(Untitled)

[starvinginfant]

I am doing my first sprint triathlon July 27th. The running part is a 5k (no worries there) the swimming portion is 300 meters (really nervous, need to train like crazy) and the cycling portion is 10 miles (Not that worried, except my bike is a heavy steel POS from the 70s, might decide to upgrade before the race or convert to a single speed, the

Comments

[kaylaraine]

I have a "tri suit", basically shorts and a tank top that I bought at my local sports store (City Sports). It's bathing suit like material that dries quickly that you can wear (and is comfy) for all three sports.

I also bought a set of those shoe laces, basically that you don't have to tie. I'm not sure what they are called, but its nice to be able to throw on your socks and shoes quickly in transition area.

The only other essential is a belt that you can put on quickly after you get out of the pool where your entry number is attached. Some of them also have little spots to put snacks.

[laudatedeum]

I'm assuming you're a dude based on the mention of a speedo/board shorts

[valkyri]

You sound like me last year, pretty much exactly

[hydr0cl0r1de]

for my first tri i got a second hand wetsuit fr $50AU off ebay, there were quite a few cheap triathlon wetsuits in my size on ebay in australia but maybe i was just lucky. it was a cold ocean swim so the wetsuit definantly helped. If you decide to wear a wetsuit practice in it a lot, and practice in the ocean or lake if thats where the swim will be. Practice taking it off.

i'll second what others said about the other gear - compression shorts or tri shorts, something that dries quick and wont give you chafing when you run in it.

If your gears are not great it might be better to ride single speed. Gears slipping is incredibly annoying expecially when you can't get in the geat you want. I also did my first few tris on an old single speed with toe clips, and i passed heaps of people, lots of which had carbon bikes, fancy shoes and aero bars. I love single speed though because i suck at changing gears, so i'm kind of biased.

[acetylcholine]

Its a sprint tri. Lighten up.

For the swim, don't go with a wetsuit. Its 300m. It'll take longer to take off than any benefit you might get.

For the bike, aerodynamics don't matter as much as training. It should take you ~30 min. to ride that course. Get your bike tuned by a bike shop. Hell, I do sprints on a borrowed beach cruiser if its flat. Flywheel effect like woah. Plus, the crowds love it.

For the run, its a 5k. Drink some water somewhere. Have fun.

A 6 year old child does the equivalent of a sprint tri on a summer day.