Mile High Endurance: Essential Gear for the New Triathlete

Essential Gear for the New Triathlete

Keep it Simple

Triathlon is an equipment intensive sport and triathletes are notorious for collecting the fastest, lightest and most technologically advanced gear. All that neoprene, spandex and carbon can be intimidating to the newcomer. Practically speaking, you don't need that much gear to do your first triathlon. Keep it simple and follow this minimalist approach to save yourself from being overwhelmed and over budget.

Swim

Let's assume your first triathlon is going to be a sprint distance and pool swim. The only things you need are a swimsuit, goggles and swim cap. Since most races provide the swim cap, your equipment investment is pretty small. If you are ambitious and looking to do an open water swim, you may need a wetsuit depending on the water temperature. Renting a wetsuit is a great option until you get the first race under your belt and get "the bug" to do more races.

Bike

You don't need anything fancy, but you do need for a two-wheeled machine to ride. At most sprint
triathlons (and even some longer distance races) you will see a variety of bike types. Road, mountain, and hybrids are all perfectly acceptable options to a triathlon bike. You will also need a helmet that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards. At the Sprint distance you can get away with riding your bike with you swim suit. If the ambient temperature is warm enough, a swim suit may be adequate. Fellas, you'll need a t-shirt as a bare chest is not allowed. If you don't have a race belt for your race bib (your race number), you'll want to have your bib pinned to your shirt. Bike shoes are optional and will require trading them in for running shoes in transition (T2).

Run

If you wore your running shoes and t-shirt pinned race bib on the bike, you can get off your bike, take
off your helmet, and start running. A visor or cap is good sun protection and can help keep sweat out of your eyes, but it's truly optional. If you have a race bib belt, you'll grab it on your way out of T2 and wear it during the run.

Table of Required and Optional Equipment

	Pool Sprint	Open Water Sprint	Olympic or Greater
Swim	Goggles Swim Cap# Swim Suit	Goggles Swim Cap# Swim Suit Wet Suit%	Goggles Swim Cap# Swim Suit Wet Suit%
Bike	Bike Helmet Top (no bare chest) Bike Shorts* Athletic Shoes Bike Shoes * Socks* Sun Glasses**	Bike Helmet Top (no bare chest) Bike Shorts* Athletic Shoes Bike Shoes * Socks* Sun Glasses**	Bike Helmet Top (no bare chest) Bike Shorts* Athletic Shoes Bike Shoes * Socks* Sun Glasses**
Run	Running Shoes Socks* Race bib# Shirt (no bare chest)	Running Shoes Socks* Race bib# Shirt (no bare chest)	Running Shoes Socks* Race bib# Shirt (no bare chest)
Nutrition	Bike bottle with water	Bike bottle with water	Bike bottles with electrolyte Carbohydrate drink or gels
Misc	Sunscreen** Towel* Visor or cap* Bike pump Spare tube, inflator, CO2	Sunscreen** Towel* Visor or cap* Bike pump Spare tube, inflator, CO2	Sunscreen** Towel* Visor or cap* Bike pump Spare tube, inflator, CO2
General	Tri Suit* Race Belt* Sports watch* Bike computer*	Tri Suit* Race Belt* Sports watch* Bike computer*	Tri Suit* Race Belt* Sports watch* Bike computer* Tri Slide (for wetsuit) Bike Short Moisturizer (eg, Chamois Buttr)