You did it. You decided to tackle the most complicated race out there, the triathlon. If you’re going to be swimming, biking, and running consecutively, you’ll need to pack a lot of stuff!

So along with being physically able to compete in all three disciplines, you need to pack gear for all of them into your car! It’s pretty complicated, but with some forethought, it doesn’t have to be that hard.

I suggest creating a checklist of all the items you’ll need before, during, and after the race. To help out, I’ve posted mine below. You can use it “as is” or adapt it for your needs.

Pre-race

___ Registration form and/or license

___ Sunscreen

Swim

___ Wetsuit (optional)

___ Pam cooking spray (to aid in wetsuit removal)

___ Tri Outfit (shorts and jersey)

___ Goggles

___ Swim cap (if not provided)

T1 / Bike

___ Transition mat or beach towel

___ Bike stand (smaller races don’t provide racks)

___ Bicycle

___ Shoes (with cleats attached)

___ Water bottle (filled, in cage)

___ Seat bag
      - spare tube
      - tire levers
      - CO2 inflator
      - mini-tool

___ Bicycle Helmet

___ Sunglasses

___ Energy gel (on bike)

T2 / Run

___ Running sneakers w/ Speed Laces

___ Race belt (to clip number on)

___ Running cap

Post Race

___ Change of clothes

___ Sandals

___ Post-race food and water

___ First-aid kit

___ Camera (to capture the memories)

___ Towel

___ Baby wipes

___ Money

To make things easier, I suggest printing out a copy of the checklist and checking off items as you pack them into your car.

Want to download and print out a fancy copy of this checklist in PDF format? Just click here. (Right-click + “save as” to save it to your computer.)

As if it wasn’t hard enough to train for a race, drive there, and keep your mind focused on race strategy, there’s another obstacle thrown in… packing everything into your car! You have to pack your bike and clothes for the race, plus everything else you may or may not need before, during, and after the race.

If you throw stuff in at the last minute, yes, it’s hard. But with some planning beforehand, you can pack everything you need without worry. Just create a checklist of everything you need.

Don’t worry, I’ve posted mine below. Feel free to use it.

___ Bike

___ Water bottles (filled)

___ Seat bag
      - spare tube
      - tire levers
      - CO2 inflator
      - mini-tool

___ Helmet

___ Sunglasses

___ Jersey

___ Undershirt (optional)

___ Gloves

___ Shorts

___ Socks

___ Shoes with cleats

___ Energy bar and/or gel

___ Change of clothes

___ Post-race food and water

___ First-aid kit

___ Bike lock (optional)

___ Camera (optional)

___ Towel

___ Baby wipes

___ Money

___ Registration form and/or license

___ Floor pump (for topping off your tires)

___ Stationary trainer (for warmup)

To make things easier, I suggest printing out a copy of the checklist and checking off items as you pack them into your car.

Want to download and print out a fancy copy of this in PDF format? Just click here. (Right-click + “save as” to save it to your computer.)

Or…

Prefer to race off-road? Then see our MTB Race Equipment Checklist.

Packing for a mountain bike race can be more nerve racking than the race itself! You have to make sure you have everything you need (or might need) for before, during, and after the race, all packed neatly in your car. Bike, clothes, tools, food, water, everything!

Back when I first switched to clipless pedals, I drove off without my shoes a few times! I’ve been pretty good since then though… thanks to always checking my “MTB Race Equipment Checklist” before leaving!

Since it has helped me so much, I’ve decided to include it here for you to use as well. I suggest printing it out and checking off the items as you load them into your car.

___ Bike

___ Water bottles (filled)

___ CamelBak or Seat bag
      - spare tube
      - tire levers
      - CO2 inflator
      - mini-tool

___ Helmet

___ Sunglasses

___ Jersey

___ Undershirt (optional)

___ Gloves

___ Shorts

___ Socks

___ Shoes with cleats

___ Energy gel

___ Change of clothes

___ Post-race food and water

___ First-aid kit

___ Bike lock (optional)

___ Camera (optional)

___ Towel

___ Baby wipes

___ Money

___ Registration form and/or license

___ Light (for evening/night races)

___ Floor pump (just in case)

Now just keep this checklist with you and use it every time you pack for a race. (Don’t forget the checklist though!)

Want to print out a nicely formatted PDF copy of this list? Just click here and download one for free. (Right click + “save as” to save it to your computer.)

With my renewed interest in running thanks to ChiRunning, plus the fact that gasoline topped $4.00 a gallon even here in the boondocks, a triathlon on my home turf sounded like a great idea.

The race in question was the Upper West Branch Triathlon that starts and ends at Curwensville Lake in Curwensville, PA, and shares a similar course to the Tour de Susquehanna bike race. It’s close by, has a familiar course, and best of all… there is no swimming involved! This is a run/canoe/bike triathlon! (Canoes were for teams while individuals could use a kayak, but we’ll get to that later…)

My first thought was “who can I team up with that can canoe?” I quickly realized, though, that the only people I know who fit this criteria think of canoeing as floating down the river with a beer in hand. Not exactly on par with my “I must win this!” idea.

So next I thought “who will let me borrow their canoe?” I quickly realized, though, that paddling a touring canoe down the river on my own was even further from my race winning plan…

But then, by pure luck, I found out that my riding buddy and Tour de Susquehanna race director Mike Butler happened to have a kayak I could borrow! I had never seen a kayak in real life, let alone paddled one, but I figured what the heck!

After three short kayak trips, I figured I had a good shot at this thing. After all, I could paddle as fast as the recreational canoers with their big, heavy boats!

But as little kayak experience as I had, I could definitely make up a lot of time on the bike and probably hold my own on the run. Plus I practiced my transitions so I was ready to save precious seconds (the 2007 winner won by just one second, so I knew what was at stake.)

Fast forward to Saturday, May 17, 2008 - race day! I packed everything in my Jeep and took off at about 7:40 AM on a cool, cloudy, and damp morning to drop my bike at the kayak/bike transition. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as this is just a little local race that is lucky enough to have a resident letting us use their private yard as the transition area!

While the grass plot for our bikes was very nice, there was a mud pit between the grass and the paved road… so much for a fast transition! Last time I checked, road bikes and mud pits don’t mix!

But I laid my bike down in the grass, simplified my transition plan to “don’t get too muddy,” and got back in the car for a trip to the run/kayak transition.

At the run/kayak transition, I was greeted by a fleet of $2000-5000 carbon fiber racing kayaks that must have been 15′ long and 18″ wide. I gazed in awe as I walked by toting my stable yet very slow, 8′ long, 30″ wide Dagger and dropped it at a nice entry spot.

Hoping that none of those kayaks’ owners knew how to run or bike, I hopped in my Jeep and headed up to the start line… but made one more pit stop. Since the race website only mentioned a water stop at the run/kayak transition, I decided to hide a water bottle along the run route to keep myself hydrated.

With my water bottle stashed by a neat looking tree, I made my way down to the Curwensville Lake beach and picked up my race number and goodie bag.

After disappointments at both transition areas, the weather decided to make things worse - instead of switching to a decently warm and partly sunny day, it decided to stay dark and cloudy and even started to rain. So much for my sleeveless jersey!

Well after walking around trying to stay warm, the clock struck 9:30 and we made our way to the start line for the 9:45 pre-race meeting. It was still chilly, but we got through our meeting where we discussed safety requirements, the aforementioned mud pit, and other tidbits to have a good race.

Finally at 10:00 when we lined up for the start, the sun decided to come out and warm things up. It would have been nice had I not switched to my cold weather gear!

But alas, I lined up behind Todd Winters and John Jacobs, a couple local runners, figuring if I could keep them in sight I’d be off to a great start.

The gun fired and a few seconds later I said to myself, “so much for that idea.” At least half the pack passed me in the first 1/4 mile! I didn’t expect the pace to be so fast, but I settled into my own pace and kept moving, knowing I could make up the lost time later on.

Halfway into the run, I started to look for my water bottle, only to realize that I had spaced out and already passed it! I was probably trying to think of an excuse for my slow running…

No problem though, around the next turn they had a surprise water stop! I grabbed some water and that got me through the rest of the run, although a few more people passed me.

I hit the first transition area at around 32 minutes in. Despite that being a personal best time for 4.4 miles, I was 5-6 minutes behind the leader!

I ran down to the river bank, put on my PFD and grabbed my paddle, and watched as someone decided to put their kayak in the water right in front of me… but luckily there were great volunteers who helped me move to another spot, put in, and gave me a strong push out into the current. Thanks guys!

The first thing I noticed was the water level - it was much higher than expected for mid-May! The week of rain before the race was awesome for filling up the river; too bad we paid the price with the mud pit at the next transition.

So I start paddling, expecting to stay within range of the front group, and things keep going wrong… I couldn’t grip the paddle! Somehow my hands were extremely slippery. Then I remembered - the portapotties at the lake had hand sanitizer dispensers, but they didn’t come with a “this will make your hands slimy” warning! I had to rinse my hands in the river water for a while to clean them off!

I finally got into a rhythm, but I couldn’t quite catch anyone, and quite a few people passed me. By the time I hit Hogback Bridge (the halfway point, pictured above) I had all but given up. I was paddling with all my strength and the best form I could muster, while people glided past me effortlessly!

Well, judging by the picture above, at least I was holding the paddle in the right direction!

And in the picture below, at least I’m still in contact with some other racers. (That’s me in the middle, pausing to get a sip of Gatorade Tiger.)

Unfortunately, at that point things started to go downhill. Over the next couple miles, I lost contact with most of those people and I even had a little girl pass me!

But eventually I made it to the second transition! Again, the volunteers were great and they helped me out and took care of the kayak for me, so I was free to sprint up to my bike and get going. I put my helmet on, switched shoes, and ran my bike through the mud pit up to the road.

Putting my bike down and saddling up, I had to employ a mountain bike racing trick to knock the mud out of my cleats so I could clip in! It was kind of hard to get going, thanks to my legs cramping up from sitting in a kayak for the past hour, but I put the hammer down anyway!

I was flying and passed 5-10 people on the twisty and narrow Carbon Mine Road where this picture of me was taken. Then I passed a few more people on the climb, and a few more in the next few miles. (Good thing, because after the kayak I was about 25 minutes behind the leaders!!)

Overall the bike leg was pretty simple - I was riding all out hoping to make up as much time as possible. The leg cramping was a bit of an issue, but I kept going at full speed. (It was definitely gratifying, because these people had probably laughed at how slow I was in the kayak!)

So I made it to the last monster climb and passed a few more people as I big-ringed almost the whole thing. Turning onto Lake Drive, I was exhausted, but I saw one guy up ahead and went after him. I gained some time on a little hill and almost caught him on the final climb (which was pretty steep, but not too long.)

I followed him down the twisty road toward the finish, keeping pace but not going crazy on the wet and twisty descent. As the road leveled off, already in my biggest gear, I sprinted past him and spun out, but had just enough of a gap to hold him off in the final meters to the line!

While that was nowhere near a race winning performance, I was happy to be biking at full speed!

In the end I finished in about 2:10, while the overall winner did about 1:54. Considering I lost 5+ minutes in the run and 20+ in the kayak, finishing just 16 minutes off the leader wasn’t too bad. (Taking back a 10 minute chunk over a 45 minute bike ride isn’t too shabby.) I must have had the fastest bike leg out of anyone!

My lousy performance in the water was what got me. But in the end, I was 11th overall, 4th out of the Ironmen, and 1st in the 20-29 Ironmen age group.

Full results and more info can be found at www.clfdccd.com/Triathlon.htm (and at the Smiley Miles website.)

And of course, check out McDole Photography if you are looking for more great pictures from the race.

Here’s a fun video for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure. It features a young boy on a mountain bike demolishing the pro peloton in what looks like the Tour de France:

I actually saw it on TV the other night as a Gatorade commercial. Apparently the pro cyclists are just drinking water while the kid made the smart choice!