I am training hard to compete in my first ever Tri at Mooloolaba and was hoping someone might be able to offer some advice re:clothing. Is it possible to wear riding knicks for the swim? or does this mean you'll be wet and uncomfortable for the ride and run?
Also, does anyone have any general words of advice for a new comer to Tri's?
Thanks for the help!

hi mackatelli and welcome to cool running. Check out the beginner tri thread and what to wear in tri thread that have been ging for a while now. Others have asked the above questions and questions you may not have thought of yet
Cheers

mackatelli

you might want to think about doing a sprint tri or two in the lead-up to Moolloolaba. It will help iron out some of kinks and unknowns when it comes to tris. Doing an olympic distance for your first tri is a pretty massive leap.

Like Sunset has said it's a good idea to enter a couple of shorter races to sort out what works for you. I really like the Bribie Island races as practise events. Safe, well organised, casual and well timed for the lead up to Mooloolaba. They can also either be really short (enticer races) or up to 1/28/8 in distance (perfect practise for Mba). They are organised by The Run Inn at Enoggera and you can google all the info.

USM also organise the Gatorade series and Luke Harrop memorial race at the Goldy. A bit more commercial but still well run and good practise.

As for clothing I would recommend at least getting a pair of tri shorts rather than bike pants as they are better for swimming and running. If you don't want to pay for a top you will get one in your race kit anyway that is perfectly usable.

General word of advice for a newcomer? As a minimum you should be able to complete the proposed distances separately in training and you should then be ok for the race and when you put them all together.

Just like Will doing Gold Coast HIM for his first tri!

And he nailed it!!

If you're coming from a solid running background, (marathon or even half marathon) racing an ODTri as your first tri should not be a problem. By all means do a few shorter races before Mooloolaba if you can, but if expense, opportunity or other factors prevent you from doing so, I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Sure, you will improve with experience in triathlon, however there are numerous sources of info (books, mags, Transitions, CR, etc) regarding how to prepare for and race your first tri, which will minimise the chances of any major mishap. Like seriously, what is the worst that can go wrong? If you think ODTri is the challenge for you, I say go for it.

My first tri was 1.6/30/11 or thereabouts (can't remember exactly, it was 1985). Back then, most triathletes debuted at similar distances, because the only other option was to race something longer. "Sprint" triathlons in those days took your average competitor 2.5 or 3 hours. Now the sport is far more accessable to a broader section of the community. Certainly, that's a good thing, however some newbies prepare at length and with consistancy to complete the "enormous" task of their first triathlon, only to cross the finishline with a feeling of "I should have raced weeks ago, I was ready to be a triathlete then!" or "That was over in a flash, I should have raced the longer event."

My favourite debut triathlon story is that of Uncle Dave. He chose the Sri Chinmoy Three Day Ultra Triathlon as his first triathlon. 15km swim, 400 cycle and 100km run, contested in a stage format, so you could grab some rest in between disciplines. If you weren't too slow. A few weeks later Dave was set to back up for his second triathlon, an Olympic Distance race. A few days before the ODTri, my phone rings and it's everyone's favourite Uncle, now a hardened triathlete with over 500km of triathlon experience. "Hey Paul, what do I have to do in the transition area?"

But to the original question from Mackatelli? A pair of tri knicks is a good bet for the event. They will minimise the risk of chaffing and you won't even notice if they are wet on the bike and run.

It was Port HIM actually, but not much difference.

I agree with Paul. Don't stress about your first one. Just have a go and enjoy it! You'll make mistake, but this is what makes the good memories. Just don't rush in transition and you'll be fine.

For my first one, I had a tri top and tri shorts, that I kept the whole way (under the wetsuit for the swim). If it is a no wetsuit swim, just wear the shorts and put a singlet on in T1.

Thank you all for the feedback!

Paul, you've made me feel a whole lot better about starting with an ODTri. I'm going to give it my best and have fun while I'm at it!