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Tri suit for Half Ironman Advice

I'm doing my first half ironman next year and want to know what would be best to race in; tri suit under my wetsuit, one piece or two, should I change into bike gear then running or will one suit so the job, best suit for the race???

Oh and I'm female so underwear advice would be helpful too; I'm not top heavy but definitely can not go with some form of support!

Thank you!

Comments

  • Firstly, I'm a bloke so unfortunately you will have to look to other forumers for help on ladies underwear issues.

    I did a half last year and I used bibbed bike shorts under my wetsuit, and stuck a teeshirt over it and then did the whole bike-run in that. I did this mainly because I really appreciated the extra padding that bike shorts give on the longer cycle. I don't think that the padding got in the way on the run, but i'm sure if would have been easier had I not had the padding.

    I'm doing Staffordshire this year and I've invested in a tri suit. There are longcourse specific trisuits, and I would go solely for one of these. The main advantages are added pockets, and a bigger padding. 2XU do a good one, but then so do most of the companies offering trisuits.

    I don't know what your aspirations are. Mine was just simply to finish. And part of that was being comfy, which is why I went for the bike shorts.

    I think my absolute top tip would be this: Hold onto your money! I'd imagine you're going to be doing a couple of long brick sessions. Wear your current kit in those sessions and if they feel comfortable then just use that. If you feel like you might want to go down the tri-suit route then try that but leave enough time to get used to it before the event!

     

    Good luck ... it's the best feeling ever crossing that finish line!

  • risris Posts: 1,002

    hi nikki, welcome to the forum

    i think you can wear whatever you think will work for you and the way you want to race (comfort, speed, easy life, etc). i've raced half distance in a trisuit and did find it slightly annoying for taking a mid-race wee, but that was only the once and the rest of the race it was very comfy. i had worn it over shorter distance races and a few times in training so i knew i'd be ok over the bike and run distances (in terms of comfort). 

    personally, for MD, i'd go trisuit or 2-piece under the wetsuit and stay like that for the rest of the race. you could always grab a bike jersey in t1 if you think you'll be cold on the bike and take it off again in t2 (i've done this for early season middle distances, too).

    going longer i have done the bike shorts over the trishorts thing and i thought it worked really well. i'd definitely do it again if i was going to sit on a bike for 6h+ after going for a swim.

    some tri-suits/tops come with integral bust support but whether that does enough for you is entirely personal. lots of women seem to prefer wearing the support that works for them and let it dry as best it can on the bike/run. the longer the distance the more chance it will i guess.  whether you choose to match the colour to the trisuit is up to you! 

    i think tom is right about trying out what works for you, both in training and maybe in some shorter races before the middle. i hope you have a really good race - which one are you thinking of doing - staffs 70.3?

  • Sarah2Sarah2 Posts: 1

    Trisuit/2-piece under wetsuit is all part of the fun! You can always leave a cycling top/jacket at transition if it's cold.

    2-pieces are a bit more practical for loo stops, but I prefer trisuits because I find tops tend to ride up and annoy me. Whatever you get, definitely try a few on because padding, pockets and fit vary enormously. And before you take the tags off, try sitting on your bike in it - to check the seams don't sit where your saddle might rub and chafe.

    Re. underwear: I'm not top heavy either but always wear a sports bra underneath otherwise running is uncomfortable. Most suits say they have built in support but it's generally useless.

     

  • I'm doing Staffordshire too this year and again, I'm not a girl, so can't give any 'up top' advice, but I am ginger, so for me sun protection is going to be vital!

    I'm planning on wearing a one piece tri suit with a short sleeved compression tee under my wetsuit, putting on bib shorts and a cycle top in T1 (for comfort and sun protection) then taking them both off in T2 and completing the run in my tri suit and compression top. I've decided on a one piece tri suit as I've seen the horrendous sunburn you can get when your tri top rides up and creates a gap!

    I also burnt quite badly on my shoulders etc last year when I did the Salford Triathlon in torrential rain, so I do live up to the stereotype of gingers burning in all weathers!

  • I recommend a tri shorts for the swim then put cycle top on in T1 and change Ito tri top or wicking tee in T2. If you are happy in a wicking tee this will work out cheaper.
  • I am doing Ironman Staffs to so see you all there
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