Race Clothes

The ballet tutus, the ones you see in Swan Lake, are apparently the best. They are aerodynamic and can be worn for all three events. As for shoes, those big floppy clown shoes are great for the swim portion as they act like flippers. hee...hee...

Actually, tri-specific shorts dry quickly and can be worn for all three legs of the triathlon. The socks issue is a purely personal one; you will have to decide which you prefer. I, personally, would not run or cycle without socks because I care for my feet too much. A good running shoe with either stretchy laces or plastic chocs (locks) and cycling shoes with only one velcro strap will facilitate quick changes in the transition area.

Chad,
I will let you know what I use, but it will take some experimentation to see what works best for you.

I wear a female Tri Suit by Zootz to compete in for all three sports.
A Tri Suit cuts down on the amount of changing I have to do in the transition areas.
They make them for both men and women and are made of wicking material so they dry fast out of the water.

As far as socks, again it is personal choice, but I prefer to put socks on at T1 for the bike and run to decrease the possbility of blisters. I have NIKE cycling shoes for the bike that I use with my clipless pedals. TREK bike helmet.
Running shoes are ASICS Gel Kayano.

Chad,
I bought a QR trishort at a local bike shop and was very happy with them. See http://www.rooworld.com/shop/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=5

I used regular shorty cotton socks, but the real ticket was the use of speed laces for my sneakers. They make it so simple to slip on your sneakers and tighten the laces. I only have toe-clips on my Mnt Bike so I used my running shoes while on the bike. I had the speedlaces loose and when I got off the bike I simply tightened them up a bit and went out for the run.

Don

For Sprint triathlons, I will wear the DeSoto unisex tri short. It fits tightly and will be worn under the wetsuit. It has a small, unobtrusive pad for the bike portion. For Half IM I will wear DeSoto's Power Tri Short because it has a mesh pocket on the right leg that I can stuff gels into, and is also padded. I will not be wearing socks for the Sprints, but will wear socks for my half IM run. Bike shoes fasten with velcro, so they are easy to secure; I will be using speed laces for my running shoes, available at all shoe/sports stores. Will sprinkle a little baby powder into all shoes to make them easier to slip into. You've got lots of time, so may I suggest that you practice your transitions before Sept. Good luck!

anyone have any experience with tri briefs instead of what seem to be the more popular shorts? are there any benifits? drawbacks?

is it purely a matter of taste/fashion/confidence?