What Is The Decathlon?

Random: "Oh, what event do you do?"

Me: "I do the decathlon…"
Random: "Cool… So, you do the swimming, biking, and running…"
Me: "Almost (lol). That’s a triathlon. I do 10 events…"
Random: "Oh!"

Haha, I don’t know how many times I’ve had this conversation. I can’t blame people for not knowing though; it’s not the most popular event in an already not so popular sport. I’d continue, however, "The event that Bruce Jenner competed in." If the person was old enough to know who Bruce Jenner is, and why he was originally famous, they’d instantly remember what the decathlon was. For everyone else, I would then proceed to explain exactly what the decathlon is. So, I wanted to write a quick post answering the popular question: What is the decathlon??

So, what IS the decathlon? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the decathlon is…

Decathlon – a 10-event athletic contest; specifically: a composite contest that consists of the 100-meter, 400-meter, and 1500-meter runs, the 110-meter high hurdles, the javelin and discus throws, shot put, pole vault, high jump, and long jump.

More specifically, it is a 2 day event, consisting of 10 (deca) different track & field events, mentioned above. The 10 events, in exact order of occurrence, is as follows:

Day 1
1st Event – 100m Dash
2nd Event – Long Jump
3rd Event – Shotput
4th Event – High Jump
5th Event – 400m Dash

Day 2

6th Event – 110m High Hurdles
7th Event – Discus
8th Event – Pole Vault
9th Event – Javelin
10th Event – 1500m Run

All decathletes complete one event at the same time, and get a set period of time to rest before starting the next event; the events are NOT done in immediate succession without rest. Each event is conducted almost exactly how they would if ran as an individual event outside of a decathlon: track/running events are conducted with multiple athletes in a race, while field events are conducted with athletes performing one after the other, in a predetermined order, until each athlete has run out of chances to throw or jump.

Based on the mark/time an athlete performs, a score will be given for that mark/time. With 10 events, each athlete will accumulate a total of 10 different scores, 1 score for each event completed. The sum of the 10 point totals is the decathlon score the athlete has achieved. The decathlete with the highest score wins.

And that’s it! Now you know the basics of what the decathlon is. You’ll need to do your own research (or you could ask me) if you want to know how to get the point total for a certain mark/time, or who even determines what amount of points a certain mark/time gets. Haha, sorry to make it confusing after just making understanding the decathlon a little easier. You’ll get a better understanding over time. Anyway, I hope this was helpful and I hope it gives you a better understanding of what I actually do. Just remember, it’s not the "swimming, biking, and running." Although, a triathlon is on my bucket list and will happen at some point in the future…