Getting Organised
One of the things that set triathlon aside from single discipline sports such as running is the amount of planning that needs to go into each race. You need lots of equipment, it all needs to work properly, you need to get yourself and it to the transition area and lay it out properly so you do the quickest possible transitions between discplines. The list goes on...... so to help you out, have a look through the race checklist below to see if you've got everything organised.
Well in advance
- Have a look through previous years results
- Speak to someone who has done the race before
- Review the course for each leg
- Practice on the race course.
14-7 days before
- Start tapering your training
- Look after yourself. Get plenty of sleep, stretch and get sports massage if possible
- Clean and Service Race Bike
3-5 days before
- Check the weather forecast
- Check event website for any last minute information
- Pack your transition bag
- Pack your race bike
2 days before
- Take a rest day and focus on recovery
1 day before
- Get up the same time as race day
- Final taper session ideally done at the same time as race start
- Prepare race day drinks and nutrition
- Travel to race venue
- Register
- Assemble bike and perform bike check
- Attach numbered sticker to helmet and bike frame
- Write emergency contact details on the back of race number
- Attach race number to race belt
- Put swim hat in your transition pack
Race day
- Final Meal (Breakfast) - ~ 3 hours before race start for a morning race
- Bike & Run Warm-up
- Put on Trisuit, race-belt and attach drinks / nutrition to bike
- Attend race briefing
- Enter transition area with bike and transition pack
- Find your allocated area
- Setup Transition stall
- Put on wetsuit, swim hat and goggles
- Walk to swim start with at least 10 mins to spare
- Swim warm-up
- Get in your ideal start position and focus
- Start the Race!!
Pack your transition bag
Big plastic crates/boxes seem to be very popular with triathletes to use in transition to store their belongings. Whilst useful for keeping your area tidy, they are difficult to carry along with your bike and often require a friend to give you a hand. This equals extra stress on the day especially if you need to park along way from transition. There is a better way to keep your self mobile. Buy a transition pack (rucksack) to carry all your belongings. This will allow you to cycle down to transition making things quicker, easier and mean you can park where you want as the further away the better the warm-up. Perfect! You can buy specific transition packs but in general you need a rucksack of about 30L+ with good quality straps comfortable when cycling. So what needs to go in the bag? Well presuming you've followed our recommendations you will already be wearing your Trisuit and have put on your race belt/number; so in the bag you would have:
- Standard or Aero helmet
- Triathlon specific cycling shoes
- Wetsuit
- 2 pairs of goggles - One for the race and a spare pair. Both should have been previously tried and tested in training
- Swim hat provided by race organisers and spare swim hat if it is cold
- Running shoes with elastic laces
- Elastic Bands for fixing cycling shoes horizontal
- Talcum Powder to help prevent blistering on the run
- Spare Safety Pins in case needed for your race number
- BTA Racing License or Day License
- ICE Card - In Case of Emergency contact details. These should also be written on the back of your race number.
- Emergency spare for the bike in case of last minute disasters. I usually carry spare cleats, a multi tool, mini-pump, tyre levers, and two extra inner tubes. I don't usually carry any spares on the bike during the race, but for novices or longer events I would STRONGLY recommend it.
- Hydration and nutrition products: This will depend on the length of your race, weather conditions, physiology and personal preference. See the nutritional recommendations for more info. One thing you should include is one 500ml disposable drinks bottle filled with your drink of choice. This one can be sipped during the last 10 mins before the swim start then disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
- Small transition towel
- Plastic/waterproof bag/sack for wet gear post race
- Wetsuit lubricant/s
- Sun cream (make sure it is waterproof)
- Neoprene adhesive
- Sunglasses for the bike/run
- Cap or visor for the run
- Chamois cream
- Heart rate monitor & strap
Remember to ONLY take what you NEED. It is useful to have the following items handy (e.g. in your car), but don't take them into transition:
- Track Pump
- Bike Tool Kit
- Bike Spares
- Turbo trainer
- Shower stuff if you are a clean freak
- A change of clothes
- Recovery products
- Mobile phone
- Wallet
Setup Transition Stall
One of the key things you need to do after arriving at the race venue is to set-up your transition stall. We will presume you already have your tri-suit and race belt/number on and that you will take into transition everything you need for the race as from there you will go down to the race start. Here are the key steps involved:
- Enter transition
- Review the area
- Rack your bike
- Prepare your helmet and sunglasses
- Layout towel, running shoes and extras
- Get ready for the swim
- Put everything away and leave
Enter transition
- Enter transition with your bike and transition pack - To do this you will need your race number and stickers displayed clearly on your bike and helmet.
- Find your allocated area - Make sure you rack where you are surpossed to if the transition area is labelled up.
Review the area
- Identify swim entry, bike entry/exit and run entry/exit points.
- Plan your route to/from each point
- Run through each and memorise how to find your allocated area again. Use fixed reference points, not other bikes or stuff that may move.
Rack your bike
- Put your bike in an appropriate gear
- Attach your cycling shoes to the pedals and make sure Velcro straps are open wide.
- Using elastic bands fix the pedal horizontal
- If you have previously completed a bike check and attached your nutrition you are ready to rack your bike by the saddle or bars
Prepare helmet and sunglasses
- Place helmet upside down resting on your handlebars with strap undone and open wide. It might be worth practicing putting it on/off quickly a couple of times especially if it is an aero helmet.
- If you plan to wear sunglasses during the bike leg, lay these out on top of your helmet.
Layout Towel, Running shoes and Extras
- Put out your transition towel next to your bike but make sure it doesn't obstruct other competitors.
- Put talcum powder into your running shoes, slacken the elastic laces slightly and make sure tongue is accessible before laying them onto the towel.
- Put out anything else you may need for the race such as visors, additional nutrition and hydration.
Get ready for the swim
- Put on your wetsuit. Before doing this you may need to apply lubricants if required.
- Grab your swim hat, goggles and disposable drinks bottle
Put everything away and leave
- Put everything else away in your transition pack along with any additional clothing you were wearing when you entered transition. Store your pack neatly out of the way.
- Make your way out of transition to the race start
A few extra things to think about
- Get into transition with plenty of time to spare
- Stay focused by working through a list one thing at a time
Some common faults
- Forgetting something!
- Taking too much stuff into transition
- Putting your bike into an in-appropriate gear to begin the bike leg
- Not memorising your allocated stall and the best routes to/from it
- Taking up too much space so your things get in other peoples way
Want to get better? Try these activities
- Training exercises where you need to setup a transition
- Practice Races to get used to the process under pressure before your main event