Super League › Championship Series
Super League Triathlon (SLT) is the world’s premier swim-bike-run Series, pitching the very best athletes against each other in quick and exciting race formats in fantastic destinations across the globe.
The Championship Series takes place from September-November with the best triathletes on the planet doing battle over game-changing formats which are redefining the sport for a modern audience.
The Championship Series is broadcast to a worldwide audience via TV, digital and social media channels, as well as Super League’s official website.
Offering significant prize prices for the Pros, action-packed events on stadium-like courses, and a designed for TV and digital broadcast product, the Championship Series is the ultimate in triathlon.
This ultimate guide is all about Championship Series. It covers its essence, explains how the athletes are selected, describes the race formats and rules, deciphers how the points are scored, and reveals the amazing prizes.
Super League Triathlon’s Championship Series is the season of races in which our athletes earn points towards the overall leaderboard. At the end of each season, the leaderboard decides who are crowned as the male and female Super League Triathlon Championship Series winners. The winners take home the coveted Boguslavskiy Trophy.
There are a number of Rounds in each Championship Series season, with amazing destinations around the world. The events build towards a spectacular Championship Season Finale.
Super League is the only globally broadcast series that answers the question: Who is the fastest triathlete in the world?
Super League Triathlon’s experienced internal selection team features industry leaders and former World Champions to help to select the most exciting line-up.
From established stars all the way through to emerging talent, Super League assembles the best blend of athletes for dynamic racing.
As well as 30 Super League ‘Ambassador Athletes’, there are also ten Wildcards per event awarded to ensure the most exciting and relevant talent is on the start line.
Each race weekend features a star-studded men’s and women’s race, with everything on the line making it a nerve wracking day for the athletes and compelling viewing for fans.
All 20 men and 20 women toe the start line hoping to get the better of one another across whichever of Super League’s unique race formats is being employed on that day,
The events have 1 of 4 formats – Enduro , Triple Mix, Equalizer or Eliminator – depending on the course and the racing excitement factor.
And this is where Super League is truly unique. Our standard distances are:
Swim: 300m Bike: 4km Run: 1.6km
Probably not! That’s what makes Super League so engaging.
In all race formats the 90 second rule is in play. So any athlete that falls 90 seconds or more off the pace of the leader at the end of any individual lap – note that’s a lap rather than an entire discipline – is shown the Yellow Elimination Flag and is out of the race.
If no athlete is eliminated by the 90 second rule, then in Finals utilising Enduro or Equalizer formats we keep the pressure on at the back, so the last athlete across the line in every single discipline completed is eliminated. This does not apply in Triple Mix because athletes are racing for their time towards the pursuit start in Stage 3.
The only other time 90 second rule does not apply is when the Super 6 rule is invoked. The Super 6 rule ensures that there are always a minimum of 6 athletes in a race and, therefore, six finishers. In that happens, the field has been well and truly obliterated!
The finishing times of each athlete on the previous stage determine at what point they are allowed to begin a race that starts pursuit style.
So, in Triple Mix the total times from Stage 1 and Stage 2 are calculated. The fastest athlete after those first two Stages of racing starts first for the final bike-swim-run.
If second place’s cumulative time was 5 sec behind, then they start 5 sec later. If the last athlete’s times for Stage 1 and Stage 2 were 45 sec behind, they start 45 sec after the leader.
The same format is used for the Equalizer, with the starts based on the ITT times.
Super League has a very special little twist up its sleeve as part of its constant innovation. It’s called the Short Chute.
That is, quite simply, a shortcut on the course. But not everybody can take it. It has to be earned.
For example, you can also get a Short Chute in Triple Mix’s Stage 1 and Stage 2. By winning an allotted discipline you earn the right to take the Short Chute on to the next discipline.
Yes. Topping a Leaderboard carries with it the right to wear a different colour kit to signify you currently lead that division. The fastest athlete in a particular discipline in a previous race wears the equivalent jersey in the next race. The Leaderboards are updated after every event. The different colours worn by SLT athletes signify:
Overall Leader
Run Leader
Swim Leader
Bike Leader
Youngest Athlete
All Athletes
Injured Athletes
Super League offers a huge prize purse, which ensures the best talent on the start line and seriously competitive racing.
There are prizes both for event finishes and the overall Championship Series leaderboard, as well as the winners of the various coloured jerseys.
Super League announces its prize structure ahead of the start of each Championship Series.
On top of all that, every Super League athlete is guaranteed to be treated like a true professional. That means Super League pays for all flights, accommodation, food, and provides all-around support, bike mechanics, physiotherapy, marketing, promotion, social media support and much more.
The Enduro is considered the most brutal format of all. Requiring endurance and tactics, the Enduro is a non-stop burst of swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run (9 continuous stages) without any break. The added element of speed is tied into the race demands of The Enduro, with the slowest athlete at the end of each discipline being eliminated immediately.
The easiest way to think about it is: swim-bike-run repeated 3 times in a row without breaks in between. The added element of speed is tied into the race demands of the Enduro, with the slowest athlete eliminated immediately at the end of each discipline. The winner is the first athlete across the finish line upon completion of the entire race sequence.
Throwing the traditional swim-bike-run sequence out the window the Triple Mix shuffles the disciplines over 3 stages. Tactics for survival are fierce and athletes are eliminated from the race if they fall more than 90 seconds behind. Short Chute also comes into play in Stage 1 and Stage 2. Mistakes in this format are costly and the fight to stay in the race will be the focus. Nothing will be left on the course! At the end of each stage, athletes enjoy a 6 to 10 min. break based on the first athlete’s arrival time.
Stage 1 Athletes have a mass start and race a swim-bike-run
Stage 2 Athletes have a mass start and race a run-bike-swim
Stage 3 Based on their times over those races, it’s a Pursuit Style Start for the final bike-swim-run
Want to see how quickly these athletes can go solo with no drafting or pacing help? Then the Equalizer is for you! Favouring those with an aptitude for individual efforts, Stage 1 consists of an all out solo time trial. After one discipline is selected – either swim, bike or run – the athletes race it as a standalone event. It is called an Individual Time Trial (ITT). The times taken here will set the scene and provide gaps for Stage 2. Athletes who post good individual times in Stage 1 will be fighting hard to stay away from a charging main field over the SWIM-BIKE-RUN-SWIM-BIKE-RUN of Stage 2. Fast pack swimmers, bikers and runners will be battling to come through the field while those with a time advantage give their all to stay out front. The Equalizer will see the playing field levelled and racing in its purest form!
Stage 1 After one discipline is selected – either swim, bike or run – the athletes race it as a standalone event. It is called an Individual Time Trial (ITT)
Stage 2 The athletes are then set off based on their finish times in the ITT in a pursuit style to tackle a continuous swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run as in the Semi-Finals
The Eliminator is the 1st ever format raced in Super League. It tests the resilience, stamina and velocity of the athletes in a pressure-cooker format where field position proves key over timing. Athletes must finish high enough to not be eliminated whilst managing their effort against fatigue. 3 Stages of traditional swim-bike-run with 6 minute breaks between each stage, whereby athletes need to hold their ground and watch their backs in each Stage to be eventually crowned as the most tenacious and tough athlete on the Super League circuit.
Stage 1 5 Eliminations: 1 after the bike | 2 after the 1st lap of the run | the slowest 2 across the line. Short Chute is earned by the first three athletes across the line.
Stage 2 4 Eliminations: 1 after the bike | 2 after 1st lap of the run | the 1 slowest across the line. Short Chute is earned by the first two across the line.
Stage 3 3 Eliminations: 1 after the bike | 2 after each lap of the run.
Points are primarily accumulated according to the finish position in each weekend of the Championship Series. The season Finale carries additional points.
There are also cash bonuses to be accrued along the way for the fastest in swim, bike and run disciplines across the Series.
To see detailed race results or overall standings, please head over to results. During the actual race you can follow the leaderboard here. The instant results may contain minor errors. They are finalized within 24 hours after the race takes place.
The top 15 athletes score points across the regular Championship Series weekends. It is 15 for the winner down to 1 point for 15th place.
The Championship Series Finale has additional points on the line with:
20 for the 1st: 20 18 for 2nd: 18 16 for 3rd: 16 14 for 4th: 14 12 for 5th: 12
Scoring then runs down one point at a time with 1 point for 15th place again.
The Jerseys have their own point scoring system. The points are awarded to the quickest time of the day for the first swim, bike and run disciplines.
So, the fastest athlete in the first swim, scores 5 points for the Championship Swim Jersey Leaderboard. That rolls down to 1 point for fifth fastest athlete.
At the end of the Championship Series the Jersey winners receive a cash bonus.
Championship Malta'19 19-20 Oct 2019
Championship Jersey'19 28-29 Sep 2019
Championship Singapore'18 23-24 Feb 2019
Championship Mallorca'18 3-4 Nov 2018
Championship Malta'18 26-28 Oct 2018
Championship Jersey'18 28-30 Sep 2018