(bike bell rings)
(upbeat music)
(electronic static crackles)
- Your transition bag is your survival kit for race day
and it should have everything you need for your event,
plus any extras just in case.
And whether you're packing
for first triathlon or your 100th,
packing your bag is a key part of your preparation.
And we've put together some tips to help you pack.
In some events, you're given your own transition box
or you bring your own that you just leave next to your bike,
and it's the same for T1 and T2.
But other races you'll be given transition bags like these.
So here we've got a run gear bag for T1,
then a bike gear bag for T2,
and then a bag to put your pre-swim kit in.
So you don't need to worry about that until race day.
That's when you take your clothes off
and you basically head down to the swim.
It's your dry clothes for when you finish your race.
But then, finally, and these are a little bit different.
Special foods bags for your bike and your run.
And this is your chance to put your own nutrition in.
If you're doing a long distance race
and you don't want to rely on on-course nutrition,
or you're worried you might drop something off your bike,
you can add in your own hydration and your own nutrition.
Obviously, you're doing to start the day
in your swimming kit, so therefore the first bag
you have to pack is for the first transition, T1,
which is essentially your bike gear.
Now, depending on the race rules, your helmet will either
go in your transition bag, and you'll put it on there
and run to your bike wearing it,
or it will be on your bike or next to your bike.
It's a similar situation for your shoes,
but that's up to you whether you want to do a flying mount,
and therefore your shoes will be attached to your bicycle
ready to go, or your going to leave them in your
transition bag, put them on there
and then run to your bike whilst wearing them.
As you come out of the swim, you might well want
to dry your feet before putting your cycling shoes on,
so having a towel in your T1 bag is helpful.
And that also helps if you've decided you want some
extra comfort and you're going to wear a pair of socks.
And then it depends on the climate.
If it's hot, sometimes the race organisers provide sun cream
but having your own is always a helpful idea.
And then if it's cold, packing some gloves, arm warmers
and a gilet is a great idea as well.
And as you come out of the swim, you might just want
a little bit of sugar or to rinse your mouth
after the salt or the water you've been swimming in,
so having some extra nutrition can be helpful.
And depending on what your helmet has, and the conditions,
a pair of glasses might be needed for the cycle as well.
And then finally, this depends on the race organisers,
but sometimes you need to wear your race number
for the bike and the run.
Sometimes it's just the run,
so make sure you know which it is
and which bag it needs to go in.
The kit you need for the run, and again, if it's hot,
you might want to separate thing of sun cream.
If it's cold and wet, you might want a towel
to dry your feet off and then put on a dry pair of socks.
Also, after your bike, having some nutrition,
this time you can take it with you on the run
if you're not using the course nutrition,
just tuck it in your top.
And then if it's hot, and you want some shelter,
having a cap or a visor, and again,
some glasses if it's sunny.
You might use the same ones that you've cycled in,
you might want some different ones for your run.
And depending on race rules,
race numbers sometimes goes on purely for the run.
But most importantly, and the thing
you really can't do without,
your running shoes must go in this transition bag.
Now, it's personal preference,
but some people choose to get changed for the run,
especially in long distance races.
So maybe having a dry top to put on
can be a nice relief after the bike.
It's worth remembering that on race day,
you can't accept any outside assistance,
so making sure that you're self-sufficient
and you've got everything you need in your bags
really is important.
If you've got any ideas or anything that you do
that you'd like to share with us, we would love to hear.
So leave that in the comments section below.
And remember, the main thing is, be organised,
have plenty of time and just pack methodically.
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And if you want to watch a video
on hydration systems for your bike, click over here.
And if you want to watch a video
on my vlog from Kona, click down here.