Or a Half Ironman, triathlon or marathon.
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What kit do I need for racing?
If you’re thinking about doing a triathlon or building up the distance, it’s important to consider the cost of clothing, kit and other things you will need for training up front.
And to make sure we invest in the things that will give us the best returns, rather than the most shiny, exciting kit.
If you’re new to triathlon, or the distance you're stepping up to, then my philosophy is not to spend (too much) money before you know that it’s something you want to do more of, so start off with the minimum and then invest more if you get a taste for it.
Here's some other blogs you might find useful if you're at the planning stage:
Essential kit for Ironman and Half Ironman
For Sprint and Standard distance not all these are essential but if you’re picking up the distance to anything over Standard distance (so Half Ironman, Ironman and ultras) then given how much time you’ll be spending training, it makes sense to invest a bit more so that you get more out of the time you put in/ you make things easier on yourself.
If you’re doing a race that just involves running, or just cycling, or aquathlon/ aquabike/ duathlon etc obviously just remove the kit not relevant for your discipline.
Key things to budget for:
Race entry (and for longer races I suggest some warm up practice races as well)
Swim suit, goggles
Wetsuit (for most races, and for training even if the race is likely to be wetsuit free)
Trisuit / tri top and shorts
Sports bra
Bike (definitely doesn’t need to be a TT bike, but a road bike is recommended rather than a hybrid etc for anything over Standard distance. NB: You might be able to borrow a bike for racing but I strongly recommend also doing the majority of your training on a race bike)
Bike shoes and cleats
Basic bike maintenance kit (multitool, tyre levers, pump)
Bike glasses (personal choice but useful for longer distances)
Helmet (doesn’t need to be TT)
Run trainers
Tri laces (you may decide not to use these for longer races when you want more support from your shoes) and tri belt
What I recommend in addition for my clients doing longer races
These are not essential but I strongly, strongly recommend them if you’re going above Standard distance/ have stretch goals - you will get much better value from your coaching, and more progress from your training.
Training watch that will upload your training to Training Peaks – it is not possible to transfer data from Strava to Training Peaks, so it needs to be able to upload directly to Training Peaks)
Power meter on your bike or power based turbo trainer* – it is far more effective to train in power based structured intervals, either using a power meter on your bike outdoors or on a ‘dumb’ trainer, or using a power based turbo. If you are choosing between the two, my recommendation is a 'dumb' turbo and power meter on the bike as this also gives you a powerful tool for racing (see this great article from Joe Friel), but you’ll have to work a bit harder in turbo sessions to change gear to get the required power, rather than relying on ERG mode (this is also great practice for out on the road!).
A wattbike is also great for power based training (check if your gym has one). Other power based bikes in the gym can be a useful stop gap but based on my experience, don’t work nearly as well.
For indoor turbo sessions you’ll also want a fan, and depending on the type of turbo, either a spare training wheel or a new cassette to go on the turbo.
Bike computer* – not quite an essential unless you’re using an outdoor bike for your structured power intervals (because you need to see the power you’re putting out) but:
a) allows you to see HR and power to judge your efforts.
b) is really useful for following routes so you don’t just rely on the same ones each time.
Bike fit – not necessarily an essential but highly recommended, especially if you experience pain when riding or are seeking a very aero position. Dont leave it too late, you'll get more value from training in the position for longer
Chest based heart rate monitor* – although wrist based monitors are great for resting heart rate, they are notoriously inaccurate for any movement based training, especially running, and I strongly recommend you know your HR for any given training pace, so you know if you are going too hard or easy or if you’re getting ill.
Swim toys – fins are really useful for the majority of swim drills (check your pool allows them), plus a pull buoy. I rarely use floats in my drills and usually the pull buoy will do or they have them at the pool. Tempo pro – not essential but really useful for structured swim sets. Wait to buy this and see if it would be useful, some watches will also have this function.
Coaching! Yes I'm biased, but I strongly recommend some support in your training, especially if its your first time at the distance/ you have a stretch goal. Whether it's coaching, a training plan, swim analysis, nutrition support etc a coach has the time and knowledge to give you the support you need, accountability, structure and answers to all those questions that mount up!
>> Book a free 20 minute call with me if you'd like to to discuss how I can support you in your goals
* I don’t make specific tech recommendations but recommend the DC Rainmaker blog for impartial and (very!) thorough testing and reviews
Other costs to factor in
Spare inner tubes
Nutrition (for training as well as race day)
Something to store nutrition and hydration in (top tube bag for bike, run belt/vest etc)
Physio and massages
Race entries including practice races as well as goal race (I recommend doing a few shorter races in the run up to get used to race day, to save costs you could do TTs instead but usually you’ll need to be a member of club that is a member of CTT)
Travel and accommodation for races
Gym entry / kit for S&C
Swimming pool entry
Tri/ bike club membership (absolutely not an essential but makes training far more fun if you can train with others, and often gets you access to coached pool sessions for not much more than pool entry)
Training Peaks premium membership – you absolutely don’t need this, but if you want to be able to move sessions in Training Peaks then in some cases you’ll need premium access to Training Peaks. If working with me, wait until we’ve got started to decide if you want this.
Bike maintenance (the more you invest in ongoing bike maintenance, the less you’ll have to spend when things fail)
Training kit – depending on how often you train you’ll probably want some spare kit, plus winter training kit and summer options
Bike lights - depending on when and where you train, these vary in importance but I'm a big fan of using even during the day, cars have daytime running lights so why wouldn't you?
What about the exciting aero stuff?
In my opinion, we should start with, and budget for, all the stuff above before deciding whether to invest in aero wheels etc.
When we're talking aero gains, remember the biggest issue by far is your body rather than the bike, so dont bother spending money unless you're spending significant time training your aero position.
But if you've done all that and we're onto talking bike upgrades then you might want to consider the following:
Gears - if you're doing a hilly course consider upgrading so you have more low gears to make pedaling easier with reduced resistance/ higher cadence when climbing (so smaller chainrings at the front and larger cassette cogs at the rear). Depending on your existing set up this can be quite a simple upgrade but make a massive difference.
Aero bars - yes, these wont give you as good a position as an aero bike, but they're a hell of a lot cheaper! Great for an aero (flat) course, not just for aero savings, but having another position to go to. If doing a more technical /hilly course they can still be really beneficial but you need to balance increased weight with how long you'll be down on them. Get them early if using so more time to practice with and get full benefits.
TT bike - I would do your first race before investing in a full upgrade, and often you'll get better value and better aero gains with a bike fit and upgrading some key parts than a full new bike
Aero helmet or wheels - these can make a big difference but unless you have lots of spare money to spend I would only be looking at these if you are worried you'll miss cut offs or have a particular goal you're really working towards (and have done the training to get the biggest returns).
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