Triathlon Transitions

I am fairly new to competing in triathlons which means I have a lot to learn. Every time I compete I learn something new about the triathlon competitions.

I compete in the Olympic distance triathlons which means I swim 1 mile, bike 25 miles, and run 6.2 miles. Not all Olympic triathlons are these exact distances but that's the basic format. No matter which distance triathlon you do, they all have 2 transition zones, known as T1 and T2. T1 is a switch from swimming to biking and T2 from biking to running.

I have a lot to learn about triathlon transitions but I'm going to pass on what knowledge I've gained from my limited race experience.

Transitions

It's important to arrive at races with plenty of time to pick up your race packet and set up your transitions. This sounds obvious, but if time slips away and you feel stressed about getting things done, it will affect your performance.

This is especially important for setting up T1 and T2. If you're scrambling and rushing to get your biking and running gear in order, there's a good chance you'll forget to do something. Once the race has started you have to deal with that mistake, there are no do-overs.

Bike Transition or T1

For the bike transition, set things up in a way that makes sense. Do a run through from the water to your bike. Take note of how many rows back your bike is, what color are the bikes on either side. Put a towel down just to the side of your bike and put your shoes, socks and helmet on it. Put your sunglasses in your helmet and your socks in your shoes.

Tape whatever fuel you want onto the horizontal tube of your bike. This will remind you to fuel up and to stow them in your biking shirt pocket. It's helpful to have your biking clothes on under your wetsuit.

Make sure your water bottles are full and secured in your cages. Try to take a quick gulp of water right after you discard your wetsuit.

Be sure to clear the previous ride information out of your bike computer before you start the ride. Triathletes should do this when first placing the bike in the transition area.

Be clear on where you're allowed to mount your bike. Most triathlons don't allow riders to ride while still in the transition area.

Run Transition or T2

The run transition setup is much simpler than the bike setup. All you need are your shoes, your bib number and maybe a fresh stock of energy gels.

Make sure you inspect the area where you're expected to dismount your bicycle. Look for dangers you may encounter when running with your bike. Remember, running in road biking shoes can be challenging.

The optimum situation for triathletes is to run into T2 on grass, but some transitions are concrete or other slippery surfaces. If the surface is slippery weigh the consequences of a fall. Is it more prudent to walk or maybe slip off your bike shoes while you head to your running shoes?

Stow your bike quickly then take off your helmet. My last race I actually had to turn around after I started running because I still had my helmet on.

Slip on your shoes, shove the energy gels in your pockets, take a slug of water and start running. It's a good idea to have your bib number already attached to a belt you can put on quickly. Zoot, is a company that makes specially designed belts just for this purpose.

I found it helpful to take small steps the first half mile of the run, in order to get my running legs under me. After a long ride my muscles were noodly and needed a bit of a warm up. Of course the slow steps made the run slower at the start, but paid off with a faster finish.

I still have a lot to learn about triathlon transitions, but each time I compete, my T1 and T2 times get shorter and shorter.