First Triathlon - What to wear

nyy03

Repost...

Hi, I'm going to be doing my first try-a-tri on June 1 in Milton, Ontario, Canada and I have no idea what to wear. Wet suit? Tri suit? Bathing suit? Do I wear the wet suit to run and bike? Do I need 3 different outfits?

I've only been 'riding' for about a year and completed my first duathlon last year. During that race I only wore my running gear. I didn't wear anything special to ride the bike and I thought all was fine. I'm just concerned with the swim, will it be too cold to wear just a bathing suit.

The distances are:
375 m swim
10K bike
2.5K run

I'm not a confident swimmer and I will be taking lessons the end of next month to strengthen my strokes.

Advice will be appreciated.

meritage4

*I am not a triathlete. I have marshalled a number of them on the water.

From what I understand -It depends on the rules for each specific race.

In some races wetsuits are only permitted if the water is below a certian temperature
In other races-anyhing goes.

What do your race rules say?

nyy03

No specific rules. Does say that water tends to be chilly so if you have a wetsuit you can wear one. Might be too cold without but do people run with this on? If not what do they wear underneath?

Athena53

Actually it's the same thing in either case. If you wear a wet suit, wear bathing suit under it and have your shoes, shirt, shorts, etc. ready by your bike. When you get out of the water take off wet suit, put on everything over your swimsuit. In warmer weather, put it all on over your swimsuit also. Yeah, you'll be a little damp but that's never bothered me. (To answer your question- no, you can't run/bike in a wet suit. I would think it would feel awful since it doesn't breathe.)

I wear a sports bra under the swimsuit. Even though I'm small-busted I want to give the girls some support.

KB5711

I wore tri shorts and a sports bra with a fitted tank over it. I swam in that and then just threw a shirt over it which had my bib pinned to it already for the bike and run. You could also just wear your suit and do the same. I'm in MI and doing one in mid-July and the water is warm enough where I won't need a wetsuit but if you do need one you'd take it off in the transition to the bike. Maybe you can see if there are any pictures from last years race to see if people are wearing wetsuits?

Good luck!

rmdaly

For my first triathlons I didn't want to buy all the gear. I wore a swim suit and put bike shorts over it for the bike and the run. A shirt too if it is chilly. A running bra is a good idea. Personally, I wear something like a bandana or headband to keep my head warm and absorb the water on the bike ride. If the water is going to be chilly, you might look into renting a wet suit from a running store.

You should practice open water swimming with or without a wet suit before your race. Its completely different than swimming in the pool.

Have fun. Its a great feeling to finish your first triathlon!

nyy03

Thanks all. Really looking forward to it.