A triathlon is a multi-event competition consisting of swimming, cycling and running in a continuous sequence. Taking part in a triathlon is extremely physically demanding and a specially designed wetsuit has numerous benefits which include the following:
- The buoyant properties of a wetsuit help lift your body out of the water so you expend less energy.
- A triathlon wetsuit is also designed to assist in better swimming form and technique for beginners.
- Wetsuits are designed to make a person more hydrodynamic in the water by reducing drag while swimming, helping you to swim faster.
- A wetsuit can provide warmth in cold water swimming. The neoprene used to make wetsuits naturally adds warmth, though wetsuit makers primarily design for performance and buoyancy.
- A well designed triathlon wetsuit should help you through a transition faster than a diving or surfing wetsuit.
- Triathlon wetsuits are designed to increase flexibility, ease and speed of movement.
A triathlon wetsuit should fit snugly and there should be no folds. Folds should only show at the underarms. Most of all it should be comfortable.
Getting a wetsuit on can be something of a challenge, especially the first time. In order to get your wetsuit on you should:
- slide your feet through the wetsuit, placing leg openings well above the ankle bone;
- fold the wetsuit inside out so you can pull from the inside and avoid neoprene tears;
- inch the wetsuit up as high to the crotch as possible. Check that seams are correctly placed
- roll the wetsuit up above the waist. Smooth out wrinkles. Put on sleeves one at a time. Push one hand out the sleeve, using the other hand to push the sleeve up well past your wrist, snug under the armpit, and above the shoulders. Repeat for other sleeve;
- bend forward to gather the neoprene around your stomach and pull towards your neck; and
- zip the back and velcro the neck strap.
A wetsuit will be tightest the first time you try it on. Wetsuits arrive from the manufacturer completely dry. Remember when trying on a wetsuit that it will loosen up once it soaks up water. Remember, if it is loose when it is dry, it will be even looser when it is wet.
New wetsuits that have not been used in a long while need to be 'warmed-up'. That is to say you need to give it a good soaking or go for a light swim. The wetsuit retains water even when dry so when you leave it out for a long time the water evaporates and this can make the wetsuit feel more restrictive.
Store your wetsuit by putting stuffing (i.e. newspaper) into the suit when wrapping it up for a long period of time. Also, be sure that the wetsuit is rinsed out and dried before storing it. Try to avoid hangers if possible as it may stretch out the wetsuit over long periods of time and leave creases.
Triathlon Wetsuit Checklist
- Gaps and loose fitting areas may cause chafing.
- A wetsuit that is loose when new will become looser with wear. Neoprene is a stretchable fabric that loosens with wear and relaxes in water. A wetsuit will become looser the more you train in it, which is another reason to train in your wetsuit before your next event.
- A looser suit is more prone to carrying water which will cause you to pull more weight or create drag. A slightly looser fit may therefore cause you to suffer in performance.
Triathlon Shoes
Triathlon shoes are similar to other forms of cycling shoe used in racing, with automatic binding cleats that snap the cyclist's feet to the pedals. They may be padded to allow comfortable use without socks, have holes to allow water from the swim to drain easily and have one or two velcro straps (for ease of fastening) rather than the three straps, laces, or ratcheting buckles found on modern road racing shoes. It is not uncommon for the Velcro straps used to close from the outside of the foot inwards. This non-traditional configuration keeps the opened straps away from the chain.
Many competitive triathletes choose to leave their shoes clipped onto the pedals for the entire duration of the race in order to save time during transitions. This means the athlete is jumping onto the bike with wet, bare feet after the swim, and will pedal up to a reasonable speed with their feet sitting on top of the shoes, before pausing to slip the feet inside the shoes and fasten them. Likewise, the athlete will pull his or her feet out of the shoes while coasting up to the bike-run transition area and run barefoot into the transition corral rather than attempt to run on the metal cycling cleats.
Triathletes often lace their running shoes with elastic shoelaces. This allows them to pre-set the tension of the laces but then to pull on the shoes without stopping to tie the laces. This saves a few seconds of time during the bike-to-run transition.
Holes in the sole of the shoe
Shoes with holes in the bottom allow water to drain out so that they do not become saturated and heavy, which can happen in long races like Iron-Man and Half-Iron-Man and which can become very painful. Triathlon running stages are generally held later on the day compared to running races, creating a hotter temperature. Certain triathlon specific brand shoes already have holes in them for drainage.
Compression Clothing, Base Layers and Sports Nutrition are all also utilised by triathletes.