You’ve trained. You’ve spent A LOT of money trying to find the perfect gear. And now you’re packing your bag the night before your first race scared beyond belief and nervous that you will forget something.
So, to alleviate some of your worries I’ve created a Triathlon Checklist from packing your gear to toeing the start line. Enjoy!
- Bike
- Lube your chain if it needs it.
- Make sure all your seat bolts and bottle cage bolts are nice and tight. The last thing you need is for your seat to pop loose or for your bottle cages to be rattling around mid-race.
- Check your brakes and make sure they’re secure and not rubbing against your tire. One time I actually lost one of my brake pads mid-race. Turns were a bit too scary for my liking.
- Bike Pump. Make sure to bring your own bike pump as lines to get tires pumped can be insanely long at the race site.
- Gear Bag. Get something brightly colored or distinct so you can locate your things in transition easily. I usually use this ugly, blue bag I have from when I swam in College. It might be ugly but there isn’t a single other person at the race who has it. And, when I’m running through transition, it’s very easy to spot.
- Goggles. Considering bringing a back-up pair just in case your goggles break. Yes, it does happen on occasion.
- Tri Suit. I like to put my suit with my gear bag the night before just so I’m not scrambling early in the morning to find it.
- Swim suit or back-up tri suit. Zippers could get jammed. Suits can rip. It’s better to have a sub-par back-up outfit than to be naked.
- Helmet.
- Bike Shoes. Check the cleat bolts to make sure they’re nice and tight.
- CO2 cartridge and replacement tube and lever. Even if you don’t know how to fix a flat, it’s better to have the tools so somebody else can help.
- Sunglasses, cleaning cloth, and case. If the glasses aren’t on your face or safely stashed in your helmet ready for the transition to bike, put them in the case or they’ll probably get stepped on. Transition is a total free-for-all.
- Hat, Visor, or Headband. I personally like running in a visor or headband but beware if you do. You might walk away with a slightly burnt scalp and be cringing each time you brush your hair the rest of the week.
- Race number belt.
- Sneakers.
- Towel or Mat to wipe your feet on and to put all your gear on in transition. Some people use vats of water to clean their feet but a towel will usually do just fine.
- Back-up towel. If it rains you might want to have a second towel to put on top of all of your gear when waiting for the race to start. There is nothing like having soaked shoes BEFORE you even put them on.
- Water Bottles.
- Necessary Nutritional Items. Always bring extra just in case you drop some accidentally or can’t get a bag open.
- 2 Zip Lock Bags. Most people like to have immediate post-race cell phone access. However, be sure to put your phone in two tightly sealed Zip Lock bags even if it’s hot and sunny out. When a rain storm comes out of nowhere and everyone else’s cell phones get ruined in transition, you’ll be very appreciative.
- A handful of Toilet Paper or Tissues. Try imagining 2500 nervous triathletes all slamming the porta-pottys just before the race. Do you really think they supply the bathrooms with enough TP for all those people?
- Advil. Yes, I know it’s not suggested to take Advil while racing. But, it’s nice to have it when absolutely necessary. If you strain a muscle mid-race or have a sudden headache, it’s better to have some emergency Advil on hand than to not finish.
- Immodium and Zantac. We all get nervous but some of us get far more nervous than others. I suggest having both just in case your tummy isn’t too thrilled with you at 4am while gearing up for the race.
- Black Permanent Marker. Depending on the race and when you arrive, the body marking lines can be quite long. To avoid them, just bring your own marker and do it yourself.
- All-Purpose Bike Tool. Bring it just in case something needs to be screwed in or tightened very last minute.
- Have any pre-race water bottles in the fridge and ready to go. Have your breakfast prepared as well.
RACE MORNING BEFORE LEAVING THE HOUSE:
- Put on your tri suit.
- Do a last minute bathroom run.
- Grab your breakfast and make sure all your water bottles are filled. Make sure to have an extra water bottle for the ride to the race site. A lot of times, water isn’t easily accessible before the race. The race managers need to save it for later.
- Bring a change of clothes to leave in the car for after the race.
Pick up your registration packet and timing chip if you haven’t already done so. - Get your body marked or mark it yourself.
- Go to the “bike out” area. Do a quick test ride if possible to configure your bike to the proper gear for getting out of transition and onto the bike course.
- Run into transition and rack your bike (unless you already had to rack it the day before). A lot of times the early bird gets the best rack position.
- Check tire pressure.
- Check all bolts and brake pads to make sure nothing needs to be altered or tightened.
- Set your watch or bike computer back to Zero.
- Set up all your gear.
- Undo your shoe laces.
- Try on your race number belt to make sure it’s tight enough.
- Clean your sunglasses.
- Put your timing chip on your left ankle so that it won’t get caught in the bike gears.
- Look for a nearby sign, tree, or patch of grass that will help you identify where in transition is your bike rack.
- Put your empty gear bag somewhere in sight so you can easily spot it as you run from either side of transition. Remember: transition won’t be as full during the race so you’ll probably be able to spot your bag from pretty far away.
- Do one last check of all your things. Take you goggles, cap, wad of TP, and a small water bottle with you as you leave transition. Even if you don’t use the TP before the race, you can hand it off to some other very grateful person.
- You’re all set! Have a great race!
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