- Transition
The Transition Area is the place where all an athlete’s equipment is stored. The athlete passes through the Transition Area twice during the event: Swim (or Run) to Bike and Bike to Run.
Every athlete has a spot in the Transition Area (organized by age-group) where their bike, helmet, shoes/socks, shirt, shorts, towel, and other essentials are located. The transition area is set up BEFORE the race starts.
The race itself begins at the pool. For the triathlon, following the swim, the athlete moves to the Transition Area where they remove any swim equipment such as goggles, quickly dry off, put on their helmet and shirt, and walk the bike to the Transition Area exit following the sign that says, “Bike Out”. For the duathlon, the athlete still moves to transition from the pool, but since they don’t swim, they won’t be wet.
NO BIKE RIDING IN TRANSITION
Bathing suit removal is not permitted. Athletes put on shorts and a shirt over their bathing suit with their race number pinned on in advance. Some athletes prefer to just put on a shirt (with number) and ride with bathing suits instead of shorts-over-suits.
Please note that USA Triathlon has a new rule: torsos must be covered. So the boys will have to wear a shirt over their swimsuit.
After the bike ride, the athlete returns to the Transition Area and walks the bike back to where their equipment is located. The bike is placed in the rack, helmet, and other riding equipment are removed, and the athlete prepares to run. Generally, young athletes ride their bikes in their running shoes so after removing the bike equipment they are ready for the run. Runners may jog to the “Run Out” sign in the Transition Area, watching for bikes and other runners.
PUT BIKE BACK IN ITS PLACE BEFORE GOING OUT ON THE RUN
The bike must be returned to the same location as the athlete started where all their other equipment is placed. Throwing a bike down in some random location is against the rules and will result in a time penalty of 1 minute.
NO OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE
There are many, many volunteers in Transition who will help your child if they can’t find their bike, need help tying their shoes or anything else they require. Outside assistance – being helped by someone other than a volunteer or other racer, is against the rules and is considered cheating. If a parent breaks this rule and sneaks into transition to help their child, the athlete will be disqualified. Please don’t do that to your child.
