Basically my first race is next week and I’ve just received the race info email but have a few questions that I feel a bit daft for asking but this is a great forum and it might help others, so here goes. I have an idea what to do but could appreciate some clarity.
Registration is Saturday, transition opens 6am on Sunday, my second race stipulates racking the bike overnight, but the first has no mention, is it this way with all Triathlon’s or am I to read it as I need to rack the bike Sunday pre race?
What do I do about my race gear, I.e is it usual practice to leave a bag next to my bike to leave my wet wetsuit in, and also my trainers and bike shoes for t2?
Is it usually safe to leave my car keys in with my post race bag?
I may have more questions as time progresses. And yes I’m probably over thinking it!
In my experience, most local races will bring bikes in on race day. Ironman-branded events and some other larger events will post security for transition areas and expect you to rack your bike overnight.
Short answer: no, your stuff doesn’t go in a bag. It’ll generally just get left at your spot until your race is over. You’ll want to lay out your transition area and practice it. I wrote a really long post about transitions here with a lot of tips built up from 13 years of racing.
I have always done this, just making sure my bag is not reachable from outside the transition area. I usually stash it off to the side, out of the way, inside the transition area near my spot with keys, wallet, etc. not readily accessible. You could also stash your car key inside your tri shorts, assuming it’s not a fob.
There are no daft questions, especially if it is your first race. Better to ask and be prepared!
Looks like nash031 has answered everything, and I back up what he said. The difference in transition rules can change a lot between local races and big IM kind of races. Usually if you have to rack the day before they make that pretty obvious, but it is always worth checking. Ask at packet-pickup if you can’t find it online.
