Fat weightlifter to triathlete plan or advice?

Hello everyone,

To put it bluntly, I love weightlifting and have done it to different levels throughout my life, but I’ve got quite a bit of excess fat. I’m currently 5’ 9” and about 250lbs. I’ve got decent muscles hiding under the fat but my cardio is severely lacking. I’m a decent swimmer, haven’t ridden a bike in many years, and hardly run ever, although I do enjoy hiking.

I’ve decided I want to be more “fit” rather than just have muscular strength. Maybe the logic is wrong but I figured signing up for an event like a triathlon would give me a guided route towards what “fit” is and would give me a definite timeline rather than the arbitrary “I want to get more fit in the future”. I have questions though!

1. Should I do a sprint or Olympic event?

2. Is 9 months enough time or should I set my sights on an event even further out? Am I crazy to try to do it in that timeline?

3. I’ve heard it’s expensive to get into, what should I expect to spend on equipment?

4. How do I get started on training? Should I focus on one event at first to start or skip around?

5. Finally, any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been a bigger guy my whole life so very nervous about jumping into something like this but really wanna get in better shape.

Thanks in advance everyone!