Hello everyone.
IMCDA will be my first IM race, and I need your suggestions base on your past races, what items do you recommend to add on each bag. I really don’t want to screw-up these bags
• Swim to bike transition:
• Bike to run transition:
• Bike special needs:
• Run special needs:
• Dry clothes bag:
swim to bike:
-helmet
-sunglasses-gloves-food-race belt
-bike shoes
-anything else you want on the bike
Bike to run:
-visor
-socks
-running shoes
-food
Bike special needs:
-spare tube
-spare co2
-food
Run special needs:
-Red bull
-food
Dry clothes bag:
-dry clothes
-cell phone (so you can drunk call everybody after you finish the race)
.
Here’s a check list I used for Moo. Your mileage may vary:
SWIM TO BIKE TRANSITION BAG
Bicycle shorts
Bike helmet
Race shirt (Short or long sleeve depending on weather)
Socks
Bicycle shoes
Sunglasses
In jersy pockets
Gels
Chap stick
Termolytes
Repair kit (Either in jersey pocket or prepared on bike)
1 Inner tube
1 CO2 Cartridge
Tire inflator
Tire levers
PREPARED ON BIKE
3-hour Infinit Bottle
Water bottle
Cycle computer (Reset before start)
BIKE SPECIAL NEEDS BAG
3-hour InfinIT Bottle
Gels
Thermoytes
1 Pack Pringles
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
1 Inner tube
1 CO2 Cartridge
BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION BAG
Running shoes
Running socks
Running singlet
Tri shorts
Race number belt (with gels)
Bottle with Infinit
Thermoyltes
RUN SPECIAL NEEDS BAG
Gels
Bottle with Infinit
Thermolytes
Long Sleved Shirt (Depending on weather)
Dry Socks (If rain is expected)
Toss a single serving tube of chamios butter in every bag. You never know when chafing will hit and it will be most welcome if you need it.
Also, if you know ANYONE who is a doctor or a nurse and is going to CDA, have them bring you an IV bag for after the race, it makes recovery so much sweeter!
Dave
One more you hope not to need in your special needs bag: spare tire. I had a friend that got a 3" slash during his first IM. He booted it with a Powerbar wrapper to get back to special needs and swapped the tire for the second loop. Anyway, better safe than sorry.
Do you have to check all that stuff the day before the race? If so how would you keep the red bull/fluids cold, or does it not matter? Do you just fill up your bike water bottles the morning of the race or do you have to have them filled prior to checking?
My dumb question of the day…
What do you do with your bike helmet after riding and/or the socks, etc you had with you on the bike? What if you had a clean pair of sunglasses in your T2 bag, can you get your dirty glasses back somehow?
Sorry if these are really dumb questions…
Bob
You stuff your bike things (including helmet) in your bike to run transition bag in T2. Yes, you get your transmition bags back (but not necessarily your special needs bags).
get in your room alone lay out all your bags and mentally go through it, a few times. You will pick up your bag after you swim. your wet suit goes in and your helmet shades and shoes come out, and whatever else you need. Your bottles will be on your bike because you have placed them there already. Your special needs bags will also have any fluids that you have added in the am. You will have time to add bottles to your bags in the morning and check over bike. When you hand off your bike you will get your bag with your running gear, have a seat take a piss lol. your special needs bag on the bike you do NOT get back, on the run you do so if you put a warm shirt in it you will get it back. Make sure the bag you have with your clothes from the morning has just that, warm clothes. It was cold and rainy last year at the end of CDA, I stayed to watch friends cross and I was freezing. My cell phone was dry in a plastic bag. you can get that bag as soon as you finish, it will have your nice wet wetsuit all balled up in it hahaahh .
so from reading this thread, in US races you don’t (cant?) have helmets & shoes on the bike?
You check your swim-to-bike and bike-to-run bags (and your bike) the day before the race. Special needs bags are checked the morning of the race.
As for keeping things cold, my suggestion would be to just not bother and get used to warm stuff. It makes training and racing a lot less complicated and if it’s pushing 90 on race day, almost nothing you can reasonably do to your special needs bags is going to keep anything cold for the 9-12 hours it takes most of us to get to the run special needs.
so from reading this thread, in US races you don’t (cant?) have helmets & shoes on the bike?
yes not allowed here not real sure why but i believe it has to do with inexperinced athletes trying to get into shoes clogging up line???
Depends it you are “racing” or “participating”…
In addition to some of the items above, I pack a small towel in both bags. T1 is to dry off to make things go on easier (providing I change) and T2 is to get the grime off my legs before I put socks on.
One more thing to take…Toilet roll! At IM Switzerland they ran out about 15mins before the start - NOT PLEASANT! on that note try to go before you get there - the queue and smell is disgusting!!!
I also put a small pot of vaseline in the run bag, in case of chaffing.
Also, at the end of the bike, try to collect as many empty water bottles as poss, and throw them to family etc and prime them to collect them up as well - good souvenirs, and save some $$ at the same time!
Correct. The reason is because they unrack your bike for you and have it waiting for you at the end of your rack when you get there. There would be helmets falling all over the place if you left it on your bike. As for shoes, the other poster got it right, for US IMNA races with 2000+ participants T2 and the bike mount area is way too crowded for people to be trying to get their feet into pre-mounted shoes.
• Swim to bike transition:
• Bike to run transition:
• Bike special needs:
• Run special needs:
• Dry clothes bag:
See you in Idaho…
• Swim to bike transition:
→ cycling shoes, sunglasses, butt cream, small sample sun screen, spare tire and hand pump (to put in my back pocket jersey), jersey (made the mistake to not wear the jersey during the swim)
• Bike to run transition:
→ running shoes, socks, running short and t-shirt (decided to change clothes), cap, small sample sun screen
• Bike special needs:
→ treat for my daughter, two bottle of INFINIT, extra spare tire
• Run special needs:
→ Not used
• Dry clothes bag:
→ Whatever I had on me the morning. Do not forget a fleece, you will be cold!
Fred.
If you’d like my super-duper checklist of Ironman stuff that includes a mock schedule for the week of, what goes into the bags, and everything you might want to think of packing, PM me with your EMAIL ADDY and will send to you. It’s worked for many folks.
get in your room alone lay out all your bags and mentally go through it, a few times.
I did exactly that. In fact I requested a room with two beds specifically so I could lay my crap out on one bed and sleep in the other. I actually have photos of it I could post if anyone cares. It looks pretty damn funny in hindsight.
Edit: OK, by request. Go ahead - critique my hotel room
yeah I had a big room with plenty of floor space, gonna do same thing this year
.