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My first Ironman - what to wear?

Hi there



With just over seven weeks to go I am still undecided as to what to

wear for my first ironman. Should I go all out for a long distance tri

suit or stick with seperate swim / bike / run kit? I use Assos bike and

Nike run kit so theres no worries about the quality and comfort of what

I have got. Will I sacrifice any comfort for the sake of quicker

transitions, although my aim is to finish I am looking to be in the 11

to 12 hour region. Any and all advice taken on board.



Been looking at Craft and Kiwiami suits by the way.



Any one else heading out to New Zealand?



Paul

Comments

  • At Austria last year I changed into cycling kit for the bike, then running kit for the run. This is because I wanted as much arse padding as I could get for the 112 miles on the bike. Ironman transitions take a stupidly long time if you're getting changed, especially if it's busy in the change tent. You could save yourself 10 minutes overall by not getting changed. At Nice this year I will be wearing a trisuit throughout, provided I can ride the distance on it in comfort. I will test this in training.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Iron John The advice that I was given was "wear TWO-PIECE suit so that if nature makes an urgent call you can answer it as fast as possible !" or words to that effect
  • LOL yeah sure - that sounds sensible, but I've never needed to put that advice into practice! One piece or two piece, the point still stands. If you can wear the same thing throughout the race then you will save a lot of time in transition.
  • I can see where your coming from on the two piece thing. I am going to have a look at some Craft kit (two piece) on Friday but I am also considering the Kiwami Kaiman (one piece). Any one got anything to add about either of them?
  • MikeyBMikeyB Posts: 135
    A tip I heard from a friend who has done a number of IM events is to wear a tri-suit and pull cycling shorts on over the top for the bike leg then take them off for the run. This gives you lots of padding for the bike but is still quick in transition.



    No idea whether it works and it's a while before I will be attempting any distance worth trying it. But if he said it works I expect he is right.



    Mike

  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Probably a silly question but how much emphasis is there on getting a quick transition in a full ironman.



    I guess it matters to those wanting to win but when I get round to it I was intending to spend as long as it takes to make sure i'm going to be comfortable for the next god knows how many hours on the bike.







  • It depends on your goal. If you have a goal of, say, 12 hours, and you end up doing 12:07, wouldn't you wish you hadn't got changed twice in transition?
  • I have bitten the bullet and ordered a one piece suit, a Kiwami Kaiman.

    Got great feed back and advice from them www.kiwami.fr



    As for the Craft gear, I couldn't get any info. Their web-site is about as much use as a chocolate fire guard and none of the UK dealers seem to be able get the kit anyway!



    Will let you know more once it arrives and have tested it in training.
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