Tuesday Tune Up Week 7

Six Triathlon Hacks for a more Enjoyable Race

As we want our athletes to have the best experience on race day, here are 6 triathlon hacks that you can try for a more enjoyable race:

1 – Arrive Early to the Race Site

Aim to arrive around 1.5 – 2 hours before your scheduled race start. It sounds early, but there are a number of things that you are going to have to take care of before gun time. You will have to go through the sign in process, set up your spot in transition, and take care of any warm-ups or stretching that you plan on doing. All of these things take time and if you are rushed in the time leading up to the race you could forget things and overall, have a less enjoyable experience. Consider staying in a hotel nearby the night before if you are coming from far out of town. MultiSport Canada has a list of affiliated hotels for each race on their website. So get there early, meet new people, and take it all in – enjoy yourself!

2 – Check the Course Maps

Nobody wants to end up going off course. Even though the courses are very well marked and there will be course marshals at all major intersections, it is a very good idea to check the course maps ahead of time. There may be times during the race where you don’t have anyone to ‘lead the way’, so this just takes out any guessing when a turn is fast approaching.

3 – Organize your Spot in Transition

This one may seem obvious, but it is very important to get it right so you don’t find yourself flustered when in the transition area. Step 1: make sure you know where you are in transition, find an easily identifiable landmark near your spot so you are able to easily find your gear. Step 2: Only take the essentials to transition – you should only have your wetsuit, goggles, bike, helmet, bike shoes, running shoes, sunglasses, towel and race belt. Everything else you can keep in your bag along the perimeter of the transition area. Step 3: organize your items in transition in order of event. Set out your towel on the ground next to your bike, place your bike shoes (if they aren’t already clipped onto your bike) on the towel closest to you, and place your running shoes behind them as you’ll need those afterwards. Place your helmet and race belt on your bike so you don’t forget to put them on along with your sunglasses (if need be). Everything should be placed in a logical manner so that you are not asking yourself what comes next – do all of the thinking before the race!

4 – De-Fog Your Goggles

Your race will be much more enjoyable if you are actually able to see! This is a clever hack to ensure your swim goggles will never fog up no matter how long the swim is. Do this at home before the race: put a few drops of dish soap on the inside of your goggle lenses and rub around with a paper towel until dry. Don’t rinse with water as this will wash away the layer of soap and therefore defeat the purpose. Your goggles will now be fog-proof for race day!

5 – Drink 1 Water Bottle per 20km of Biking

Although everyone is different and may require more or less water than others, a good rule of thumb when biking is to consume 1 bottle of fluids per 20km of biking. So, for a sprint distance or shorter that’s 1 bottle and for the Olympic distance plan on bringing 2. Mix it up with an electrolyte drink, anything to keep you motivated to drink while riding. Dehydration is the enemy!

6 – Fit your running shoes with Elastic Laces

This hack will save you time in transition and also save you tying those pesky shoelaces before you head out on your training runs. If you decide to do this, I would recommend fitting them before race day to ensure you get the right tightness. However, these elastic laces in a multitude of colours will be available for sale at one of the vendor tents on race day.