My daughter is doing her 1st triathlon in March and as I don’t know much about swimming and running or joining the 3 disciplines together I’m after some tips – don’t laugh if any of the questions are silly!

I’m about to get her a trisuit and she’ll wear this and some goggles for the swim.

Once out of the swim presumably she will just take the goggles off, put on her shoes (without socks) and helmet. Should the helmet be on the floor, upside down with straps hanging to each side?

After the bike she will remove helmet and will change from cycling shoes to trainers, she has lock laces and guess by now her feet will be dry. Can helmet just be left on floor?

I’ve been told they have to count their own bike/run laps but what is to stop me standing near the end of the lap and letting her know?

Any other tips greatly appreciated.

Helmet can be wherever you want it in your immediate transition area (IME). I put all my stuff in a wee ikea fabric bag so it’s accessible but not going to fall out. May need to cover it also if it rains. I like socks. Are there rules about help counting laps?

(My transition times are crap but I am doing averagely in longer events so comfort is more important).

I presume the swim is in a pool? How long is the tri?

Yes in pool.

200m swim, 4km bike (on grass), 1.8km run (on grass)

Age categories are a bit weird, daughter is 10 and will be in the Under 13 category.

This is a checklist I’ve given to a few mates in the past. I’m far from an expert, but it seems to have worked well as a novice;

Lay out, furthest away to nearest;
– Trainers (place sunglasses in and wind-vest if needed)
– Bike shoes (place slightly rolled socks in – if using them)
– Helmet (place number belt in)
– Towel 1

Cover Trainers, Bike shoes and Helmet with Towel 2 (possibly cover whole lot with plastic container if raining)

Transition 1 sequence;
– Stand on Towel 1
– Use Towel 2 to remove excess water from hair, torso & feet
– Clip on race number belt (number to rear)
– Put on helmet
– Put on socks + bike shoes
– Put on shades (possibly put on wind-vest if cold day)
– Get bike

Transition 2 sequence;
– Rack bike
– Helmet off
– Bike shoes off
– Trainers on
– Move race number to front.

The website for the tri presumably has a list of rules to follow regarding placing of kit and helping from sidelines.

The most important thing I found in tri’s was knowing where your kit was during transition. Make sure its near a feature for easy location !
On that sort of length triathlon, don’t waste time on the cycling shoes, do it in trainers – sock are optional, I do put them on…
Counting should be fine ! After all what’s to stop anyone shouting “X laps to go come on !”
I don’t have a tri suit, I do the whole thing in my swimming stuff, adding a T-shirt for the stuff outside a pool.
Brick training is important – ride hard are go straight for a run… Feels very odd at first!

But then again, I have only done 3 so far, so use a pinch of salt for the advice! Alternatively I have finished in the top 5% in all three… 🙂

This is really useful.

Can’t find any info on website about rules but it does say more info will be available 10 days before event.

I hadn’t thought about a number belt!

I hadn’t thought about a number belt!

There seems to be 2 main types;
– one has strings with toggles (you need some kind of hole punch to thread the number on). (example)
– Mine uses poppers instead and you just force the poppers over the number board (usually wax-paper on the ones I’ve done). (example)

I also don’t use a tri-suit. I swim in my cycling shorts and a compression vest and don’t change anything in transition (if it’s especially rainy/cold then I might, but fortunately that hasn’t happened yet).

Tri in March, that’s an early one!! Which one is it??

Mark Tanton in Roade, Northants. Will be almost April! (31st March)

http://www.onyourmarksevents.org/events1/triathlon-events/mark-tanton-memorial.html

Easy on the swim, not much time to be had there, wear socks, practice the transition and how the kit is laid out. BRICKS – arrrrgh. Get her a trisuit if you can, it’s just nice having the gear (Aldi did some cheapo ones that’d do).

Won’t socks be difficult to get on with wet feet? Would prefer her to wear them if poss.

A few pointers / rules she should know:

1. Get there in plenty of time, there is nothing worse that getting stressed because you’re running late!
2. When you/ she sets up the transition area , have a look to see where she will enter transition after finishing her swim, then look to see where the exit is to head out onto the bike. Alss look to see where the run exit is. These should be clearly marked.
3. during the race, before she can touch her bike she needs to have her helmet on and the strap done up. She can put her shoes on before she moves the bike. If the race is in March I would advise wearing socks, reduces the risk of cold toes especially having just come out of a swimming pool. Have a small towel with the bike in transition & a little tip, a bit of baby powder in the socks makes them easier to put on if your feet are damp.
4. when exiting transition with the bike, she will have to run/ walk to the “mount line”. There should be somebody official there to tell them when to get on the bike. And when finishing the bike she will have to get off her bike at/ just before the dismount line. When she dismounts tell her to slow right down to a walking pace, jelly legs are no fun to run on and I have seen pros fall flat on their faces because they were going to quickly when getting off the bike.
5. She is not allowed to remove her helmet until she has racked her bike in transition after the bike ride.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask the officials questions if there is something your not sure of.
7. Enjoy it & don’t worry about where she comes of is she makes any mistakes. Even Chrissie Wellington had to be rescued during her first triathlon!!

Here’s a link to a guide produced by a member of my tri club:
http://www.pirateshipoffools.co.uk/?p=467

And in case you’re wondering I’ve done sprint, olympic 1/2 Ironman & Ironman distance tris!! And tell her good luck from me! 😀

I use the oldest comfiest knackeredest baggiest set I can find in the drawer that morning. If shes got a big brother then use his or yours.

For my first couple of tris I wore socks. I found rolling my socks up condom-like worked fairly well for getting them onto wet feet although did lightly towel dry first.

It’s something that can be easily practiced in advance 🙂

Couple of points as my daughters been racing for the last couple of years (T1,T2 & now T3)

1, check and double check you have everything dont leave anything to chance. Bring spares, Tubes, goggles
2, dont worry about cycling shoes, its a massive problem they can do with out at that distance. Toe Clips with trainers saves time time transition, Wiggle do them for £5..!!
3. Talc in the shoes and on the towel and a bit of Vaseline inside the trainers to help her wet feet in.
4, No socks!!!! just do what I said above
5, A transition box, (plastic type) so that it can cover her towel and trainers if its raining.
6, Count the swim laps and bike laps, Ive got a counter as once she starts racing so does the excitement, you can easy forget what lap shes on, you dont want to do to many. Then you know shes done enought laps as mistakes can happen.
6, What ever happens shes a hero, I know Adults that cant do a traithlon so fair play to her.
Good luck

Thanks all, some really good advice. Good to get a visual of gear laid out at transition in the link Hells provided.

Am leaning towards no socks but might give it a practice first, after having a shower before bed could be a good opportunity!

My daughter did the Roade one at the end of last season – in the swim they ducked under the lane ropes after each length so when they reached the steps they go out – so didn’t have to worry about counting lengths.

Get her to work out where here bike is in transition from the swim exit – and not spend several minutes looking for it.

No socks for running / cycling it take too long to put them on – the whole race is only 18-20 mins

Jase

We layout transition in the garden and make her run laps around the garden in her trisuit, Maybe 5 laps then into transition, trainers on, race belt,bike stuff on keep running with it…. Then back in to transition to change for running. May sound funny but she’s lost tri’s by 1 second so it all counts!!

Blimey I thought I was competitive, she’s 10 it’s her first go, surely it should be for fun. IMHO