Tri-ing in the rain

[Grog]

Has any of you ever done a triathlon in the rain? Thank God the swim is indoors but I am starting to get concerned about the transitions (I don't mind cycling in the rain). It's currently raining/snowing at the same time and the forecast is not pretty for the next few days, and the event is Saturday...

Any advice will be much appreciated.

[Running Mommy]

Well, yeah I have, but it was a summer storm. In fact it was a THUNDERSTORM! I remember asking at the registration tent if the race was going to go on as planned despite the thunder and lightning and I remember the chick sayiing "oh YEAH. It just gives you more reason to swim and ride faster"!
But SNOW?? Ummm. No.. I would imagine that the transistions are going to be really slow as you'll need to bundle up. But I'd rather take extra time in the name of warmth..
Do you have tires that have some good tread on them? I'm sure you do seeing as where you live. I'd say just good solid tires and running shoes w/ lots of hearty tread is all you can really do.
Wow! A whole other twist on triathlon that's for sure! But almost sounds fun?? Remember the harder the race the more bragging rights you'll have at the end! Go out there and tear it up!!

[Lise]

Well that sucks! I'm impressed that you've got an outdoor tri in March in Vancouver anyways! I'd advise coming up with a way to keep your clothes DRY in transition--I find I can handle most temps as long as I'm dry. When is the swim portion--is it last? That would be OK. I just can't imagine coming out of the pool and running through the snow to transition! Stay warm and dry, ride more slowly if the roads are wet--and write us up the report!

Best wishes,

Lise

[Grog]

Oh oh!

Thanks ladies!

Just to clarify: there's certainly not going to be snow on the ground, nor will the temperature be below freezing level. It was mostly sunny or only cloudy for the past years at this triathlon. Weather in March in Vancouver is very often sunny in the 15 C range. This is not Montreal or Toronto!!!

We're just going through a stretch of a few days of cold rain so it may be an issue on Saturday.

I will indeed try to keep my clothes dry in there. Should I take a rain coat? The swim is at the beginning, so we have to run out of the (indoor) pool and to T1. There's a change tent in between, I will probably take an extra minute to dry myself and change to dry shorts (instead of keeping tri shorts on) if it's really cold and wet out there.

Brrr!

I WILL be bragging, don't you worry!

[Lise]

Hi, Grog, glad to hear there's not likely to be snow. I went and converted 15C (59F), and now I'm jealous! Are you sure Vancouver's not south of Chicago? I got all excited when I heard it was 42F (6C) out this morning, and started to run without a jacket--NO!--went back for a jacket! Still, warmer than the 26F (3C) when I went for a run in the snow on Monday.

OK. My experience: Dry off as much as you can, especially your hair. Put dry tech fabric clothes over whatever you can't change out of. Have gloves and good warm socks. And have a blast!

I've written before about how I did a tri last May and didn't follow my own advice--one of the most miserable, cold, wet bike rides of my life. I changed into my warm clothes for the run--almost didn't need them for that, because I heat up so much when I run. I'd say, if it's really 15C, that warm, you might sweat too much in anything waterproof for the run. You might want to wear a vented, waterproof jacket for the ride.

Looking forward to the report! Lise

[Grog]

Hi, Grog, glad to hear there's not likely to be snow. I went and converted 15C (59F), and now I'm jealous! Are you sure Vancouver's not south of Chicago? I got all excited when I heard it was 42F (6C) out this morning, and started to run without a jacket--NO!--went back for a jacket! Still, warmer than the 26F (3C) when I went for a run in the snow on Monday.

We're a bit further north, but the ocean plays a nice regulating role in our weather balance. It's never really cold around here. We did get a bad stretch of rain (26 days of rain, uninterrupted) late-December and January, but now it's (generally) better. I didn't stop riding all winter (but it did cost me about 200$ for fenders, including time and repairs) .

OK. My experience: Dry off as much as you can, especially your hair. Put dry tech fabric clothes over whatever you can't change out of. Have gloves and good warm socks. And have a blast!

Great advice! I'll do all that! You'll be the first informed of how it went!!!