Category: transition

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Tri-Talk Tuesday: My Burning Transition Questions For Half-Iron Distance Tris

I’m participating in the Tri-Talk Tuesday Linkup hosted by Blisters and Black Toenails, TriGirl Chronicles and You Signed Up for WHAT? They’re talking about transitions this month.

So I’m doing the Barrelman Half-Iron distance triathlon.  I’ve been doing triathlons for 7 years now, but it’s my first half-iron.  For the most part, the only new thing is simply going longer in all three disciplines, but transition is really, really different.  I’m a member of several Facebook groups that revolve around triathlon, and there’s many other ways to access the online triathlon community, but to be honest, this post is a little rushed, so I figured rather than crowdsource and research, then write up my findings here and make an informative post, I’d simply put my questions on this very page, and let it become the forum for discussion… that’s what blogging is all about, right?


  • Should I/Can I change clothes?  In sprint and Olympic distance, my tri kit is on me from when I leave home to when I get home after the race.  Everything has to work in the water, on the bike and while running, every second spent in transition counts.  On the full distance (Iron) scale, you’re not often worrying about the lost minute you spend getting into the most comfortable pair of bike shorts (which would have been terrible in the water, but will literally save your butt on the bike), because being a little more comfortable for several hours in the saddle is worth it.  What about the Half-Iron distance though? Is it worth the time? Is it even plausible or is there no opportunity to do it without being arrested for indecent exposure?
  • Can I use my triathlon bag?  At the Lakeside Tri, I was told by an official that my bag was not allowed in the transition area.  The bag not only carries my gear efficiently, but folds out into a mat and helps me lay out everything I need to race.  In a longer race, I’m only going to need more gels, liquids, gear and accessories, and the need to keep it organized is going to be greater.  I can’t see that happening if stuff is just laying willy-nilly on the ground.  In the Course Details they seem to mention Swim To Bike Gear bags that are provided by the race.  They are numbered and used to transport wetsuits and other swim gear to the finish, so I guess that’s one question answered, but my worries about a chaotic transition area are not allayed.Muskoka5150 001.JPG
  • What kind of problems is having 2 different transition areas going to bring about?  I’ll need to think about items as being ‘only for the run’ or ‘only for the bike’, I can’t take anything for granted!
  • Will I ever spell ‘Transition’ properly the first time? I think I’ve written ‘transistion’ about a dozen times now.
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How I Set Up My Transition Area

The art of transition is a personal one.  There’s plenty of room for disagreement on which way to rack the bike (hooked by the saddle, or hooked by the brake-hoods), and so telling you the correct way to set up everything else is pointless, but I can illustrate the way I do it, and why, and hopefully it can help some beginners or even give new ideas to more experienced triathletes.


I have a triathlon transition bag to carry/store all my stuff, and it has a built in mat that folds out.  Any old towel or bath mat, yoga mat would do the trick though.


  1. Bike Shoes (with socks in this case).  These are in front of my running shoes since I’ll be putting them on for biking before running.  I run my bike across the transition area with my bike shoes so that I don’t get any debris on my feet once I’ve picked up the bike.  I haven’t mastered putting on my shoes while they’re clipped into my pedals – safety first.
  2. Running Shoes.  After I get back from the bike they’re right there waiting for me.
  1. Bike Helmet and Sunglasses.  I put my bike helmet on top of my bike so that I can’t take the bike off the rack without picking up my helmet; that’s to remind me to put it on (and attach the chin strap) before even touching the bike.  That way I always avoid penalties and disqualifications.  I put my sunglasses inside the helmet for similar reasons; I’ll be forced to put on the sunglasses before the helmet and that way I don’t forget them.
  2. Water bottle – this is filled with ice and has been frozen or cooled as much as possible beforehand.  I put it in the cage as part of my transition set-up, and then it’s with me on the bike.
  3. Race belt.  I could do a whole post on why a race belt is a good investment; mine lets me clip my bib to it without having to mess around with safety pins (thus saving my shirts from extra pinholes).  You’re supposed to have the bib on the back for the bike (it’s more visible to race marshals, and more aerodynamic besides) and on the front for the run – I simply turn the belt around when I’m in T2.  The race belt pouches also store a gel or two, while I keep the rest in the pockets of my tri-top.


That’s how I did it in the Muskoka 5150, and the general layout has been the same for every triathlon I’ve done.  

Do you have any transition set-up guidelines you use?