Vancouver Triathlon is the big Labour Day event in Stanley Park

Waves of athletes have hopped into English Bay for the first leg of the annual Vancouver Triathlon in and around Stanley Park.

Those participating in the Olympic triathlon will swim 1.5 kilometres, whereas the sprint triathletes will swim 750 metres and the "tri it triathlon" and "draft legal wave" groups will only have to travel 300 metres.

The bike route is similarly staggered, with Olympic racers cycling 37.6 kilometres (four laps) around Park Drive.

Sprint triathletes will do two laps (18.8 kilometres) and the other two groups will cycle one lap (9.4 kilometres).

That's followed by the run, with Olympic triathletes going 10 kilometres. The sprinters will do five kilometres and the other two groups will run 2.5 kilometres.

The entire course will be closed until 10 a.m. on Labour Day.