Hints and tips for your Castle Tri race
Whether you have done a triathlon race before or not, you can sometimes get a little bit worried and nervous about your triathlon. Don’t worry – even World Champions can get a bit scared before they race! Here are the top 3 things in the swim, bike, run and transition that you can do to prepare for your big tri day.
The Swim
Can you swim the race distance? Make sure that you are confident that you have ticked this off in your training.
Have you worn a wetsuit before? Try to have a swim in a wetsuit before the big day. Ideally you’d like this to be outside in the open water but having a go in the swimming pool is good too. Make sure to practice taking it off like you were in a race.
Pre-event recce – before the race try to get into the water where you will be swimming or go and have a good look around from dry land so that you can get familiar with things like where the turn-around buoys are and what the swim finish looks like.
The Bike
Have a parent or adult look over your bike. Make sure that it is safe and that everything is working OK. Double-check your tyres to make sure that they have enough air in them.
If you can go around the bike course before the race then this is a really good idea. This way you will know what to expect – are there hills, are there corners, how many laps are you doing? Take a good look at the course details that you get in your race pack to get as familiar as possible.
Remember your helmet! Have a practice at home to put your helmet on fast. This will help you to be super slick in transition.
The Run
Get out on the run course before the race if you can so that you know exactly what to expect. Are there sneaky changes from grass to path? Is there a hill that you were not expecting?
See if you can get some elastic laces for your running shoes. This will help you to be super fast when you put them on.
Your legs are sure to feel strange when you start running. Don’t worry, this is normal and it will pass after a while!
Transition
Add some transition training at home before the event. Practice putting your shoes and helmet on fast and if you can, practice taking off your wetsuit too.
Write a list of all the things you need to take with you to transition and tick them off as you get ready the night before. This will help to make sure that you don’t forget anything important.
When you get into transition do a practice walk-through. Go from the swim exit to your bike and then from your bike to the bike exit. Then walk through the transition the way that you will do when you get off the bike and head out for your run. This is a good way for you to get to know the transition layout so that you can be super-fast in the race.
