How do you dress for a triathlon?

Question

Do you bike and run in a wet suit, or what?

Answer 1

There are usually transition areas where you can set up shop so to say... That's where you put your bike, any clothes you want to change into, etc.

Answer 2

This is going to sound complicated, but I swear it's not.  There are also lots of variations on this, but this is a pretty typical plan.

You're base outfit (that you will keep on through out the race) will probably be tri shorts and a tri top or bike jersey.  Tri shorts are HIGHLY recommended because they dry quickly, have a little padding for the bike, but not so much you feel like you're running with a diaper on.  You should wear whatever top you want to wear for the bike ride during the swim.  It is very hard to put clothes on a wet body, and tri tops and bike jerseys are designed to dry quickly.

During the swim, you may wear a wet suit (unless the water is warmer than 78 degrees, but that's a whole other issue).  When you finish the swim and reach your transition spot, you will take off your wet suit.  You will then put on your helmet, socks (optional), sunglasses (optional) and shoes, grab your bike, and head out for the ride.

When you return to your transition spot after the ride, you will take off your helmet, change shoes (if needed), put on a hat (optional) and head out on the run.

Depending on the rules for you particular race, you will most likely need to have your race number visible for the run.  Some people use a race belt, others just pin it on the front of their top.  Either way is fine.

That said, at any given race you'll see lots of variations on this.  Practice what you plan to wear during training, so on race day you won't have any surprises.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

I've worn a one piece trisuit for 2 ironman races now and it has worked well - no clothing to add or take away.

One caution though. Go for a trisuit with a smooth seam under the arm, because any roughness there will chafe with a vengeance. I did a half IM race earlier in the year using some old training kit, ended up with underarms so sore they hurt for a week.  

Answer 4

For anything shorter than Half Ironman distance you usually don't change clothes.  For longer races you do change.