Race Day There is so much to read about preparing for triathlons, but it's true that doing one will be the
best learning experience you'll ever have. The description below is a step by step account of an actual triathlon with tips on how to maneuver through the obstacles you run into along the way.
Just to be safe, let's be sure you started training 6-9 months before the triathlon event.
Find a training method and stick with it! Check out our recommended triathlon training books at your local bookstore.
Begin searching for the races in which you'd like to compete. Some of the more popular races fill up before the spring even begins! You can view a list of websites that run excellent, well-organized triathlons.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Read an account of an actual race from start to finish by scrolling down the page!
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The night before the Triathlon
Pack your race packet, money for fees and a photo ID.
Pack your swim stuff: bathing suit, goggles, cap, wet suit
Pack your bike stuff: bike (make sure tires have air), pump, water bottle, repair kit, bike gloves, shorts, shirt, helmet (cannot compete without this), bike shoes, socks and some sort of brightly colored item to tie onto the bike.
Pack your running stuff: sneakers.
Pack other things: sunscreen, hat, sun glasses, towel, bucket and a garbage bag.
Feel free to bring some music for before or after the race. It is poor triathlon etiquette to listen to music during the race and it is absolutely prohibited during the bike leg for safety reasons.
Have a healthy dinner including carbs.
Set your alarm clock to get up in the early hours of the a.m. and go to bed early!
The morning of the triathlon
Check your bike to see if the air is still in your tires. If not, replace tires.
Dress in layers: Swim suit, short-sleeved t-shirt, light sweatshirt and sweatpants. Depending on the day, it can be quite chilly in the weee hours of the morning especially if you are heading to the ocean. Warm muscles are happy muscles.
Eat a nice healthy simple breakfast. Be sure you eat at least two hours before the race to prevent an embarrassing scene. Try eating a bowl of healthy cereal or something full of carbs.
Arrive at the race at least an hour before the race begins. This has a real advantage!!! One, you get a parking space within a mile of the race and two, you have time to relax and take care of any problems without missing the event.
Upon arrival
Remember where you parked your car! There can be hundreds or thousands of cars for you to look through if you don't!
Be careful when parking. Some racers have brain-farts and lay down in open areas to stretch.
Some large races have you register the day before the race and all you have to remember is to bring your race packet with you the day of the race.
If you are registering on the morning of the race, put your bike on the general racks and sign in. Bring your bag, race packet, photo ID and cash to the sign-in area.
Tell the registrar that you do not have an ankle timing device and ask where you fill out the information to rent one. This will cost money to rent and more money to lose. Strap it on your ankle as soon as you get it so that nothing happens to it. It's purpose is to chart YOUR swim, bike and run splits and overall time.
Tell the registrar that you are a new swimmer if you feel like it may be an issue. You will receive a colored bathing cap to wear that indicates to the lifeguards on the race course that you may need an extra eye.
Strap the timing device around you left leg with some extra room in case your leg swells a bit.
Go to the bathroom. The longer you wait, the longer the line will be and the stinkier the bathroom will be.
Enjoy the people around you. Triathletes are great people!!!
Setting up your spot
Get your bike and all of the rest of your stuff, including your bib numbers from sign-in, and head into the race area.
Remember, NO spectators are allowed in the transition area. You can be disqualified!
All of the spots on the bike racks are numbered. Find your bib number and set up your spot.
First pick up the front of your bike and lean the hand-brakes over the rack.
Take that brightly colored item you brought with you and tie it to your bucket so you can find it when you get out of the water. Some people use helium balloons. You can lose a lot of time looking for your bike in the chaos and it's worth having something.
Lay your towel next to your bike but be sure it doesn't overlap your neighbor's space.
Fill up your bucket of water and place it on or next to the towel (for sandy feet after the swim)
Neatly place the following things on your towel: bike shoes, sneakers, hat, sunglasses and anything else you might need for the bike and run.
Affix the bib number to your helmet and/or the front of your bike
Place your bike helmet on your towel or on top of your handle bars. Do not buckle it or you will have problems unbuckling it when you get out of the water.
Pin the number to your bike, if required.
Pin the number to the shirt you will be wearing for both the bike and run. OR if you don't want to wear a shirt, you can pin it to the front of your shorts.
Walk over to the officials WITH your number so that he/she can write it on your arms and legs.
Go back to your spot and make sure that everything you need is on your towel and organized so that you don't have to fish through your bag during the race.
Put the things that you don't need in your bag to cut down on the confusion.
Put on your wetsuit and sun screen. Be sure to do it in the parking lot or on the grass. Wet suits are challenging to put on and very uncomfortable if you get sand in them. You might also want to use some BodyGlide Anti-Chafing Stick or Pam (the cooking spray) to help. See our Triathlon Swim page for more details on "How to get Slippery".
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Part One: Triathlon Swim
Visit the Swim Section of this website to find valuable tips and tricks!
Stretch out
The adrenaline should be pumping now!
Listen for the announcement to head over to the starting point or head over early and get used to the water by doing an EASY warm up.
Be sure you have your wet suit, cap and goggles on. Be sure that the wet-suit strap is where you can locate it after the swim.
Wade into the water when your heat is called.
GO!!!!
If you are a new swimmer, stay behind or to the outside of the main group. You can get hurt in the group if you are not a strong swimmer. Check out this article on Triathlon Starts for more details.
Everyone panics the first time. You will too...and then you will get over it and finish the race. Remember, relaxed muscles float much better than tense muscles.
During your swim, do not cross the buoys or you can be penalized or be disqualified from the race. A TriathaNewbie.com staff member was in a race where the water was choppy from a storm. She crossed the buoys slightly a couple of times from the current and size of the waves but she wasn't penalized. This is not telling you to cross the buoys, but don't panic if you come too close to one.
Keep an eye out as to where you're going. Pick up your head and spot the buoys so you don't do any extra swimming. (read more on spotting)
For advanced swimmers: See if there is a swimmer in front of you that can give you a free ride . (read more on drafting)
Enjoy your surroundings. Most people work so hard they miss the fun of the event!
If you get tired, find a lifeguard on a surfboard and rest. You may continue swimming after you have rested a bit.
If you feel like you have not trained properly for the race and cannot continue OR you get hurt, wave your arms and make a lot of noise while you have the energy so that a lifeguard can help you.
Swim as far as you can into the shore during the finish. Walking in water is very SLOW and tiresome.
Transition One (T1), Swim to Bike
Walk/jog up the beach/grass/pavement and over the time carpet and begin unzipping your wet-suit. If you can't reach the strap, ask a spectator or official to lend a hand. They will!
You may feel a bit disoriented. That's OK! Keep going! Find your bike.
Look for the brightly colored item that you tied onto your bike.
Take off your goggles and cap and place them on your towel.
DO NOT GO INTO THE RESTROOM TO CHANGE; Do not put on underwear; Put your gear on over your suit. This advice is good for any triathlon shorter than an IronMan Distance Triathlon.
Put on your t-shirt/tank top with your bib number on it. OR you can ditch the shirt and use just your bike shorts (with your number on it)
Rinse off your feet in the bucket.
Put on your socks and clip-in cycling shoes or running sneakers.
Put on your helmet.
Put on your sun glasses.
Make sure that your water bottle is on your bike.
Walk/Jog your bike to the bike starting point.
Part Two: Triathlon Bike
Visit the Bike Section of this website to find valuable tips and tricks!
GO!
If you are a beginner bike racer, stay to the right.
If you are Lance, Yahoo!
Cheer people on as they pass you or you pass them.
Enjoy the beautiful surroundings as you get into your pace.
Be careful and aware of road surfaces.
Be careful of traffic.
Let bikers know when you plan to pass them.
Pass on the left.
Drink some of your water throughout the course.
Actively relax your shoulders and use your core muscles to propel yourself forward. Relax your jaw. Try not to put a death-grip on your handlebars. Let the blood flow though your hands.
There are a trillion different strategies for every ride. You pick which one works best for you and you'll succeed! If you've taken time to look at the course before the race (either online or in person) you'll have a better idea of what to expect on the actual day! That's our suggestion.
Do not draft or you will be disqualified or penalized. Drafting is when you ride too close to the person in front of you and you gain an advantage from them breaking the wind (not to be confused with breaking wind). It is dangerous and against the rules for this type of competition.
When you are approaching the end of the bike course, there should be an official waving at you to slow down and prepare to dismount. Follow the instructions and remember that you can never be riding the bike within the transition area at any time.
If you are wearing clip-in cycling shoes, start taking your feet out of the shoes while you are still riding the bike. (be sure to practrice this before race day)
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Transition Two (T2), Bike to Run
Jog/walk bike inside the transition area to your bike spot. Hold the front of the bike firmly to avoid a jack-knife (when the front wheel turns sharply left or right and you fall over the bike).
It is illegal to ride your bike inside the transition area.
If you were wearing clip-in cycling shoes, leave your shoes clipped into the bike and jog/walk barefoot to your spot.
Put your bike on the rack (in the correct slot).
DO NOT GO INTO THE RESTROOM TO CHANGE; Do not put on underwear; Take your bike shorts off (leave your swim suite on); Put your running gear on over your suit. This advice is good for any triathlon shorter than an IronMan Distance Triathlon.
Put on your running sneakers if you don't already have them on.
Take off your helmet.
If you are a beginner runner, stay to the right.
Part Three: Triathlon Run
Visit the Run Section of this website to find valuable tips and tricks!
GO! Your legs will feel like jelly. Everyone's legs feel like jelly! It will pass though. You may think you look funny, but you don't and your legs will get used to the run within a couple of minutes.
Cheer people on as they pass you or you pass them.
Enjoy the beautiful surroundings as you get into your pace.
Be careful and aware of road surfaces.
Be careful of traffic.
Let runners know when you plan to pass them.
Pass on the outside.
Drink water at stations.
Actively relax your shoulders. Be conscious that you do not clench your fists or your jaw. Give your blood the opportunity to flow.
Remember, the finish line where the timing carpet is -- not anywhere before that! Finish the race hard so you know that you did your best to the very end.
Most of the time, an official will be waiting just after the finish line to collect the ankle timing device. You might not be able to bend over to get it without feeling like you'll fall over. Don't feel bad about asking them to bend over and get it -- they will!
Read an article on How to Cross the Finish Line. You may think it's a no-brainer, but you also just might learn a few good tips!
After the Triathlon:
Congratulate yourself! OR, let us do it, " Well done!", "Way to go!", "Excellent!". You can even write to us about your first experience, and we'd be thrilled to post it on TriathaNewbie.com so others can be inspired.
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
Eat a Bagel or a power bar and talk to the other triathletes about your experience. The experience will be YOUR story to tell forever.
Take off your running gear, go over to the water and take a couple of strokes to warm down.
One of the best moments after a Triathlon is floating on your back in the water and thinking about how amazing it is to cross the finish line! Enjoy the weightlessness of the moment and let that feeling of accomplishment fill your entire body!
Be courteous to other racers and move out of the transition area if there are still racers finishing behind you. Some events have over 1000 participants and you may be finished while other heats are just finishing up their swim portion. Be considerate.
Walk over to the register area and return the timing device that's strapped around your ankle to the officials if you haven't already returned it. Otherwise you will be charged for it!
Be sure you have all of your belongings before you return to your car. Put all of your wet, smelly things into the trash bag to avoid stinking up your car or getting other things wet.
You may or may not want to stick around for the awards ceremony. It's a great social opportunity.
If you have someone with you, have them drive home. You will be tired!!!!
If not, take a nap on the beach or drive home and take a nap. You'll need it!
Be sure to take your wet things out of the trash bag when you wake up or you will truly know what low tide smells like in your own house! Put your wet suit in the bath tub, rinse it off and hang it up to dry. Take off your bib number and pins and wash the rest.
The numbers that are written on your body will be your personal souvenir. They come off after a few days of showering.
Reward yourself with a great healthy meal and smile at the fact that you completed your first triathlon.
A few days after the Triathlon:
Check the triathlon website. It should list your final time including the splits for your swim, bike and run. Copy them down into your results log to track your progress.
Quality pictures are normally taken by professional photographers along the route. The website should have a link to a page where you can enter your name and bib number to view the images. You can also order them for a ridiculous amount of money, but you're worth it and you'll only compete in your first triathlon once! Congratulations!
Just to be safe, let's be sure you started training 6-9 months before the triathlon event.
The night before the Triathlon
The morning of the triathlon
Upon arrival
Setting up your spot
Part One: Triathlon Swim
Transition One (T1), Swim to Bike
Part Two: Triathlon Bike
Transition Two (T2), Bike to Run
Part Three: Triathlon Run
After the Triathlon:
