Doing your first triathlon? What to wear

The triathlon season is soon upon us so here I'm addressing some of the questions I get asked most often, but before I do that, if you're about to do your first triathlon, congratulations! Hopefully this will be your first of many.

This first blog looks at the all important question of what to wear for your first triathlon. And then the second one goes through setting up in transition, on the course and pre race prep.

Triathlon race day kit checklist

Download my handy kit checklist and reminder of what to do on race day:

Packing list - race day ready.pdf

Download PDF • 200KB

What to wear for the swim in a triathlon

This is the thing that most people worry about. My advice is not to shell out a load of money on kit until you've done at least one and know you want to do another.

The first rule of transition is NO NUDITY (sounds obvious but it's worth saying!).

Ideally you want to wear the same thing for the 3 different disciplines.  If you want to get changed check the race info but it's not an option at most races.

So it needs to be something you’ll be comfortable doing all 3 legs in. Again, this sounds obvious, but if you're thinking of wearing a swimming cossie have you tried running in it? Try doing a run in it and check for chaffing and the boob wobble factor (try a sports bra underneath).

If that's not comfy enough and you cant borrow a tri top/ suit then try a sports bar and tight sports top on top – avoid anything baggy or cotton which will get in the way on the swim. Try it out in the pool in advance, you might feel a bit silly but it’s worth it.

Don’t worry about your clothing being wet from the swim, you can towel down in transition and they'll dry out fairly soon with the breeze as you swoosh past on the cycle. 

Do I need a wetsuit for a triathlon?

If you're racing open water you'll probably need a wetsuit (in the UK anyway), but if its really hot, be prepared for them to say you cant wear it (see the race info or the BTF website for details of the relevant temperatures). Ideally you want a swim wetsuit, surg wetsuits are very hard going for swimming in. And if racing open water you might want polarised (dark glasses) goggles so you can see where you're going in the early morning sun.

What to wear for the bike and the run in a triathlon

Onto your bottom half. Lots of people wear tri shorts (or a suit). They've got enough padding for the bike but not as much as bike shorts do you dont feel like you're running in a nappy!

But for a short race you'll be fine in cycling shorts or tight running shorts/leggings, again tighter the better for the swim. So you just need to choose whether you value padding on the cycle more than getting a bit sweaty between the legs on the run!

If you don’t already have tight running or cycling shorts, personally I'd say get some cycling shorts. They don’t have to cost much and if you're going to get on your bike again after the race then once you've started wearing them you'll wonder how you ever cycled without! (while we're on the subject, you dont wear pants underneath cycling shorts).

Last thing, but not essential, is a race belt. Some races only give you one number which you need to wear on your back for the bike and front for the run (you'll probably have a number written onto your hat and maybe body as well for the swim). So rather than faffing round re-pinning it you’ll want to swivel it. They’re not expensive, or a bit of elasticated band from a haberdashery store will do.

So now that's you dressed for the race, let's go onto setting up on the day.

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If you want some help getting ready for race day write training plans, accompanied by coaching, to not only help you meet or exceed your race day goals but build your health and happiness along the way.

To find out more see www.feelfitwithlucy.co.uk/how-i-can-help