Diff. Between IM T1/T2 and other T1/T2

Triathlon Forum
1

im doing IMOO and it will be my first ironman. i am wondering how the transistions are different versus a HIM/any other triathlon. i know to not rush through them but as far as everything else goes…

get out of water and take off wetsuit. run up the spiral parking structure to T1
go to bike put on helmet and roll out
get sunscreen somewhere? i will be wet and it will wash off right? plus im pretty tan so im not worried about the sun :wink:

i plan on racing in tri shorts and tri top so im not switching my clothes the entire time but i will be putting on socks.

but is it basically just like a normal transistion just bigger and more extravagant?

2

You’ve pretty much got it except that your helmet and bike shoes will be in your T1 bag. Here’s how LP worked for me:

  • get out of wetsuit at the water with help of wetsuit strippers
  • run to transition area carrying wetsuit
  • grab t1 bag and run to transition tent
  • put on helmet, sunglasses, socks, bike shoes, race belt
  • get sunscreen put on by volunteers (I forgot this step)
  • stuff wetsuit into t1 bag (sometimes volunteers will be there to help, but sometimes it’s too busy)
  • drop off t1 bag outside of tent
  • run to bike
  • grab bike off rack and run to mount line
  • go

After the bike:

  • give bike to volunteer to rack for you
  • run to get t2 bag
  • run to change tent
  • take off helmet, shoes, socks
  • put on dry socks, running shoes, hat
  • stuff bike stuff into t2 bag (again, a volunteer will help you with this)
  • get volunteer to put sunscreen on you
  • go

Good luck! You will have an amazing day. Don’t fret the small stuff. It somehow all works out.

3

helmet yes. bike shoes, not so much.

4

Why would you not rush through T1 and T2…its a race…why leave time on the table…you spent all year going to masters at o-dark-thirty shaving 2 min off your swim split and then you give it away in T1?

5

Some IMNA events don’t let AG’s mount their shoes on their bikes. You’ll have to carry them to your bike and put them on. Or run to your bike with them on.

6

Some IMNA events don’t let AG’s mount their shoes on their bikes. You’ll have to carry them to your bike and put them on. Or run to your bike with them on.

That was my understanding of the rules at LP.

7

Quite different for me at IMWI:

  • someone else pulled off the wetsuit
  • my T1 gear was in a bag rather than on the ground beside the bike
  • someone else found my T1 bag and took all the stuff out of it
  • I sat in a chair in an air-conditioned room rather than hopping on one foot beside the bike
  • someone else put my swim gear in my swim bag
  • someone else got my bike off the rack
    .
8

This is the part that scares me - I don’t like “other people” messing with my stuff, even if they’re there to help.

9

This is the part that scares me - I don’t like “other people” messing with my stuff, even if they’re there to help.

Then politely tell the volunteer that you are good to go and he/she can go help someone else.

clm

10

because after a 1 hour swim i still have 10 hours of exercise ahead oh me. no need to rush to get a 1 minute faster t1 time and get my HR up after coming out of the water.

11

…well then you may as well plan an 8 min T1 and a 6 min T2. Seriously, you need to approach the transitions like short course…it is free speed and you don’t need to get your heart rate jacked up…just be efficient and don’t spend time SITTING in the change tent and mindlessly staring at your transition bag, deciding which set of groceries, cell phones or blackberries you need to bring along with which set of matching arm warmers, rain coats, 6 bottles of assorted sport drinks and salt tabs…

I am speaking from experience…you don’t have to do anything special…I had the second fastest non pro combined transition times at Ironman LP. You just have to be efficient and not waste time and keep your head focused. By today you should already know the sequence of what you will do in both transitions. On race week, scout out the setup and fastest path through each transition…and always keep moving…never sit.

Edit: If you can save yourself 3 min over 2 transitions (easy if you look at the IMNA transition times from most people), then that means you saved 180 seconds…that equates to 2 second faster per 100 m in the swim, or ~7 seconds faster per mile that you have to run…do you realize how much effort it takes to swim 2 seconds faster per 100m or run 7 seconds faster per mile?

Dev

12

Carry shoes with you to bike rack, drop shoes at start of bike rack, clip helmet on running to bike (hard to clip on helmet with shoes in hand…you need 2 hands for clipping on helmet), get bike, pick up shoes, push bike to exit and put on shoes just before exit…then ride away.

13

This assumes you’re not wearing socks. I’m not going to run to my bike in my socks.

I really think there’s a middle ground between your 2 minute T1 and 8+ minute T1. I trotted through the entire transition and I went as fast as I could. I knew exactly what I was going to do in order. I didn’t sit around pondering life, but I also didn’t run like a crazy woman (I probably would have fallen down and hurt myself!). I kept repeating Rich Strauss’ line of “Slow is smooth - Smooth is fast”. I had a 6:53 T1 and a 4:12 T2. Not super speedy, but not horrible either (I think).

14

i understand the importance of quick transitions. at my last race the SD international i had the fastest combined T1 and T2. its just i dont know how this whole process of getting your bag goes. i want my shoes to stay on my bike but i guess thats not possible? helmet has to be in a bag with shoes, sunglasses etc?