Gear Up: Essential Clothing and Equipment for Triathlons
For newbies, what to wear can invoke huge anxiety. Most people are perfectly comfortable swimming in their swim suit at the pool, running in tech gear and cycling in a cycle jersey and bike shorts. But who wants to waste all that time in T1 and T2 changing clothes. Not to mention that neither the spectators nor the other athletes next to your transition area want to see you strip down naked to change clothes!
As with all the other choices for gear out there, triathlon clothing is no exception. Let’s start by talking about the Tri Suit versus the Triathlon Kit.
One Piece Tri Kit – The one-piece kit is made of moisture wicking material that you can wear through all the events. No changing required. There is a pad in the shorts for cycling, but it is not as thick as the typical bike short pad. There’s good reason for this thinner pad. Try wearing regular bike shorts into the swim and you’ll be sporting a saggy diaper as you exit the water. If you are used to riding with traditional cycle shorts, you’ll want to do some training in the one piece kit to determine if you need to consider an alternative bike seat or some extra cushioning on your existing seat.
Tri Kit Separates – If a one piece doesn’t excite you, the other option is the two-piece tri kit. The two piece suits are easy to get in and out of in the restroom, but they are also prone to riding up during the swim and or riding down during the bike or run depending on your physique. If you’re a thin framed triathlete, this may not be an issue. For my curvy friends, the one piece kit may proved to be a better option.
All that said, one-piece versus two-piece comes down to personal preference.
Sports Bra – As an athlete, I still wear my sports bra under my tri kit. I need the support that my sports bra provides that a tri kit just simply doesn’t.
Wetsuit – If you live on the east coast like I do and most of your triathlons are in the heat of the summer, wetsuits are not something that you need to think about. But if you do an early race, like April/May or late race like October/November, a wetsuit is a garment you’ll want to count amongst your race gear. Per USAT guidelines, races are wetsuit legal anytime the water temp is less than 78 degrees. If the water temperature on race day is below 65 degrees, you’ll definitely want to consider wearing a wetsuit. It will provide you warmth in the water making for a more comfortable swim. A wetsuit is typically mandatory by most race directors when the water temperature is below 58 degrees. When the temperature of the water reaches 70 or above, you’ll often see athletes switching over to their tri suits or kits. This can go either way.
Although the wetsuit provides great buoyancy in the open water, some athletes find it restricting. My general rule for my athletes in non-peak-of-summer races is take the wetsuit with you in the car and decide at the last minute whether to use it or not. It’s only a quick run to the car to retrieve it. The other part of the wetsuit rule involves the thickness. Per USAT rules, any swimmer wearing a wetsuit with a thickness measured in any part greater than five millimeters shall be disqualified. When purchasing a wetsuit for triathlons, make sure to purchase a triathlon specific wetsuit. And don’t forget your Body Glide…you’ll need it when putting on your wetsuit.
Running Shoes – I can’t say enough about getting properly fitted for your running shoes. Running shoe stores can really help you avoid unnecessary injury by assisting you in fitting your shoes and your orthotics based on how you uniquely impact the ground. It’s also pretty cool to watch the change on the screen between your foot’s thermal image without shoes, with shoes and with shoes and orthotics. It’s amazing how much extra support the correct fit gives you.
Cycling Shoes (if your bike has clipless pedals) – If you had your local bike shop put clipless pedals on your bike, you would’ve bought shoes to go with them at the same time. Again, the type of shoe is a matter of personal preference, fit and appropriate alignment of your leg with your shoe seated into the clip.
Socks – This one is a pretty controversial topic! You may think this is no big deal, but it can be the difference between ending the day with a ton of blisters and just ending the day with aching feet. Some triathletes swear by the no sock rule. As a coach, I say it’s personal preference. As an athlete, I am 100% Team Sock. When looking for socks to train in and wear during your race, you want to look for socks constructed of moisture-wicking fabric. You also want to consider the thickness of the sock, how it feels on your foot, and how it’s constructed, in general, to feel like a second skin on your foot.
Beyond clothing, the other items you’ll need to wear (or consider wearing) during the bike and the run include:
Triathlon Watch – This is an area where you can go crazy! Whatever you purchase, make sure it has a triathlon mode for race day.
Helmet – You’ll definitely need an approved road bike helmet.
Sunglasses – I highly suggest investing in a pair of non-slip running and cycling sunglasses.
Race Belt – This is a must have in my book. Nothing is easier than grabbing your race belt with your number already hooked to it and snapping the side release buckle. There are tons of different race belts on the market with all types of accessories on them. There are even belts with accessories for asthma inhalers if you need one
Visor/Hat – By the time you reach the run, especially for longer distance races, the sun will be beating down on the course. So, a visor or a hat is a good piece of gear to consider for additional sun protection.
Sunscreen – Speaking of sun protection, sunscreen is a must. It might not seem like you need it at 5:30am while you’re getting body marked under a dark sky, but by the time the race starts and you make it out of the water and into T1, you’ll be wishing you had it on. Sunscreen should always be applied after body marking. Applying it prior to body marking will cause the marker to run right off your skin.
If you’re just starting out in triathlon, keep it simple. You don’t need to go out and buy all the best gear to get started. Start with some of the gear at the lower price points and as you get more into the sport, invest in the gear that’s most important to you. This will give you an opportunity to determine which gear makes sense for you to invest in, what gear gets the best reviews, and what other athlete’s you know are using and loving.