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General Triathlon

Chris J.

First triathlon - what do you wear?

asked 11 months ago | Report

July 17 will be my first triathlon. I have no idea at all what I'm supposed to wear. The big problem for me is, I'm doing an olympic distance, and would like to avoid as much chafing as possible (The one time I tried running in a wet shirt ended in a less than pristine shirt....)
The best I can think of would be to wear Jammers (long style speedos) under the wetsuit (which I'll hopefully be able to rent) and then when I get out of the water, use a shamwow style towel like a frog-tog (used to have one, it was like magik) to dry as much as I can in 2 seconds, slap on some bodyglide (I'd do it at the start, but I don't think its waterproof) and then throw on my shirt and go.

Yea, that sounds long and conveluted to me to.

Suggestions?
The closest thing I've done to a bike race was the chilly hilly, most of the time I just ride solo, but I've got some running experiance under my belt. Never swam competetively either.
If it makes any diferance, the tri is the Chelan-Man

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  Mike K.

  First of all, congrats on getting into the world of triathlon - once you're in, the bug will get you!

  As for what to wear, it's pretty much personal preference. What's important is that you get some training in with what you'll be wearing race day. It's not a prom - you're not expected to go out and get a fancy new outfit for the big day. Chafing as you say is a real issue, especially when you are wet, so the more you can get used to cycling and running in what you will wear race day, the better. Use your training to test our a few items you have. Moisture wicking materials are certainly great, but they all vary based on composition. Regardless of how dry you get after the swim, it won't take long for sweat to take over and you'll be wet all over again. For you cycling, you'll probably want some kind of short with padding given the 40k distance. If you are planning on sticking with the sport, look into a pair of tri shorts - they tend to have a little shorter inseam and sometimes have more compression around the ends of the legs to support your muscles.

  Most of all, have fun out there! Good luck!

  Mike

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  Morey B.

  For an Oly, there won't be any changing tents- so what you wear on your bottoms is it. You need to get yourself some tri-shorts. They're like jammers with a small pad- and you can swim, bike and run in them. Don't try running in wet bike shorts- ugh. They're made by companies like Zoot, Pearl Izumi, DeSoto, Orca, etc. I'm sure you can find some on-line for a reasonable price- and you'll use them for future races, so might as well get a pair now.

  for your top- you could buy a triathlon specific top, or just wear a sleeveless compression style top, or a tight running shirt. You could try to put it on in T1, but putting on any kind of shirt when wet is not easy. Most people will just wear their top under their wetsuit, rip of the wetsuit, put on the cycling shoes and helmet (and glasses) and go. You'll dry in 10 min on the bike anyway.

  you could also buy a 1 piece race-suit, but they're pricey.

  answered 11 months ago |Report

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