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- When you start out racing triathlon,
it can all seem a little bit daunting
trying to figure out what you need to pack to go to a race.
I mean, by the very nature of the sport alone,
what with there being three disciplines,
the list of things you need to take can seem endless.
But equally, you don't want to be carrying around
everything including the kitchen sink, either.
But don't worry, because in this video,
step-by-step, I'm going to outline my checklist
for the things that I would take with me to go to a race,
meaning that you don't have to have any stress
or worry about what you need to pack for racing.
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Now before we get started, I will point out
that in this video, I'll be tackling it
from the viewpoint of me going along
to what I would call a traditional triathlon race.
Like, say, your local club sprint or Olympic distance event,
and in fact, these are the sorts of things
that I grew up on as a junior back in Scotland.
And what I mean by that is it is a triathlon
that happens just in one day and in one location.
So you turn up in the morning, you get registered,
the race site and venue is all in one place,
and that might be a community leisure swimming pool,
it might be a country park lake,
or even just a collection of tents down near the beach.
There is, of course, other more complicated logistics
in much bigger events, like say IRONMAN or Challenge brands.
And in those types of races,
you are going to have to register in the days in advance,
you got to rack your bike the day before,
you even have to pack all your gear
into designated bags that go into transition.
But as I say, I'm going to leave all that for today
and I'm just going to be focusing
on what you need to do to pack your bag
for a classic triathlon.
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Now, let's start drilling down into all those things
that we need to pack into our bag.
So obviously, the first thing I need
to talk about is the bag itself.
Now as I said, you don't want to be
carrying around everything under the sun.
So something that is a good halfway house,
I used to use, is a rucksack much like one of these.
Pop it on your back, take the weight away,
really good thing for walking through transition easily.
And another good thing to look into
for having your rucksack with,
is lots of good pockets that you can put
all your different bits and pieces into.
It just means you can keep all your kit nice and organized,
and there's nothing worse than having to scramble around
in the morning, trying to look where things are.
And another good thing to think about
is having lots of extra bags, too,
that you can carry your things within the bag in.
So for example, I've got a wetsuit bag here,
which I'll pop wetsuit in in the rucksack.
I've got a shoe bag here, which I can put
all of my trainers and my bike shoes in.
Another thing I like to have is just like
an extra plastic bag, that can be used
at the end of the day for putting all your other
wet bits of kit, like say your tri suit,
even like a wet cap or something
that you've been using for the run.
And all that can go in there,
and then it doesn't get all the other stuff in the bag damp.
But on that note, some of these more fancier bags,
a bit like this one, have actually got compartments
in the bottom of them, that can keep your wetsuit
or other wet things separated from the rest of your stuff.
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Right then, so we've got the bag sorted,
that we need for all the kit
that will take us off to our race.
Now the next step that I would do
for helping me pack that thing is have a checklist.
Just makes me be nice and methodical,
ensures that I wouldn't forget
any of the major bits and pieces.
And then I just take myself, step-by-step,
through the race from the get-go.
Which means we're having a look at swim stuff first up.
So, that means that we're going to have a look at race kit.
I've got a tri suit here, that's what I'd like to wear,
regardless of whether I was doing
a swimming pool triathlon, used to do that
when I started off racing triathlon,
or if it's an outdoor race.
So there's the tri suit that's on the whole time.
But obviously if it's an outdoor race,
and it's not particularly warm,
if you're lucky to live in a really warm part of the world,
then you're definitely going to have to have one of these,
which is a trusty wetsuit.
So obviously, that goes on over the top
of whatever race kit you've chosen to have on underneath,
and then next step is obviously
to have some goggles and a cap.
Now you've registered already to the race,
and they'll provide you with a race cap.
But I always like to have another cap,
probably 'cause I like to wear two caps,
to put my goggles between those two caps.
But that being said, I take a spare one anyway
in case that race one snaps.
We've then got a pair of goggles, obviously,
well, I don't know a lot of people
who can race without goggles, but I certainly needed them.
And then just in case something catastrophic,
like a snap of the goggle happens
just before the race start,
a good idea is carrying a set of spare ones
that you can leave in your bag,
and hopefully you can rush back to get if you need them.
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Right, so the next thing that I need to think about packing
is my bike shoes, 'cause I definitely can't get through
the triathlon without a set of those.
So I've got those, they're going into the bag.
Now I think about what I'll be doing next
in transition here, well that's going to be
putting on a race number that I got in registration.
So that means something like this, which is a number belt.
Now I always used to use one of these,
so I think it's a great addition to the bag
for race day packing.
Just makes it a lot easier to have your number in your back,
on the bike, and then swap it round onto the front
for when you're in the run, which are the rules of racing.
So as you can see there, I've got an old number,
pinned onto here, and that's a really
easy thing to pack into the bag.
Moving up the body, the next thing I'm going to be doing,
and need to pack, is my helmet and sunglasses.
So, sunglasses, it's an optional,
but really good thing to have.
Quite a safe idea, to put glasses on
for heading out into the bikes.
Got those packed away.
And then finally, absolute essential,
you're not going anywhere in a race
if you've not got your helmet packed too.
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Right then, so we've got through the bike ride
in our triathlon, so now I need to start thinking,
"What will I need to pack for heading out onto the run?"
So obviously, I need a set of these,
which is my run trainers, but another
really good thing to have for heading out
into the run, and I used to do a lot,
especially if it's a longer-distance race,
is a set of these, which is our socks.
And to make life a lot easier in getting those socks on,
especially after being wet or sweaty on the bike ride,
is just some talcum powder, baby powder,
whatever you want to call it.
Just dump that inside the socks before you get ready,
the transition area in the morning.
That just makes it a lot easier to get those socks on.
So I've got that.
And then the other thing to think about
when you're heading out into the run,
not everybody wants to wear a hat,
but I certainly always did.
So maybe something like a run cap
or even a run visor if it's a hot race,
and that allows you to pour some water
over your head nice and easily.
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Right, so we've got all of our gear packed away
for the swim, bike, and run,
but there's definitely a few other bits and pieces
that I'm going to run through quite quickly now,
that can make life a lot simpler on race day.
First of those is a big towel.
Can use that in transition, because not everybody
wants to be soaking wet when they head out onto the bike.
So you can use that to get fully dried off if you want.
Or you can use it to get changed under,
change into a full set bike kit if you want,
lots of people do do that.
And talking about the bike, you definitely need to
keep on top of your hydration,
so you need a water bottle, or maybe even two.
You need to pop some energy drink in there.
That's a really good idea for keeping
the calorie intake going.
Pack all that away.
Other things to pack for the bike are some gels.
If you don't want them on the bike,
then you can leave them in transition area,
but definitely have them for the run.
I just put some elastic bands around them
to keep them nice and tucked together.
And you might even want to have some solid food,
so pack some energy bars as well.
Final thing to pack into your bag on the run,
is some Vaseline.
I just smear a little bit of that
around the heel cup of the shoe.
It just makes it a lot easier to get your foot in there
before you head out on your run.
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Now we've got our triathlon finished.
Need to think about what to pack for post-race.
And if you're anything like me,
you're definitely going to want
to try and find a shower after the race.
So that means having a towel, for getting dried away,
and I also like to have the luxury
of some nice, fresh clothes
for when I finish, to get changed into.
Now I still will have come in
in the race morning with some clothes on.
I might've gone for a warm-up in them,
and I just like to have some complete, clean clothes
ready to get into.
So that's some socks, T-shirt, I'll take some shorts,
'cause it's summer, so hopefully it'll be warm,
a long sleeve if it's maybe a bit cool,
and I like to have some clean trainers.
But I'll probably have come in in the morning in those.
So I'll pop them back in the bag as well.
Now, one final thing to think about
is having your phone, maybe a credit card, ID,
and your race license perhaps, all tucked away in your bag.
So I'll pack them away too.
Got all the cards in a little pouch,
got my phone, and they can go into the bag too.
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Right, so that is all the gear packed away
that I would need for heading off to do a triathlon.
Hopefully you find this video useful,
so please hit that thumb up like button.
Find the globe on-screen to get
all the other videos that we have on GTN.
And if you want to see a video where we give you
some tips on how to set this gear up for T1,
well you can find that here.
And if you want to see another video
about tips on how to set the gear up for T2,
well you can find that here.