For newbies, what to wear can invoke huge anxiety. Most of us are perfectly comfortable swimming in our swim suits, running in our tech gear and cycling in our cycle jerseys and bike shorts. What do we do when we need to combine all these sports? In an outdoor mass of several hundred to several thousand people, neither the spectators nor the athletes next to your transition area want to see you strip down naked to change clothes! Even if it were acceptable to do, who wants to waste all that time in T1 and T2.
As with all the other choices for gear out there, triathlon clothing is no exception. An even bigger challenge arises if you are a size 12+ athlete. More and more vendors are starting to appreciate us as athletes by offering sizes up to 3XL and, even, 4XL. For women like me that are curvier and plus size, I find that a Men’s XL or XXL gives me the coverage and fit that I need. I have had great luck with Pearl Izumi for tri suits. For training gear, check out my TRI My Favorite Things page.
Today, let’s start by talking about the Tri Suit versus the Triathlon Kit.
Tri Suit – The tri suit is a one piece garment made of moisture wicking material that you can wear throughout all the events. No change required. There is a pad in the shorts for cycling, but it is not as thick as the typical bike short. 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 tri suit to determine if you need to consider an alternative bike seat or some extra cushioning on your existing seat.
Tri Kit – If a one piece doesn’t excite you, the other option is the 2 piece tri suit (often referred to as a triathlon kit). These triathlon kits are the ones you see most often with logos and brands all over them. Those are usually custom made for a company although more and more vendors are offering custom tri kits to the regular athlete. The two piece suits are easy to get in and out of in the restroom, but I have found that with my extra love handles, they really don’t work for me. The shirt part tends to ride up in the water making me very conscious of it. This is the last thing I want to be worried about during my swim. I have had the same problem in the past with tankini swim suits, so I don’t wear either. The shorts also tend to roll down while the shirt rolls up when running. If you’re a thin framed triathlete, this may not be an issue. For my curvy friends, I tend to prefer the one piece for these reasons.
All that said, one-piece versus two-piece comes down to personal preference.
Sports Bra – I still wear my sports bra under my tri suit. These baby’s need the extra support and no one wants to see the girls bouncing all over the place during the run. If you’re a woman that needs a good sports bra then wear your sports bra under whichever tri gear you choose.
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, it is rather restricting to me. I much prefer to wear my tri suit. At last year’s Half Full triathlon, half the field had on wetsuits and half had on tri suits. The water was about 72 degrees. My general rule for non-peak-of-summer races means I take my wetsuit with me in the car so if I decide at the last minute to use it, 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. As a heavier runner, this is even more important for me. The impact that I place on my knees with every stride is lessened by properly fit running shoes and orthotics. 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 you’re 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 – 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. 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. My go-to sock brand is Balega. You can order them online at Balega, Amazon or any of the various online sock retailers. I find them at most local running stores – 2 birds 1 stone, local and quality. (I am not affiliated with Balega and receive no payment for endorsing their brand; they are just my favorite socks.)
Beyond clothing, the other items you’ll need to wear (or consider wearing) during the bike and the run include:
Watch – This is an area where you can go crazy! For now, I’m sticking with my Polar Heart Rate Monitor and using apps on my phone like Map My Run. I haven’t invested the money yet, but I really like the Garmin 910XT and Polar V800. Maybe Santa will have me on the Nice list this year.
Helmet – You’ll definitely need an approved road bike helmet. Most races require a helmet inspection at a bicycle shop they’ve selected.
Sunglasses – I highly suggest investing in a pair of non-slip running and cycling sunglasses. When I first started training, I wore my regular Oakleys and found that they fogged up all the time and slipped down my nose when I was sweating profusely. So, I invested $50 in a pair of non-slip Tifosi’s, pink, of course! I keep these for training and my Oakley’s for daily wear.