Our events cater to all ability levels! Not sure where to start?
We’ve got all the answers for you and can help you complete your first race!

Check out this link: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/default.asp

Click here for some more detailed for the First Time Triathlete


Pre-Race

  • Making sure your bike is road safe before the big day.
  • Make sure you or a qualified person checks over your bike. Specifically you should do the following:
    • Handlebars/aerobars are tight
    • Tires are not rotted and they should be inflated to the right pressure
    • Tubular tires – glue needs to be inspected for drying out especially if they haven’t been re-glued for the new season
    • Check to make sure the seat post is tight
    • Check to make sure the pedals are properly secured
    • Brakes and cables need to be in good working order
    • Gears need to have been adjusted. The reasoning behind doing all these safety checks is to make sure you don’t encounter mechanical problems at the race site.
    • FYI: our bike sponsors will be onsite race morning,if any real last minute mechanical issues should occur, they are there to help. A safe race, is a great race.

Race Day

  • Arrive at the race site early! There is lots to do before a race, and lots of people trying to do the same thing, so the best way to avoid being rushed is to insure that you have enough time to get organized pre-race.
  • Here is a logical progression that you may want to go through when you get to the race site:
    • Arrive Early! A half hour won’t be enough time to get everything done. Give yourself an hour, even more if you can, so that you won’t be rushed.
    • After parking, take your bike and gear with you to the transition area (the big fenced in area with the bike racks) and claim a spot(if not pre-assigned) of real estate for yourself. There’s nothing worse than arriving with plenty of time to spare, but forgetting to rack your bike FIRST, and then ending up with little or no room to lay out your gear. All too often people rack their bikes in the wrong transition area and then they can’t find their way in there once the race starts. When in doubt, ask someone who looks like they know where they are.
    • You can ‘rack’ your bike by either hooking the seat over the top rail of the bike rack or by hooking the handlebars/brake levers over the top rail. The choice is yours – whichever works better for you. Take a look around to see what others are doing, and then follow suit. Once your bike is racked, you can drop your gear next to it – there should be time to lay it out neatly later. You can pump your tires up beforehand, or in the transition area – the choice is up to you.
    • Now you should consider heading to the registration area – unless you did that the night before. Registration flows like this:If you picked up your package prior to the race(the best option!), you will only require a timing chip (if a multisport event) and to get body numbered. Please check which line you get yourself into!
    • If you were tardy, get into the package pickup line. Tell the registration volunteers your name and they will provide you with your bib, race goody bag (if any remain), swim cap and related items.
    • Then get into the chip pickup line. Provide the volunteers with your bib #. Take the provided chip and place it on your left ankle. Your time is electronically monitored when you step on the big mats at the timing points (swim exit, run exit, finish line) so be sure to step on these mats or your time won’t be recorded.
    • You will also be body numbered at thsi time. Volunteers will mark your race number, on each arm and leg.
    • Now that your bike is racked and you have your race kit, if you arrived early enough you should have plenty of time to get mentally prepared for the event.

Ready to Race:

  • First off, you need to do something with that race number. You have to finish the race with the number on the front of your body, so you can either use the pins you were given to pin it to the shirt you’ll wear during the race, or you can use a number belt if you have one.
  • Next, lets organize your gear next to your bike. It’s a good idea to have a towel on the ground to lay out your stuff. Make sure you have your bike shoes and running shoes laid out in the open with the laces open so they are easy to get into. Have your helmet either on the ground near your shoes or on your handlebars, with the strap undone so it’s easy to put on. A good idea is to have your helmet sitting upside-down with your sunglasses in the helmet. That way, you put on your sunglasses and then follow that with the helmet and it’s hard to forget either. Next to or underneath your running shoes you may want to place a hat for the run because the sun can get pretty hot by the end of the race. Make sure you have your water bottle(s) filled before the race as well.
  • You should be pretty organized by now so you can use any spare time to familiarize yourself with the flow of traffic once the race starts. Figure out where the swim finishes and where you’ll have to run to get your bike. Locate a fixed landmark (garbage cans may get moved) or count the number of bike racks to your bike, so that you don’t get lost looking for your bike. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack if you don’t have some idea where to start.
  • After the swim, you will most likely enter the transition at one end and leave at the other. When you return you reverse things. That is, the bike starts and finishes at the same side of the transition area, and the run goes out where the swim came in. Got it?
  • It’s also a good idea to do a walk or warm-up run of the start of the run course and finish. That way you won’t get lost starting the run and you’ll have some good landmarks as you near the finish line. It’s always nice to know when you are nearing the finish line, so if you have some visual cues you’ll be more comfortable.
  • The best advice I can give any Newbie triathletes is to get to the swim start early and do a good warm-up in the water. The swim is often the most daunting part of a triathlon and I don’t care if you come from a swimming background, open water swimming is different than pool swimming. When you can’t see the bottom and there are no lane ropes people often freak out a bit and then they have trouble swimming. Factor in any trouble navigating and you’ve got a long swim on your hands. Take some time to get comfortable in the water and with the fact that you can’t see as well. Practice sighting the orange buoys so you won’t get lost. The more time you spend getting comfortable, the less time you’ll spend panicking. If you are a weak swimmer or a beginner, please stay to the back of the pack. This not only keeps you from getting clobbered  , but it also helps those stronger swimmers get out of your way faster.
  • One more point about the swim. You will see people at the race with wetsuits. You don’t have to have a wetsuit to race, so don’t worry. They do help you float a bit better in the water which can improve your swimming and that’s why people wear them. But, first time wetsuit wearers often find them constrictive and it causes even more panic. It’s not that they are too tight, but coupled with open water anxiety they start to feel like they are too tight on your chest. If you are wearing a wetsuit for your first race, especially if it’s borrowed, spend even more time playing in the water before the race so that you get VERY comfortable in it.