I am guessing I am doing the same race and I have been pondering this question most of the week. I knew it was going to be cold, I just didn't realize exactly how cold at race time until your post. I was considering wearing my tri suit and throwing on some compression socks and a long sleeve insulated compression top at T1 and then shedding the insulated top if I started heating up too much. That was assuming race temps in the 40's. Now that I see how cold it really is going to be, I am leaning towards your idea.

What distance is the race?

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

We swim with a guy doing that race tomorrow. He's a newbie triathlete and I'm not sure what he is doing for clothing. Coming from Vermont, if it was me I would allow myself extra time in T1 to put on dry clothes for the bike. I would have a nice big towel in my transition bag to dry off too. I'd probably put on a tri-kit with sleeves, arm warmers, knee warmers and gloves for the bike. Maybe even a tight vest. Then in T2 I would strip off the arm & knee warmers, vest and ditch the gloves if it's in the 40sF for the run. If still in the 30sF I would keep everything but the bike vest. That's just me (thin middle-aged female). The key is not to be wet on the bike if it's in the 30sF.

I recently purchased a thermal wetsuit and all the accessories (Blue Seventy) and love it so far. I swam last night in a cold pond here in Vermont all decked out in my new thermal gear and I was so much warmer. I noticed I didn't have the cold, draining feeling after the swim like I would in a normal wetsuit. My hands didn't get numb either which is normal for this time of year in a regualr wetsuit. So if I ever do a cold triathlon or one with a very cold swim, I'll race in my thermals.

Best wishes tomorrow!

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

Guys,

I live about 10 miles from where your racing (I assume Sunapee Tri) in Grantham and it's definitely been cooler here in the mornings. I've raced in similar conditions quite a few times. Here are my recommendations:

Shoe (toe) covers of some sort & socks
I always stayed with a full suit because they dry so quickly, but I would put arm warmers on. Start with them rolled up like donuts, slide them on in T1 and roll them up while riding
Definitely gloves
I might also consider covering knees with knee warmers

I've ridden around the lake quite a bit and it's fairly well shielded from the wind, but there a couple of nice descents that can be a bit chilly.

Good Luck,

Gary Snow

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- Gary Snow

If it's in the 30s, I'm going full winter cycling jacket on top. Nice long gloves. And booties or at least toe covers to keep feeling in my feet.

Ditch the jacket in T2

Nothing of substance to add other than good luck all. I was so close to signing up for that race, mainly because I love that lake and my buddy has his boat up there but I knew this weekend would be a challenge for me. Here's hoping it warms up a bit for you!

I'm signed up for this race, but considering bailing given the forecast (and the recent time change of the race to 7am). But this is what I threw in my bag to deal with the temps in the case I go . . .

- Two Towels: One for ground, one hanging off bike to towel off in T1
- Tight gilet vest, goes over tri suit
- Arm warmers
- gloves (considering hand warmers inside gloves)
- velotoze on shoes
- socks on bike (would wear calf guards under wetsuit)

I'd rather throw on dry compression socks instead of the wet calf guard + short socks, but my experience with a different cold event leads me to believe I wouldn't have the finger dexterity to do it (and this race will be much colder yet). Anyhow, no idea how good that plan is, but that is my plan anyway. Also of note, threw in a pair of old athletic socks to walk around in pre-race and just toss in a bin.

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

I did Lake Placid 70.3 the year that it was 2 degrees Celsius, when getting into the lake. I'm not sure how your race would warm up in the afternoon or not, but when I did it, it warmed up to about ~12C by the time I finished.

I went full tri suit + calf sleeves under the wetsuit and then put on arm warmers + another jersey in T1. The hardest parts were actually standing around waiting (cold grass before the swim) and putting on the extra gear in transition (arm warmers don't go on well when wet). Then before the run I took off the arm warmers and extra jersey.

In retrospect, I should have just gone with the whole thing under the wetsuit and eliminated 2 mins in transition at the cost of being cold for a bit on the bike. IIRC the winner of the race was wearing just a tri-suit underneath a wetsuit, but with a plastic bag under the tri suit so he could warm up quickly on the bike. He was on this forum, is how I remember.

According to their facebook page they just moved the start to 8:30 instead of 7. We still won't be warm, but we might at least not be frozen. Not sure yet on what I'm going to wear but I'm not concerned about finger dexterity after the swim. The swim will be by far the warmest part of the race.

God that sounds horrible. I did a cold one (not THAT cold) a couple years ago. My biggest issue was my feet/ankles on the run. My feet were numb, and my ankles were stiff as blocks. I felt like I was running on stumps---and was a full mpm slower than normal on the run. I still finished well, so I guess I suffered better than most--but, still....

I don't have anything useful to add, because I haven't done another cold one since...so, I don't know what works. You're getting the same suggestions I got after that cold race.

Good luck.

That’s good news on the start. It should be in the low 40’s for the bike then. That’s a big difference to near freezing! I need to look for my neoprene toe covers. Undecided on glove type.

I was also wondering about the possibility of fog on the water with there being a big difference between air and water temps.

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I had signed up too. I am considering bagging it because the promoter told me they had over 400+ signed up (3 weeks ago). They had advertised it as covid safe but clearly the promoter probably let the participant count go to 500. The run course is one of the stupidest run courses ever, its non stop up and down 15% grades. I previewed the run course and have never seen such a decision to run a course like that. The way to look at the run course is a hard mostly up hill 3 mile run followed by a downhill with some rollers at the end. There is very little flat, I would guess less than 1/2 mile is any where near flat.

With the cold forecasted I was going to just do tri shorts instead of a race suit and try to dry off at T1 a bit and then put on a light merino wool top and a cycling jacket. I think you would want leg protection, so I was thinking of super light lycra tights, although I have never tried putting them on while wet. Socks for sure.

Honestly I am on the fence as to whether I even do it, it seems like a cluster. The RD is popular run promotions company that seems totally new to triathlons.

That doesn’t sound like a run course to try holding an even pace on. I was hoping for consistent 6:20-6:30 pace, but that doesn’t sound all that realistic.

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nate, get some skiing toe warmers and stick them between shoe and shoe cover before the race. they should be fine for 2 hours. that way you can skip socks. running on figuratively frozen feet is awful, feels like blocks of wood. take the extra minute in t1 to dry off, it'll pay off for the rest of the day. Kris freeman will be there... he likes it cold!

Lucky you get to race!!

I've raced cold several times. I wear my tri suit under my wetsuit. In T1 I have toe warmers already on shoes, arm warmers rolled up like a donut (put them on like"unpeelin" a banana), and have gloves . . . that's usually it. You won't lose hardly any time doing this. That race is rather short so you should be fine.

BTW, I did that race ~30 years ago when it was a Hawaii qualifier. I LOVED it up there!! Back then the roads were nice and it was fast!!

Stay safe and have fun.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I’d think a 4x winter Olympian would be ok in these conditions. Goal is to put bike him and try hanging on. We’ll see...

Good idea on the toe warmers. Not sure if I can find any around before race day - definitely agree that frozen/numb feet are hard to run on

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I did a race in similar temp (little warmer by start of race but was 30s pre-race). I put on a tight fitting long sleeve top that has a bit of turtle neck to it and is tight fitting, thin gloves (that I would normally wear running in temps down to about 35) and regular run/cycling socks. It was about right--still a little chilly, but not freezing. You might need a bit more if temps are staying below 40 for entire bike. Run temps were magical as it was mid to upper 40s by then.

I did the Lakes Region tri on Sept. 23, 2018 up that way in NH. It was pretty cold to start, probably lows 40s. I went with:

1. Sleeved tri suit and calf sleeves under wetsuit for swim
2. Quick towel off in T1
3. Added arm warmers and pulled on an extra sleeveless tri top in T1 (if you have a good aero vest that would be even better)
4. Toe warmers already on shoes
5. Light running gloves in bento that I put on once settled into bike

I ditched the extra top, gloves, and arm warmers for the run. Overall pretty comfortable.

This sounds like a cool (err ... warm) idea. You keep them on the outside of the shoe then? And they still provide some warming?

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

Nate
Here's an old thread from when I was concerned about the cold for Placid 70.3.
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...e_bike%3F)_P6723167/

I'd consider wearing a garbage bag under the trisuit, under the wetsuit.
I did it and it's VERY effective.

Scott did it and he won the race OA.

Good luck.

Dale

Thanks, Dale! I'll have a look at that thread later on today. A garbage bag seems like a very simple 'hack.'

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Hehe, if it was a week earlier or later, it would be 65-70 degrees. But I expect nothing less from year 2020 :)

Anyway, looks like a good presentation from slowtwitch from NE for this race. Good luck and see you guys there tomorrow!

With all of the niche need products out there for tri why hasn't anyone developed a cold weather race suit? Something that could get wet and retain insulation. There are already so many other products out there that you might need just once!

consider cutting the bottom out of a plastic grocery bag and wearing it between two layers as a "singlet", preferably not against your skin. If you find it is gets too warm on the bike tear it off and chuck it at the next aid station or just stuff it in your suit. Cheap disposable thermal break.