With the Marlborough Woman’s Triathlon this weekend, I thought I’d put together some tips for some common questions. If you are a first timer and have a question not covered here, please reach out on Facebook with your question and I’ll update this article with an answer. If you’ve done the Marlborough Woman’s Triathlon before and have a tip to share, also touch base on Facebook and I’ll include your tip for the benefit of others.
This is my first triathlon what time should I aim for?
Because it’s your first tri, don’t put too much expectation on your performance. The key is to complete the event successfully. Aim to run, cycle and swim to the best of your ability on the day.
I don’t have fancy lyrca triathlon clothes, what should I wear?
A lot of people will wear their togs under a pair of short and a tee shirt or singlet. After the run and cycle they will simply take their tee shirt and shorts off to swim in their togs. Some people will even prefer to leave their shorts on for the swim.
How should my ‘transition area’ look before the race?
You will need your bike in the transition area, along with anything else you will need. The key item is your bike helmet. Keep your area nice and tidy and not spread out too much, so the people beside you have got a fair amount of space as well.
Make sure you can recognise your bike (especially if you borrow it off someone for the event). Some ways to do this is to place something easily identifiable on the bike rack that makes it easy to find. Helium balloon’s make it stand out from a distance, but a flouro vest or something else on the bike race can also assist.
What should I eat for breakfast before the race?
You should eat what you are comfortable eating. Something your body is used to. If you normally eat breakfast, just eat your normal breakfast. I’d recommend something healthy that will give you carbohydrates to fuel you during the triathlon. I eat my homemade muesli for breakfast, click the link below to get the recipe for it.
What time should I eat breakfast?
You want to be eating your breakfast at least 2 hours before the race start to allow your body time to digest it. Race start is at 8:30 am, so eating about 6:30 am or earlier will be preferable.
What is the correct procedure for getting started on the cycle leg?
It’s important to make sure you are good to go on the bike after the run before grabbing and taking your bike. Once you grab your bike and start running or walking with it to the end of the transition area your hands are going to be full and anything you try and do will be harder. So make sure you put your helmet on your head and clip it up before you grab your bike from the rack. Once you’ve got your helmet on grab your bike and push it to the end of the transition area to the mount line before getting on your bike to start riding it.
The reverse applies when you return at the end of the bike, make sure you get off prior to the dismount line and then push your bike back to where you got it from.
If you have any questions you would like answered about how to do the race, please reach out on Facebook with your question and I’ll update this article with an answer. All the best for next weekend.