I am not a fan of remote transition triathlons. You know, the races where T1 and T2 are in different locations and you have to spend much of race morning trying to figure out how to get your run gear to one place, your bike and swim gear to another, where to park, how early to begin this process, and stressing about if everything is in the right place.
I much prefer the traditional format of basing a triathlon around a single transition area. However, due to swim venue limitations, preferred finish locations, and opportunities to create unique and awesome races (Alpe d'Huez triathlon comes to mind) remote transitions are becoming a much more common triathlon format. This article will help you manage your remote transition race as effortlessly as a traditional triathlon.
More: 3 Triathlon Transition Secrets You May Not Know
The primary complication with remote transition races is no matter how many pre-race meetings there are, or how much information is put in the race packet, most athletes don't really know what's going on. Thus, step one in managing a remote transition race is understanding all the details. Such as:
Location
- Where are the two transitions exactly? If you don't know, go there the day before and check it out.
Scheduling
- How long will it take to get from one place to the other on race day?
- Will the roads be narrow and congested?
- Can you park at T2 and ride from T2 to T1 with your bike/swim gear?
- Will the race provide transportation from T2 to T1 so you can park at T2?
- When will the transitions close? (Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get things done)
- Most importantly, can you put gear in transition the night before the race? (If you can, you will want to)
