I went for breakfast with my friend and Ironman Sophie the other day (before she left London to move to Chamonix- missing her already), and she asked about my plans for Blenheim Palace Triathlon, what my fuelling strategy is, my kit and other race day essentials. I had to admit, I hadn’t really thought all that much about it. I’ve become a bit blasé recently about preparing for races, and I had been thinking about this as ‘just another race’.
But it isn’t, and I need a lot more kit than a pair of trainers and a sports bra. (My usual pre-race essentials).
I’ve broken it down into each discipline to make it easier to pack in the run up to the event, and to create a check list;
Timing Chip
Watch– optional- I won’t be wearing one for my Tri on Sat.
Swim
Wetsuit– make sure you’ve swum in it before, I’ve also had recommendations to cut a little bit of the ankle off to make getting it off over your feet easier and quicker
Swim cap- they give these out at some tris, make sure to check beforehand. Its also worth bringing your own to wear underneath the race cap.
Goggles- plus a spare pair.
Swimming costume/Tri suit for underneath
Sports Bra
Baby oil/olive oil/body glide/Vaseline– use the Vaseline on your neck to prevent the wetsuit rubbing and either baby oil or olive oil on your arms and legs to help get the wetsuit off.
Transition 1- towel (the brighter the better), drink, snack
Bike
Bike-with appropriate stickers on, bring rubber bands for your handle bars to count laps if you need to do multiple laps of the course
Helmet-remember to put this on and clip it before getting your bike off the rack, and have your sticker/number on the front
Shoes– either clip ins or trainers
Drinks and snacks for on the bike
Race Belt with race number attached (should be on your back for the bike section, do it up beforehand so that you can just step in to it)
Long sleeve top or jacket if it’s cold
Transition 2- shoes, water, snack, hair ties
Run
Trainers for your run
Race belt with number attached (should be twisted to your front for the run)
Drinks and snacks if you want– usually not necessary on a shorter distance run
This will be my first ever full triathlon (I’ve taken part in a relay before), so this is just a guide of what I will be bringing on Saturday. I would love to hear any advice that you might have, and am happy to add any further recommendations to these lists!
I’m going to be doing a video and post on this soon. I always put baby oil on my heels, I couldn’t bear to chop my wetsuit 🙂 For cheapy beginner equipment, I think lock-laces are brilliant.
Jenny | sunny sweet pea xx
Great advice, thanks Jenny! Looking forward to the video!
Don’t forgot a smile for the camera!! In the past I’ve used barrier cream as a cheap alternative to body glide for your website. Also be careful with Vaseline as it might/could ruin the neoprene. Good luck and have fun!!!
Don’t forgot a smile for the camera!! In the past I’ve used barrier cream as a cheap alternative to body glide for your website. Also be careful with Vaseline as it might/could ruin the neoprene. Good luck and have fun!!!