Question about team triathlon

[SteveSteveson]

I think have managed to sucker two "friends" in to doing the crap bit of a triathlon for me, so hopefully I will be able to do my first race next year.

So, my question is, has anyone done one, and does anyone know what the rules are on warming up? Obviously I will be sat in the handover area for the swimmer to finish, but was wondering, does anyone know if you are aloud rollers to warm up, or if you normally warm up away from the handover area and go and wait for them whilst they finish their swim? I'd rather not set off cold if I can avoid it.

[upsidedownmark]

Which one?

Generally you'll handover in transition - there's rarely room to have people faffing about with rollers etc. I'd warm up away, and probably off the bike. Unless it's a longish distance you've not got that long to wait while they swim.

[sjg]

Relay triathlons are usually a bit of fun for people who can't be bothered to do it all themselves, aren't they?

They probably won't have room in transition for your team truck to park, or for your masseur to set up their table ether.

[bakerstreet]

sjg said:

Relay triathlons are usually a bit of fun for people who can't be bothered to do it all themselves, aren't they?

They probably won't have room in transition for your team truck to park, or for your masseur to set up their table ether.

Correct! I was asked to do the bike leg once, then my friends looked at the swim and din't like the look of that either and asked if I could do the swim instead. I then asked why they were bothering and whole idea went away

I found a half marathon much harder than a Triathlon and I wasn't in my best shape when I did my last Triathlon.

[JQ]

sjg said:

Relay triathlons are usually a bit of fun for people who can't be bothered to do it all themselves, aren't they?

This ^^^. I really can't imagine anyone doing the relay to be taking it seriously, it's normally for people too unfit to do the whole thing.

If you're fit enough to need rollers to warm up, why not just do the whole thing yourself?

The transition areas at triathlons are generally run with military precision - you'll get told off for touching your phone, taking your helmet off, and lots of other little rules - get you rollers out and they'd have a fit.

[SteveSteveson]

Ta. Thats what I thought. I just want to make sure I am not going in cold so I don't brake anything! Looks like I will just have to make sure I am warmed up enough before. I have never been to a triathlon before, and only ever seen the Olympic ones on TV, so have no idea what to expect at all.

It will be the Blenheim Palace one.

The reason I don't want to do it all myself is three fold. First, I can't really run (due to injury and basic lack of coordination when running), second, I don't like the idea of open water swimming, and finally me and some friends are entering a few teams and training together.

I think there may be an issue of me taking it a little too seriously, but hay, you ask me to race, I'm going to race.

[Vocal Minority]

I did one at the start of the month. I hate swimming with a passion so I did the biking bit, obviously.

Its quite a fun, easy going, social event to do.

If you try and have rollers in transition the likelihood is you will get in everyone's way, I wouldn't bother. Just have fun emptying the tank on the course!

[ALawson]

A team from work want me to do the Weymouth Ironman cycling leg, rather that then swimming or running.

£340 for team entry appears to be quite expensive!

[anonymous-user]

They could slap an "M-DOT" onto anything though and most triathletes would pay for it... I really dont like organisations which think they are bigger than the sport itself.

[Magic919]

There are areas just outside transition where you could use rollers. I certainly didn't see anyone warming up.

[Sarkmeister]

pablo said:

They could slap an "M-DOT" onto anything though and most triathletes would pay for it... I really dont like organisations which think they are bigger than the sport itself.

It's not even an M-Dot event, it's Challenge (I actually prefer Challenge events to Ironman ones)

[upsidedownmark]

ALawson said:

A team from work want me to do the Weymouth Ironman cycling leg, rather that then swimming or running.

£340 for team entry appears to be quite expensive!

Perhaps disturbing, but I'm thinking that 340 for a team entry for a long-course race is actually not bad, (especially given it's split between 3 people). I'm in complete denial about what it cost me to do Melbourne this year..

[Barchettaman]

Team triathlon is generally for the corporate, sociable, fat or injured athletes (I fall nicely into the last two categories). I do them with my wife - I swim/bike, she jogs. We have a laugh.

You'll look a little odd sweating on the rollers in transition, but hey, most triathletes look a bit weird anyway. Go for it. Give everyone a good giggle.

[anonymous-user]

SteveSteveson said:

I think have managed to sucker two "friends" in to doing the crap bit of a triathlon for me, so hopefully I will be able to do my first race next year.

So, my question is, has anyone done one, and does anyone know what the rules are on warming up? Obviously I will be sat in the handover area for the swimmer to finish, but was wondering, does anyone know if you are aloud rollers to warm up, or if you normally warm up away from the handover area and go and wait for them whilst they finish their swim? I'd rather not set off cold if I can avoid it.

The organisers will have some specific rules for the relay teams - available in the athletes' guide (published close ot the time of the event) or at the pre-race briefing.

From what I remember of that part of the briefings, the key thing is the handover of the timing chip. But subject to that, I vaguely understand that you're treated as any other competitor. Which, if so, means you will have to rack your bike in T1 with all the other bikes almost certainly by some point on the day before race day and leave it there overnight; you will be able to check it first thing on race day; there will come a point on race day when T1 will close - ie it will only be accessible to athletes transitioning from S to B or B to R; and when you enter T1 to start the bike leg you will be DQ'd if you move your bike before you've got your helmet on.

So I can't see how you're going to be able to warm up on your race bike. OTOH, if you have a second bike and a set of rollers, I can't see why you couldn't set that lot up 50m away from the chip handover point and warm up that way.

Or you could just MTFU, do the whole thing, or skip the warm up.

Bottom line

[upsidedownmark]

Greg66 said:

Which, if so, means you will have to rack your bike in T1 with all the other bikes almost certainly by some point on the day before race day and leave it there overnight; you will be able to check it first thing on race day; there will come a point on race day when T1 will close - ie it will only be accessible to athletes transitioning from S to B or B to R; and when you enter T1 to start the bike leg you will be DQ'd if you move your bike before you've got your helmet on.

For longer stuff, yes - the OP is doing blenheim which is a sprint - skip the day-before-racking stuff. But otherwise correct; you will have to be racked and sorted by a certain time, long before your first man/woman is in the water.