On the Road

As far as the bike portion is concerned – most people are pretty comfortable here. Once again, it’s a good idea to do some bike rides that are longer than the race distance so that you’ll be confident on race day. Even better is to do what we call a “brick” workout where you do a bike ride and then get off and put on your running shoes and go right into a run. This helps your legs get used to the feeling of moving from biking to running which can be quite strange to beginners. It doesn’t have to be a long run, just enough to start feeling comfortable while running will be useful.

Don’t over-drink! Most people are too worried about getting dehydrated but that’s not a big concern in short races. The body can only absorb 750-1000ml of water per hour, maximum, so if you plan on doing the bike in less than an hour, don’t take 3 huge water bottles. It’s just added weight on the bike and even if you do drink it all you’ll just have it sloshing around in your gut as you run. But be sure to carry enough for your personal needs. On your training days, take note of the amount of liquid (water and/or electrolyte drink) you consumed depending on the weather conditions and your effort/distance. It is important that you practice taking your bottle out of the bottle cage and replacing it as you are cycling. Many athletes new to triathlon find this a challenge at first. If you are initially nervous about taking one hand off your handlebars to get a drink, there is no shame in stopping on the side of the road quickly to ensure you get the hydration you need.

The Home Stretch

While most people don’t fear the run portion of a race (you can always walk, right?) one thing is for sure – you will be more tired starting the run than you would normally be if you just went on a training run so it’s a good idea to be able to run a bit farther than the race distance. In a Try-A-Try with a 2.5km run, it would be good to be comfortable running 5km or more in training. Even better would be to have run a 5k or 10k road race so that on race day you will have lots of confidence that you can finish the distance. Another good idea is to watch a race in person before doing your first. You’ll get an idea how things flow and you’ll see a wide range of competitors which may help build your confidence.

Arrival & Transition

Sage advice to first timers, although this applies to all competitors, is to arrive at the race site early. There’s lots to do before a race, and lots of people trying to do the same thing, so the best way to avoid being rushed is to ensure that you have enough time to get organized pre-race. Here is a logical progression that you may want to go through when you get to the race site:

• Arrive Early! A half hour won’t be enough time to get everything done. Give yourself an hour, even more if you can, so that you won’t be rushed. It is an even better idea to have seen a triathlon event before you race. That way you know exactly what you are signing up for and it helps relieve any pre-race anxiety. Come to an early season event and watch or better yet, come to an event and volunteer. By the time your turn comes to race you will be well informed!
• After parking, take your bike and gear with you to the transition area (the big, fenced area with the bike racks) and claim a spot of real estate for yourself. There’s nothing worse than arriving with plenty of time to spare, but forgetting to rack your bike FIRST, and then ending up with little or no room to lay out your gear. Many times, the bike racks are set up with Age Group signs (eg. W40-45), but in many Try-a-Tris, the racks will be set up with Wave numbers (eg. Wave 2). If you are participating in a relay or duathlon, there will be separate bike racks set up for you. Swim/Bike athletes set up with triathletes according to your age group.
• You can ‘rack’ your bike by either hooking the seat over the top rail of the bike rack or by hooking the handlebars/brake levers over the top rail. The choice is yours – whichever works better for you. Take a look around to see what others are doing and then follow suit. Once your bike is racked, you can drop your gear next to it – there should be time to lay it out neatly later. You can pump your tires up beforehand, or in the transition area – the choice is up to you.

Registration flows like this:

• Step 1 – Race # look up. Find your name on the list and then look for your assigned #.
• Step 2– Race # pick up. Tell the volunteer your race # and hand in your waiver. You will be handed an envelope with the contents of the envelope listed on it. In the envelope will be your Race #BIB that has been specifically assigned to you. You will also receive a sticker sheet with 2 numbers on it. One sticker goes on the front of your helmet, and the other larger one goes on your bike. You will also have a wristband. Put the wristband on BEFORE the event in order to receive your post-race food. This allows you access into the food area. The volunteer will also hand you a swim cap (unless you are a duathlete). You can also pick up some pins at this step if you need them to secure your bib to your shirt.
• Step 3– Race Kit Pick Up- You will receive a sponsor bag with and sponsor samples (at participating races). Take this bag to the next table where you will receive your t-shirt.
• Step 4 - Timing Chip - You will need to pick up the timing chip that corresponds to your race number. Put it around your ankle as soon as you get it as occasionally it gets dropped by accident and lost. If asked, we recommend the left ankle to keep the chip away from your gears and chain. Body Marking is self-serve. Triathlon Ontario would like you to have your competitor number on your left arm and age on your left calf. Instructions and black markers are on a table in the same area as the Timing Chip pick up.

Next Steps:

Now that your bike is racked and you have your race kit, if you arrived early enough you should have plenty of time to get ready to race:

• First off, you need to do something with that race number. You have to finish the race with the number on the front of your body, so you can either use the pins you were given to pin it to the shirt you’ll wear during the race, or you can use a race belt if you have one.
• The bike sticker should be placed on your down tube, cross bar or seat post and helmet sticker on the front of your helmet.
• You should be pretty organized by now so you can use any spare time to familiarize yourself with the flow of traffic once the race starts. Figure out where the swim finishes and where you’ll have to run to get your bike. Locate a fixed landmark or count the number of bike racks to your bike, so that you don’t get lost looking for your bike. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack if you don’t have some idea where to start.
• After the swim, you will most likely enter the transition at one end and leave at the other. When you return you reverse things. That is, the bike starts and finishes at the same side of the transition area, and the run goes out where the swim came in.
• It’s also a good idea to do a walk or warm-up run of the start of the run course and finish. That way you won’t get lost starting the run and you’ll have some good landmarks as you near the finish line. It’s always nice to know when you are nearing the finish line, so if you have some visual cues, you’ll be more comfortable. For longer races, many athletes will do both a short bike warm-up followed by a run warm-up. Do check that your gears and brakes are working and before racking your bike after the warm-up, put your bike in a lower/easier gear.

The Home Stretch

Here are just a few of the things that you could get disqualified for in a triathlon. These are simple things that most people wouldn’t do if they knew in advance that it was against the rules. Rules are always changing and in Ontario, Triathlon Ontario is the governing body that implements the rules. If you have any questions about the rules, you can ask a Triathlon Ontario official. One or more will be in the transition area as you are preparing for your race. These are rules you must follow:

• Wear a bike helmet.
• Do the chin strap of your helmet up BEFORE you take your bike off the rack and keep it done up until AFTER you have re-racked your bike.
• Do not ride your bike in the transition area.
• Mount your bike after you have passed the mount line on the road, and dismount before the same line on the road.
• Wear your race number on the run.
• Do not alter your race numbers (including the bike sticker)– you can’t fold or cut it to make it smaller, for example.
• Your torso needs to be covered on the bike and run (no shirtless competitors!)
• Do NOT compete with headphones and personal listening devices (even on the run!)
• Do not engage in drafting (cycling too close to the bike in front of you), blocking (riding in the middle or to the left of the lane), or crossing the centerline on the road during the bike portion of a race.
• Always obey the officials and never be abusive to officials or volunteers.