Must haves for 1st Tri

swimsuit and goggles, bike and helmet, running shoes and something comfortable to ride and run in! That's all I had!

That's all I had for my first tri (sprint). Don't get bogged down in all the equipment out there before you know you are going to continue.

.then if you are going to add things people will say things like bike/ tri shorts for comfort and HR monitor for training and.....the list can be endless

You don't really need to fuel during a sprint tri but I like to have a sports drink rather than water on the bike to get some hydration and a few extra calories in - but train with it first to make sure your body can take it during some intensity.

Eat a good low fibre, high carb meal the night before and get up early enough to let a decent breakfast digest a bit.

Good luck and have fun!

DESIRE,

COMMITMENT.

and most of all,

the willingness to TRI!

Have a great day.

Your first question is one of the most common ones here, and your second question is probably only the second most common.

So, anyway: For your first question, it's good that you've made a distinction between what you "absolutely must have" for your first tri. Because there's lots of stuff you could want, but only a limited number of things that you need:

**Absolutely NEED**

1. A few pieces of clothing that you will feel comfortable swimming, biking, and running in. I do NOT recommend buying a bunch of tri-specific clothing for your first tri. See what you can find in your closet right now. For women, I recommend a swimsuit, then pull on a pair of shorts OVER the swimsuit in T1. This is a perfectly acceptable solution for a first tri; just make sure you're comfortable running in the swimsuit. (You could pull on a shirt over the swimsuit in T1 or T2, but I don't recommend it. It's difficult.)

2. Swim goggles.

3. Bike Helmet. ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, AND REQUIRED.

4. Bike. Anything will do; mountain bikes are slow but there's often a seperate mountain bike category. Huffy, Raleigh, Cervelo, Quintana Roo, hybrid or road or tri-specific. Just as long as it's safe for you and those around you.

5. Running shoes. Get real running shoes from a real running store; your knees will thank you.

**OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NICE TO HAVE BUT NOT NECESSARY**

1. A race belt. It's nice if you're doing several races; it's overkill for your first.

2. running hat; sunglasses; sunscreen

3. Body Glide

4. Tri-specific shorts or suit

5. Wetsuit

6. Unbelievably expensive tri-bike, wheels, other stuff ad infinitum.


** FOOD AND FUEL FOR SPRINT TRIS**

Well, for the answer to this, you have to figure out what your body needs. I eat as little as possible for breakfast before a sprint tri -- coffee and half a bagel and some water. You may need more. I don't eat much in sprints, maybe one gel. About a single bottle of water on the bike, and I stop drinking about 15-20 minutes before the run. More water if it's hot.

But that's MY nutrition plan, not yours. You have to figure out what YOU need, and the only way you'll do that is by practice. Do some long morning bricks, or maybe race-distance fast bricks, and see what your body wants.

Post-race? I eat everything that isn't nailed down.

Something I notice that is relatively new is if you use the race log functions here at BT there is a race day checklist....  Very helpful.

Remember to bring a change for clothes or something for after the race if you decide to wait for the awards ceremony.

There's really not much need for nutrition in a sprint.  You can get by with a lot less water than you think too.

Even if the Sprint may take up to 1 hour 45 minutes?