Okay, since this is my first Ironman/Iron-distance race, I won’t pretend to be an expert on how it all works.
So, I will just detail how this race works with regard to transitioning from swim to bike to run.
By 4:00 pm on Saturday, all bikes must be placed in the transition area.
The same tent where we had our Welcome Dinner is now the transition changing area. We are given 5 color-coded bags. Here is the breakdown:
Bike Gear Bag
Run Gear Bag
Special Needs Bike Bag
Special Needs Run Bag
Morning Clothes
Seems pretty self-explanatory, right?
Bike Gear Bag: I have to put everything I will need for the bike. This includes bike shoes, toe covers (it might be cold in the morning), socks, heart rate monitor strap, helmet, bike gloves (I actually purchased full gloves at the expo because it will be chilly in the morning), arm warmers, a Ziploc bag of Chamois butter, sunglasses and a Honey Stinger gel. It’s hard to figure it all out so far in advance.
Run Gear Bag: I have to put everything I will need for the run. This includes my running shoes, my Garmin 910xt, some gel blocks, a new pair of socks, a running hat, another pair of sunglasses (not sure why), another Ziploc bag of chamois butter, and maybe some other stuff that I truly cannot remember anymore.
The Special Needs bags are available to you at the halfway point in both the bike and the run. I don’t even know if I’ll need it, but I packed an extra inner tube and CO2 cartridge and another Ziploc bag of Chamois butter in my Bike Special Needs bag. In the Run Special Needs bag, I put in yet another Ziploc bag of chamois butter and another sleeve of gel blocks.
The Morning Clothes bag is for you to place the clothes you wear to the swim start before you don your wetsuit. Depending on where you are staying or if you have family and friends watching you, you might want something dry to put on after you finish. I am not using my Morning Clothes bag as Leland will have something warm for me to wear.
So, that’s it. It was a lot of planning and organizing, but it’s done. Once you put your bike in transition and your bags in the tent, you’re good to go!