Silly Rookie Question

Hello, and welcome to BT!  Not a silly question at all.

I don't know anything about Savageman and how they setup their race, but, do you have a pair of triathlon shorts?  Bike shorts are going to have a much thicker chamois and would be a little more uncomfortable for the run, otherwise, swim trunks would be fine and you can be one of those hardcore triathletes, suffering with no protection during the bike.
Don't forget to apply some sort of protection, like chamois butter or Body Glide before the race (in the privacy of your bathroom or porta-potty) - to lessen the chance of chafing.

Good luck!

Gary -

I salute you for taking on such a tough challenge (which sounds to be your first tri?).  I'll be there too doing the SavageMan 70.0.

There's a thread dedicated to this race so you may want to check it out in the Irondistance forum. 

A few quick tips that I've picked up from the thread and the pre-race emails:

• Wear a full wetsuit (not sleeveless)
• DON'T wear your tri-top underneath the wetsuit, just your tri-shorts (not bike shorts).  It's supposed to be in the 40's in the morning, take a few extra minutes in transition to put on some extra clothing, especially a dry top.  We've got an 18 mile decent to start the bike and athletes have been known to catch hypothermia post-decent.  Don't chance it, dry yourself off and change into dry, warm clothes.  There is a clothing drop before we hit the first major climb (around mile 20) so make sure to carry your drop bag with you.
• Clothing should include, but not necessarily limited to:  Bike gloves, arm sleeves, vest or more if you're normally cold on the bike
• As others said, HYDRATE on the bike.  It'll be cold so it won't feel like you're sweating.  As the day wears on it'll warm up into the 60s and that hydration will be critical for the run.
• Nutrition:  I hope you've got your nutrition dialed in because we're going to need it.  Hammer gels and HEED will be on the course if you don't bring your own but make sure you're taking in enough calories throughout the day (200-300 calories / hour on average).

I'm stoked.  My training took a major derail in the last 3 weeks but hopefully I've gotten enough training in to finish.  That's all I'm looking for, get across that finish line!

Good luck! 

1. I wear a one piece tri suit under the wetsuit. I suggest tri specific shorts under the wetsuit.

2. No. It's everyone in there, outdoors, open for all to see. You could try the surfer under the towel trick but that will slow you down. It's hard to take off wet clothes, and hard to put on dry clothes when you're wet. Best to wear the same thing for the whole race. Is does get chilly in the morning this time of year in Western MD, and there will be shade and fast downhills early in the race. The RD will put the fear of hypothermia in you. I put on arm warmers last year but didn't really need them. Looks like it will be cooler this year though so maybe a long sleeve jersey, but when the sun comes out and you're climbing Killer Miller you will feel the heat

3. Relax and have fun. Savageman is a great race. It's damn hard, but the staff is great, the volunteers are great, most of the other racers are great, the scenery is great, the locals are great... you get the point.

Don't be too intimidate by The Westernport Wall. That's just a distraction to keep you from thinking about the miles of continuous climbing that follow. Pace yourself, spin your easiest gear, it's going to be a long hard day on the bike no matter what so just surrender to that and you'll be fine.

The run is no joke either. It's pretty hilly, with two climbs up a fire tower road that most cars couldn't navigate. Pace yourself there too.

When it's all over, go sit in the lake for a few minutes. That cold water will feel so good after 70 miles of savagery!

If you're doing Savageman as your first tri, you're either crazy or:

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strostertag:

Thanks for all the good info.  Unfortunately, I already have a sleeveless wetsuit.  However, based on your info, I did pick up a couple of arm warmers and some warmer bike gear today.  If, during the race, you start to wonder who I am, I'll be the guy cursing at himself for jumping straight to a half ironman rather than a sprint.

wbayek:

Yeah, its the first tri.  I guess I was never really the sharpest tool in the shed.  I considered the sprint, but thought: Why not swing for the fences?