THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRIATHLON TRANSITIONS

You've started open-water swimming, spent hours on the bike and acclimatised to running on jelly legs. But what about transitions? The devil's in the detail here and those details could save you minutes on race day. So, here’s how to nail them...

-  NICK BEER & HELEN WEBSTER

There's no doubt about it - transitions are the fourth discipline when it comes to achieving your triathlon goals. Ever heard of the five Ps? 'Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance'. Not that we're about to go all business school on you, but if you spend a bit of time considering and practising the techniques talked about over the next few pages, you're going to have a much better (and faster) time come race day. So, without further ado, let's enter the world of transitions, dismounts, hacks and how to slip out of a wetsuit in under a minute...

BEFORE YOUR RACE

For the purpose of this feature, we're going to assume you already have all your kit packed for the race and have been organised the night before so nothing is missing (see 220tri.com for a handy list of everything you need to pack for race day though, if you need one). With that done, a couple of simple things can help make the first part of your race quicker and more comfortable:

Wear sunscreen

There's nothing more uncomfortable than waking up the day after a race with the unwelcome imprint of your tri-suit sunburned on to your body. This can be painful and delay your recovery. Before the race, generously apply waterproof high-factor suncream, focusing on your face, neck and shoulders. This will protect against the harmful UV rays that will be chasing you throughout the race. 

Apply lube 

Apply lube to your arms and legs before the race to create a frictionless surface. This will enable your neoprene wetsuit to glide on to your body with minimal effort. It'll help as you enter the chaotic buzz of T1, too, as the water-repellent lube will also help the wetsuit slide off just as quickly as when you put it on.

SWIM EXIT