 | 1,126 | 1,502 | 2,252 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 410 | 819 | 1,229 | 1,638 | 2,457 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
What 956 calories an hour actually means
At MET 13, triathlon counts as very vigorous activity — it uses about 13 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 16 kcal per minute, or 956 kcal across a full hour.
Within running, that ranks 3rd of 11 activities by energy cost, a little below running uphill (MET 13.4) and above running (MET 11.5).
Put differently: one hour of triathlon costs about the same energy as 195 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a chocolate bar (about 235 kcal) takes roughly 15 minutes of triathlon to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does triathlon burn per hour?
About 956 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 13. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 1,229 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of triathlon burn?
Roughly 478 kcal at 70 kg, 410 kcal at 60 kg and 683 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of triathlon?
13. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 13 means 13 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from running, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 12620). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.