Triathlon 90: Transition

This is my second post in Beginning Triathlon or Triathlon 90. Many people who have never completed a triathlon often wonder about different or confusing aspects of the sport and my hope is that these short lessons will answer some questions. Your feedback is always appreciated.

I think one of the most thought about aspects of the triathlon aside from the events has got to be transitions. Do I train for it? What do I bring? How do I lay it all out?

To begin with the Tranistion Area (TA) is a segregated race area where triathletes put their components necessary to completing a triathlon. At some larger races your spot is pre-determined based on your bib number, your age group, or which race of the many held that day that you are entered in, (for example Olympic distance towards the front and Sprint distance to the back). For shorter races, its first come, first served.

Some race directors will make it manditory to put your bike in tranistion the day before the race. In that case it is advisable to put a garbage bag over the bike in case it rains and to deter theft. If they can't see your bike model they may not want to steal it. Theft in overnight transitions does occur though race directors are getting better about security.

Once the race begins the TA become T1 and T2. T1 is the transition from swim to bike and T2 is the transition from bike to run. It is important to remember that time does not stop when you are in tranistion. When you get all your race results you will even see the amount of time you spent in transition as part of your total time.

I have seen some crazy stuff in transitions. I helped my wife in a Danskin triathlon back in the mid-90's (Danskin is a women's only tri) and I would guess 50% of the 500 racers had a helium balloon tied to their post to find their gear. The only problem is that there were so many balloons you couldn't find your's in the mix, which essentially negated the effect. I have seen men and women changing out of and into clothes while in transition leaving themselves openly exposed.

In the beginning I would check and double check and triple check all my gear the night and morning of the race. I knew that I forgot something. Now when I check my gear I am amazed at how little it really is.

I have seen some really great packing lists and if your OCD or forgetful its certainly beneficial. One good tip is to have a ziplock bag of extras that you put in your kit for each race. This kit should have all the little things in it that you may never need but will thankful you do in an emergancy. This bag could have; an extra powerbar for during the race or post race, lip balm, some duct tape, safety pin, extra goggles, extra sunglasses, CO2 cartridge, a bit of lotion for hotspots, just to name a few things. Its just a bag of things I know that I have a habit of forgetting or wanting and not including.

Most people will carry their gear in a backpack and that is certainly convienent. Some people bring camp chairs or stools to sit on while changing or cleaning their feet. I personally put all my gear in a baseball bucket. They are very similiar to the five gallon buckets from a lumber store except the lid is easier to remove and it sit's slightly taller. This way my gear can stay dry, I have a place to sit and I have a place to put things quickly when I am done with them.

In Ironman races the TA is a massive affair. To begin with you're given five bags at sign in. Bag 1 is the Dry Bag for clothes that you wear to the race that morning and take off before the race begins. Bag 2 is for T1 (bike gear). Bag 3 is a speical needs bag that you can pick up during hte bike portion and contains special goodies you put in it; pretzels, pringles, extra tubes or CO2, a sprite, a PB&J. Bag 4 is for T2 (run gear). Bag 5 is speical needs for the run, I have heard of people putting pictures of a loved one in it for motivation or a long sleeve shirt along with other food and gear stuffs. It is important to note that you may not use or need your speical needs bag and you may not get your special needs bags back after the race. So be sure to put things in it that are not valuable enough to warrant its loss. For example I wouldn't be putting your favorite long sleeve technical top in your Bag 5.

For Ironman distances the tranistion area may include a changing tent, obviously separated for men and women, though I have seen them coed in the past with changing stalls in them. Bikes are in the outside TA and for Ironman Arizona 2006 for example there was enough volunteers to get your bike for you and take your bike from you so you didn't even enter the bike area as a triathlete.

For shorter distance events I recommend being at the TA at least an hour before the first wave starts. Before you even put your gear down, walk through the area and take note of the entry and exits for each event. You don't want to put yourself in the furtherest area from the bike out or bike in since you will be running with your bike shoes on. Once you find your perfect TA spot and get your gear sorted be sure to walk the route you will take from the swim to your bike, from the bike to the run. Mentally keep track of where you are at by counting lines or finding landmarks. Trust me you will not remember where your stuff is at when you come out of your swim or bonked on the bike.

As common courtesy don't take too much space and be prepared to lose half of what you've got.

Transitions are not a scary place. Once you understand what you need to race, are comfortable using what you have and can work in confined spaces, you will be fine.