Your morning gear bag is going to be for anything you want back at the finish line when you're done. So things you want to shed and hand off to a volunteer before you get into the water- your flip flops, sweatshirt, jacket, etc.

Those things you listed for your bike? They should be in your T1 bag or carried with you to place on your bike in transition before heading to the swim, or taken out of your bag and placed on you before you head to the water (like your wetsuit, etc)

I didn't use my white bag because like you, I had a willing spouse sherpa to lug my crap back to the hotel room (I have a large Transition bag that held everything you listed you would put in your IM-given white bag), and also had a backpack with Finish Line needs for me when I was done. I was anal enough to even write a note on top of that separate backpack with its contents so he could read it out to me when I was done to see what I wanted (sweatshirt, flip flops, chips) and what I didn't (compression socks, pretty much anything else)

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Some of the stuff in your second list has nothing to do with your morning bag. E.g., why are you talking about bike bottles, wetsuit, spare tube, etc in context of the morning bag? Put your bottles on the bike. Put your 520 on the bike. Wear your wetsuit in the swim. Put your spare tube on the bike or in the bike special needs bag if it's an extra.

Only put stuff in the morning bag that 1. you do not need during the race and 2. that you want to get back immediately after the race and 3. that you have no other place to unload right before the race starts.

But if you have a sherpa, why use a morning bag at all? Hand that stuff to the sherpa and then you have one less bag to collect after the race ends.

Thank you both for your insight.


Yes the bike related things (bottles and edge), I would place in transition and not keep in the bag.


Same with wetsuit, I would actually put that on before handing the bag to a volunteer.


I just had it in my mind I would be carrying one bag on the shuttle to the race site. After arriving at the site I would take certain things out and put them in the appropriate place... if that make sense.


So it sounds like I can just use my normal transition bag to haul all of this stuff rather than the plastic one provided (because I can hand it off to my wife).

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Absolutely. It's not mandatory to use the white bag.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Thanks for the tips. I think I am good to go now!

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Waiting for your next post re: special needs bags

But you CAN'T leave bags in transition at most races anymore.... In big races you have to have all of your "T1 bag gear" in a clear plastic bag so they can inspect it upon entering. Effectively making your T1 bag pointless.

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Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store

I am pretty sure the original post was specifically related to IM events (the white morning bag was the giveaway)

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Many people do this. I personally have a backpack from a previous IM that folds up very small. So I go to transition race morning with everything in that backpack. I put stuff on my bike, then put on all my swim stuff, then put that backpack in the white morning clothes bag.

But yes, if your wife will be there at the swim start, you can forget the white bag and do it however you want.

I also write myself "to do" lists so I don't forget anything, e.g. a to do list for everything to leave the hotel with, put on the bike, etc.

^^^^^^ Exactly +1

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Team Zoot-Texas, and Pickle Juice