I would choose another race that is closer to sea level.

Ignore jimatbeyond…

1) yes, Tahoe is chilly and a wetsuit is a smart plan. Most folks wear a tri suit or tri shorts and a tri top under their wetsuit so you simply remove the wetsuit in T1 and head out for your bike ride.
2) need carbon wheels? Not at all. Yes, on climbs weight is a factor but carbon wheels are not going to be the reason you make the climb or do not. Just work on bike strength with some hill work in your preparation.
3) altitude issues are a personal thing. I happen to be lucky and do not have issues at altitude coming from a lowland state (MN). From what I hear, your best bets are two to three weeks prep time or show up and race as soon as possible. So you could pop into Tahoe day before the race and enjoy the race and deal with the natural slow down for the reduced oxygen.
4) never done either race, but I did do the IM at Tahoe in 2013. So, almost 10,000’ of climbing on the bike that year and I survived.

I say do not worry about your current bike, train on some hilly terrain, and enjoy the race with beautiful scenery!

Do not buy a damn thing for your first race. Train your butt off and show up with what you got. If you have fun at the race sign up for another and then think about what gear you might like to have.

Totally agree. My first was a local half. I think I finished second to last or something like that on a $400 bike and a borrowed wetsuit.. Five years later and I finished 7th in my ag, out of 18 (iirc). I’m getting stronger and more experienced, and still moving up. I find for my ability and time for training, Olympic is best suited for me.

But I would try to find a used wetsuit to borrow or buy. That’s mighty cold water for most people (at least it is for me).

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Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.

Chiming in to agree with everyone (except Jim, lol).

Make sure you practice open water swimming. You can rent a wetsuit but I'd suggest buying one if you have the means (no need to spend $$$, a solid wetsuit can be had for less than you'd assume). Try to get some swimming in the Sound in before you head down to Tahoe. The water temp will be more similar than lake swimming in Seattle area.

Think about what you would feel comfortable riding and running in for the rest of your race, and plan to swim in that same outfit. No full changing. If you're looking for ideas, you could google triathlon suit or kit.

Keep your bike in working order and you'll be fine. Train on some hills to feel confident with your handling!

Altitude is the funky one. I had never noticed altitude acclimation until I moved to CO (from sea level), hadn't noticed anything in Tahoe but I was never there for more than a few days.

I haven't personally done this race, it was on my radar in 2020 but we all know what happened that year. I have friends and acquaintances who have done the race, and my recollection is them sharing how pretty the course was :)

Have a ton of fun!! Happy to provide more local options to you (WA) in case you want to do a 'practice' race before Tahoe.

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KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

I agree with the others, but this one in particular. If you really get into triathlon, then you can figure out what works best for you and invest in that. There is no sense in spending a bunch of money the first time out. I've done over a dozen triathlons so far, including a 70.3, wearing only a shorty wet regular bike shorts and a T-shirt.

Can't really help with the altitude concern since Las Vegas is the highest I've ever done, which at roughly 2000' elevation, isn't saying much. But I do agree with the others to work on climbing. I didn't look at your bike, but for a pretty reasonable price, you can always swap out the cassette to give you a little more gear for the climbs.

General advice: Train hard, relax, & just enjoy your 1st event.


1) Under 60 degrees is cold for swimming. You will definitely need a long sleeve wetsuit & you should practice swimming in cold water if you can. You don't really change after the swim. You wear your tri suit underneath & take off the wetsuit in transition. Body glide/baby powder before the swim. You can use something like baby oil on your wrists/ankles to help you get the wetsuit off a little easier. Apply a little under the wetsuit to those areas right before the swim.

2) You can always spend money on the bike to make it faster. Most people would agree that a good pair of wheels is a better investment than a slightly better frame. It's on you if you want to buy some race wheels. Low-end are still going to put you around $1-1.5k, & up to $3k for high end. They'll save you time in an Olympic but you don't need to upgrade to do the race. You can also knock out a ton of good bike training & get comfortable riding hills. That's going to be more valuable than getting 30s back on a new wheelset. You might do the training to get double or triple the time back because you're a stronger athlete.

3) Yes, absolutely. You should go as early as possible. What's your experience with altitude? 6k is no joke, coming from sea level. It takes longer than a week to fully adjust so take the week if you can. Athletes see the effects at just 2k feet (Endure/Alex Hutchinson has some good data on this). You can't be set on hitting certain paces. Adjust your sea level paces to altitude. Learn to ride by effort. It's easy to get into the red by going too hard. Start a lot slower than you think you need to. Don't get mad at yourself for going slower than what you trained for.

4) Never raced it but the bike looks hilly. Get comfortable climbing/descending. Lake swims are good for beginners. The run doesn't look horrible but is long for an Olympic. The NCAA altitude conversion @ 6k is around 10s for a mile race & 2min for a 10k. So keep that in mind. It's about a 20s/mile conversion for the run that you're doing. Same principles apply for the swim/bike. If you're ready to run 8:30/mile, start at 9:00 pace.

Good advice above (mostly).
Last time I did it was 1989.
Beautiful lake/venue.
You'll need Good brakes.
You definitely should do a local event or two first.

Most of all...
Enjoy the journey

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

I've done several of the off road tri's up there. Wetsuit is a must in my book. The water is very cold!

I had signed up for the LT 70.3 in 2022, but it was canceled due to smoke. I pre-road the course on my road bike (set up with aero clip ons). Not sure you would need to get deep wheels for that course? Admittedly though, I'm not an expert.

I did the Donner Lake 70.3 in 2023 (my first half). Swimming at elevation is tough! Not sure you'll get much benefit from coming to town a week prior. I would show up race day, but everyone reacts to altitude a bit differently. As for bikes again, I used my road bike with clip ons. It was prefect for the hilly climbs.

I'll be on a TT bike this year doing the 70.3 in preparation for IM CA. Best of luck!

Thanks ryan! Thought I was fucked after jim's comment lol.

You're right, def getting ahead of myself with the gear. Other than a wetsuit I think I should be set.

Impressive that you went straight to half for your first! I have no excuses now.

I really have no open water experience so this is great advice. The sound is freezing cold these days but I think I have to bite the bullet and buy a wetsuit now

The time savings really put it in perspective. I bought the bike for $1k which is cheaper than a good wheel set. Thanks for the valuable advice on setting pace!

I think I'll take you up on that! Any good seattle races coming up?

That's awesome! Good luck to you as well; hope to get to that level someday.

I spent last summer noodling around the PNW and had an awesome time learning the new races!
Did both of these last year and loved both, and both are before your Tahoe event:
- Lake Wilderness Tri
- Black Diamond Tri

Probably worth looking at Raise the Bar's open water events if you don't want to race before Tahoe!

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KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

Oregon/Washington USAT State Champs are both before your race OP. Could try a sprint out first or just knock out an Olympic a little earlier.

My two cents:

- make sure you are able to handle your bike, particularly on the descents. For people living in flat areas, this is generally a bigger challenge to overcome than the climbing (which you don't need hills to train for);
- I would worry about the altitude a bit, but perhaps a gentle chainset+cassette set (yes, do read it out loud) would help. Like a 34- or 36-cog small ring in the front and a 30- or 32-cog big ring in the back. But I have no idea what your cycling power is.

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"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

I'm glad you posted this because it was going to be my next question. If you don't have a lot of open water experience, I would suggest you train on that part most. My experience is most first timers DNF within the first 500m of the swim. Open water is much more challenging than pool swimming. For one, there's no wall to push off. 200 meters, 300 meters or 400 meters looks a lot farther when you're just out there in the middle of a lake. Throw in murky water and other people smacking your head or feet, and it can be very unsettling. Let alone 1500 meters.

There's also the elements to deal with. As already mentioned, it's going to be cold. The water will be murky and sighting your buoys is going to take some practice. Plus, unless it's an exceptionally calm day, I can all but guarantee the water will be moving quite a bit more than what you're accustom to in a pool. I'm noticeably slower in an open water swim than doing laps in a pool. Much of that is just because, in a pool, the water is only so turbulent, so it's easy to get a good rhythm and minimize breathing. If you're dealing with waves breaking over you, it's going to play havoc with your rhythm. You really need to get comfortable swimming open water, and honestly, 90% of that is just mental. Keep calm and remember you can always rest on a kayak or buoy. There are always eyes on you for safety.

I really can't stress this enough. Prepare yourself mentally and you'll do fine.

Nice thing about Donner lake is that it is typically crystal clear, surrounded by mountains/early in the day, most likely to be calm. However, being prepared by practicing in rough water is recommended; builds confidence.

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

That is nice to know. Wishing the OP the best. As for me, I have to admit that probably in the first three or four tris I did, I would have to fight the panic for the first few hundred meters. Then I would settle down and just slog along. I have since practiced my stroke and gotten much stronger. I may not be particularly fast but I do feel very comfortable in the water, even kind of rough water doesn't bother me that much.

Without doubt the first swim will absolutely rock you. Your heartbeat will be sky high, you'll wonder why you can't pull any water, and you'll mostly be freaking out. Do whatever you need to do to get through it whether that be treading water, breast stroke, backstroke, or whatever else just to get to T1.

Just signed up for Black Diamond. Thanks for the recommendation!