Timothy Carlson
From the first triathlon held in San Diego’s Mission Bay on September 25, 1974, through the very first Hawaii Ironman held in February 1978, there was no standard of equipment for this new sport that combined swim, bike, and run. This might have been the very best thing for the long-term growth of triathlon.
Whereas cycling, swimming, and running had long traditions and carefully crafted technical rules, the first triathlons were spontaneous, improvisational happenings that drew an eclectic group of can-do athletes seeking an informal challenge. Those first events offered simple rules and welcomed a run-in-what-ya-brung, can-do attitude. “In the long run, that absence of predefined triathlon gear set the stage for a spirit of innovation that pervades the sport today,” says two-time Ironman winner and technical expert Jordan Rapp (personal communication).
The sport offered a clean slate and became famous as the sport of early adopters—smart athletes eager to seek out and use the latest in technological innovation. Sometimes, triathlon pioneers led the way. Other times, they helped tweak and refine the original innovations. And always, triathletes just found the best stuff in other areas and put it to good use.
Technological Milestones Key to Triathlon Development
Although one of the attractions of triathlons from the beginning was the thrill of meeting the challenge of various distances, from Ironman to sprint, the sport would not have reached its current state of worldwide popularity without some key inventions that made it more accessible to the ordinary human. When Dan Empfield developed the swim-specific wetsuit that not only guarded against hypothermia but also offered built-in buoyancy, it opened the gates for weak-swimming beginners to survive in oceans and windswept lakes.
Electrolyte-replacement sports drinks and energy gels not only helped elite triathletes go faster but also made it possible for athletes of modest talents to take on heroic training distances and finish long races without fear of collapse. Heart rate monitors and cycling power meters offered biofeedback that helped pinpoint optimal training intensities, giving triathletes at all levels a higher rate of success that kept them in the game. And given triathlon’s primary focus on nondrafting cycling, the efficient seat angle of triathlon-specific bikes and aerobars and aero wheels were energy-saving, speed-enhancing tools that made the sport more comfortable, faster, and more fun. Taken as a whole, it seems likely that without those new products, triathlon’s gateway would have been far narrower, and swim–bike–run would still be a cult activity for the few.
Triathlon Bikes
While sponsoring competitors in his wetsuits, Quintana Roo owner Dan Empfield noticed that women had a hard time getting a good fit on bikes equipped with the new aerobars, which made the frame too long from the bottom bracket to the front axle. Inspired by his initial desire to help level the gender gap in bike design, Empfield found himself rethinking bike design from the ground up for triathlon time-trial riding. “I was riding with Boone Lennon’s aero bars and it occurred to me that the fastest thing about the bike was the aero bars,” he told Jason Sumner of Inside Triathlon (2007a). “So instead of aero bars being a component of the frame, why not build a frame that optimized the bars?” To make everything fit, Empfield decided to shrink the whole bike proportionately, using 26-inch (650 mm, or 650c) wheels fore and aft.
While racing himself, Empfield found the Scott DH bars uncomfortable, and he thought the saddles needed to be farther forward than on road bikes. In 1988, Empfield decided to steepen the seat angle. His first effort, the Quintana Roo Superform, had an 80-degree seat angle, which he later reduced to 78 degrees. Ray Browning debuted the Superform with a dominant victory at Ironman New Zealand, putting 30 minutes on cofavorites Scott Tinley and Richard Wells.
Aerobars
In 1987, ski equipment designer and bike racer Boone Lennon adapted and improved on the first wide-grip aerobars made by Richard Bryne for use by Chris Elliott in the 1984 Race Across America and improved by 1986 RAAM winner Pete Penseyres, who added armrests with handholds on a platform in front of the handlebars. Lennon’s version made the most difference in speed, putting the rider in the flat-back, narrow-shoulder aerodynamic tuck position of a downhill ski racer. Lennon patented his aerobar design and sold it to Scott USA. In 1988, Profile put big money into marketing and sponsored top triathlon pros such as Mike Pigg, and sales took off. In 1989 Greg LeMond used Scott aerobars for his last-day time-trial heroics and came from behind to win the Tour de France by 8 seconds.
Affordable Disc Wheels
Although companies such as JDisc developed inexpensive plastic wheel covers to fit over normal bicycle wheels and improve aerodynamics, it took innovative designer Steve Hed of Minnesota to take space-age materials such as carbon fiber and turn them into affordable and fast time-trial weapons. When Italian Francesco Moser broke cycling’s 1-hour time-trial world record in 1984, Hed thought the $6,000 price tag on the wheel was bad for the sport. “I was worried about the rich doing too well,” said Hed, who then proceeded to tinker with different designs and materials, fashioning his first disc wheel for $395 (2007a). Hed sold his bike shop to launch a bicycle wheel business and created a first mold by hand. He built the first deep-dish carbon wheel and followed with a variety of dish wheels of normal depth that have remained a standard of the cycling and triathlon world for 20 years.
Triathlon-Specific Wetsuits
In 1987, bike racer and triathlete Dan Empfield saw Scott Tinley was using a thick, bulky, constricting surfing wetsuit on bone-chilling days and still matched his warm-water, nonwetsuit swim times. “I reasoned that if you produced a wetsuit that had swim-specific characteristics, you could actually make it easier for people to swim in cold water without the wetsuit being a detriment,” said Empfield (2007b). When surf wetsuit manufacturer Victory allowed Empfield to putter around their factory in Huntington Beach, he came up with a winning formula: Thinner, more flexible material in the shoulder. A smooth, hydrodynamic exterior and thicker material in strategic areas to improve flotation and correct poor body position. Ease of exit and a closed neck so no water flowed into the body. When he tried out that prototype suit, Empfield told Sumner (2007b), “I swam 100 yards and was 7 seconds faster than I would have been without the suit. Right then I knew what I would be doing for the next 10 years.” Empfield’s Quintana Roo wetsuits encouraged countless newcomers to join the sport by making life comfortable in cold water and also making everyone, especially swim slugs, faster. Furthermore, the world-record-smashing Fastskin swimsuits that dominated the Beijing Olympics—and were subsequently outlawed—operated on the basic principles of the triathlon wetsuit.
Cycling Power Meters
In 1986, the SRM [Schoberer Rad Messtechnik] Training System made it possible to measure power in watts while cycling on roads and not just in the lab. Before founding SRM, medical engineer Ulrich Schoberer spent years thinking up ways to measure an athlete’s power output on the pedals. Once Schoberer devised a special bottom bracket that could measure power at the point where output occurs, constant development has made it possible to record a complete record of power output versus speed, distance, and heart rate throughout the ride. The cycling power meter became popular in the late 1990s when word got out that Lance Armstrong used it as a key element of his training and racing. Since then the power meter has become an essential tool for elite cyclists and triathletes.
Heart Rate Monitors
In 1978, the Finnish company Polar Electro Oy developed their first heart rate monitor with a cable-connected chest belt. By 1984, Polar had developed a small monitor worn like a watch on the wrist with a transmitter attached to the chest. This groundbreaking model gave an accurate heart rate measure that worked in real-life training conditions, thus revolutionizing training and fitness assessment. From 1984 on, triathletes and their coaches were among the very first to use this valuable new tool, which offered unmatched precision in determining the most efficient aerobic and anaerobic training levels.
Endurance Sports Drinks
In the mid-1960s, Dr. Robert Cade developed a drink he called Gatorade to counteract dehydration in the University of Florida football team. Gatorade was bought in 1967 by Stokely-Van Camp and immediately marketed nationwide. In 1969, San Diego marathon runner and trained biochemist Bill Gookin tinkered with the Gatorade concept to make a drink that more closely matched the concentrations of glucose and ions (sodium and potassium) lost in exercise to the actual concentrations found in the fluids and blood of fit runners. He also added magnesium and vitamin C and took care to find the right pH to avoid gastric distress. His brew, called Gookinaid (now Hydralyte), was used by the San Diego Track Club at the first triathlon in 1974 and by Ironman Hawaii in 1981; it provided a crucial step in the refinement and development of the modern electrolyte-replacement drinks critical for triathlon’s endurance athletes.
Energy Gels
In the early 1980s, Dr. Tim Noakes, a famed sport physiologist from the University of Cape Town, developed a long-chain carbohydrate polymer that had a lower osmolality, which meant that higher concentrations of water and energy could be absorbed by the body during intense exercise. After some trials, Noakes and Leppin devised the ideal form—concentrated liquid in plastic. From that, it was packaged in rip-open plastic similar to fast-food ketchup packets. Soon, innovative triathletes were ordering the Leppin Squeezy. By the mid-1990s, Brian Maxwell’s partner at PowerBar, UC Berkeley PhD in biophysics and medical physics William Vaughan, further advanced the energy gel formula with his groundbreaking Gu energy gel.
Although these key innovations helped launch the sport, the sheer volume and intensity of change have just kept on accelerating into the 21st century, with new materials and high-tech, digital concepts rocketing the triathlon envelope into orbit in a constant technical revolution.
Choosing Gear for Your Skill Level
Even if you had an endless cash flow, it would not make sense to breeze into a high-end triathlon store and buy the Ferrari of bikes, NASA-level heart rate monitors and power meters, super-slick aerodynamic helmets, complex reinforced running shoes, and all the advanced gear the sport has developed for its most accomplished and experienced practitioners. First of all, triathlon equipment at all levels offers so many choices and answers so many comfort and performance questions that starting off with some basic, safe, and reasonably serviceable swim, bike, and run gear gives everyone the opportunity to discover just what is important to them—as well as fits the wallet.
One of the wonderful things about triathlon is that the sport offers thrills and emotions during the most humble first-time race that are often just as great as the exultation experienced by an Ironman winner. And it would be a shame to discourage anyone from experiencing his first triathlon by making him think he has to keep up with the demographic elite just to try it out. A first triathlon can be done with a few well-worn items found in the garage and in the old clothes bin, and it’s arguably a better way to start. But as the beginner evolves into an intermediate and then to an expert and elite athlete, the fine equipment the sport has produced becomes an increasingly reasonable and worthwhile investment.
Beginners
Maybe you saw the NBC Ironman broadcast or the Olympic triathlon. Maybe you saw bikes whizzing by at a small local sprint triathlon, or an army of swimmers, bikers, and runners invading a big-city triathlon. And once you saw the smiles and exuberance at the finish, you had an inexplicable urge to join the parade. No matter, the spark caught fire, and you were determined to join the estimated quarter million active triathletes in the United States—or at least put your toe in the water. So what kind of stuff do you need, and where do you get it?
You might be stunned to hear that some studies in a demographic analysis of the triathlon market claim that the median income of a triathlete is in six figures and that the mythical average triathlete spends from $2,000 to $5,000 a year on equipment, much of it bright, shiny, exotic, jewel-like, high-tech gear. So what about starving students or hard-working family men and women on a tight budget who want to give triathlon a try? Not a problem. Actually, a survey of the 135,000 members of USA Triathlon (2009) showed that the average active triathlete spent about $150 a year on swimming equipment, roughly $350 a year on cycling equipment (excluding bicycles), and $200 a year on running equipment.
For starters, once you find a small short-distance local triathlon that is not sold out well ahead of time, you can satisfy your impulse quickly and barely dent your wallet. If you are blissfully immune to status or performance anxiety, the core joy and exhilaration are to be had without the trimmings. There are two skill sets you cannot do without—you must know how to swim and ride a bike. Beyond that, the bar is low. If the water is not too cold, you can do a triathlon in surfer board shorts; old sneakers; a rusty, mud-streaked mountain bike; a well-worn softball T-shirt; and, of course, your U.S. CPSC–approved bicycle helmet, which is a USA Triathlon safety requirement. But if you want to arrive at your first start line reasonably well equipped for the challenge, there are many options. First off, do not go on a spending spree for your first race. Until you’ve trained a while and raced a few times, you will not know what you really want or need.
Thanks to the growth of the sport and the Internet, there are many ways to find out about local races. Perhaps the best way is to join a triathlon club in your hometown. Race size ranges from a few dozen like-minded souls to 1,000 to 3,000 in the well-established clubs in the biggest cities. If you are lucky enough to live in one of these major cities, established triathlon clubs are a great source of information (and coaching) as well as a great source of used equipment because members are constantly turning over excellent bikes. Another resource is the triathlon forums. The largest, Slowtwitch.com, has more than 14,000 knowledgeable forum contributors who share expertise and advice on any legitimate questions posed. For the face-to-face, personal touch, established cycling shops and multisport and triathlon shops are great. Although all are happy to sell you equipment, almost all of them will offer good basic advice knowing that if they steer you right, you will come back. In addition, eBay, classifieds, and triathlon shops offer used gear, and some have rentals.
Swim Gear for Beginners
For the sprint triathlons held in warm water with a distance of 200 to 500 meters, you can consider thrashing through the swim in a bathing suit or bike shorts. For many triathlons, the water will be 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) or less, and a triathlon wetsuit is a very good idea both for flotation and warmth. Although the best wetsuits cost from $450 to $650, you can rent a good one from a local triathlon shop for $25 to $60 for one race. Some very good Internet sites offer excellent wetsuit rentals for $45 with convenient FedEx and UPS delivery. They also sell used wetsuits for anywhere from $50 to $150. If you are lucky enough to have a triathlete neighbor your size, you could borrow one as well. No-sleeve models (Farmer Johns) are good if the water is relatively warm because they are easier to take off, but they take on water and make you work harder. If the water is 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) or below and the swim is half a mile (800 m) or longer, a full-length wetsuit is worth the trouble. Most of all, said famed triathlon coach Joe Friel in a telephone conversation, “Find out what you like and don’t like about the wetsuits you try out before buying one.”
Although you may swim without goggles, the cost–benefit ratio of buying a pair, which may cost between $12 and $35, is very good. Why? There can be a lot of turbulence on the swim, and you won’t have to close your eyes, especially in saltwater, if you are wearing goggles. In addition, they are a great aid for navigating around the buoys and keeping your eyes from stinging in heavily chlorinated pools. But try on all the brands in the store, because goggle fit varies widely from person to person and from brand to brand.
Bike Gear for Beginners
Although you can do a triathlon on a bike that has been gathering dust in your garage or is borrowed from a neighbor, you can rent or buy a well-maintained used triathlon bike for a reasonable fee. But before you pull the trigger, said Ironman pro Jordan Rapp in a telephone conversation, “Get a fit first. Don’t buy a bike first and then try to make it fit.” For the beginner, the best strategy is to find a bike shop or a triathlon or multi-sport store and have a qualified mechanic measure you to determine what size bike frame you will need. With rentals and used bikes, you will likely have to start with just the basics—a rough fit measuring your height and inseam. Larger folks, say a 6-foot, 5-inch (196 cm) man with a 35-inch (89 cm) inseam, would generally take a 60 to 62 cm frame (23.6 in to 24.4 in). A 5-foot, 10-inch (178 cm) man with a 32-inch (81 cm) inseam would probably take a 55 to 56 cm (21.6 in to 22 in) frame. A 5-foot (152 cm) woman with a 29-inch (74 cm) inseam might take a 42 to 44 cm (16.5 in to 17.3 in) frame. After your first triathlon, a more thorough, careful bike fit by qualified personnel such as a certified Retul fitter; or a technician at a sports medicine lab such as the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine; or a well-regarded, trained, and certified bike fitter at a triathlon store will be worth every penny in high function and injury avoidance.
In terms of used bikes, veteran age-group triathletes recommend buying anything from “a $50 beater,” which would likely be a steel frame with inexpensive toe clips with straps ($15 to $17 new) on the pedals (so you can keep it simple and use running shoes on both bike and run) up to a basic $500 road or triathlon bike with an aluminum frame that includes clip-on aerobars, decent clip-in pedals, and basic hard cycling shoes. “Don’t buy a new bike,” Joe Friel advised in a telephone conversation. “Wait a year for a better bike.” When buying a used bike, said Xlab USA boss, Nytro Multisport Technology founder, and triathlon equipment guru to the stars Craig Turner in a phone conversation, “Watch out for worn derailleurs and bottom brackets. Check for crisp shifting and vertical movement in the bottom bracket. Also look all over the frame for cracks, especially around the base of the seatpost.” Of course, it is better if the seller will let you take the bike to a local bike shop to offer an expert appraisal.
In the triathlon bike-rental market, most major cities have well-equipped stores. In one popular Washington DC triathlon store, the 1-day race fee is $50 for a standard road bike with clip-on aerobars, $75 for a carbon frame, and $100 for a carbon bike with top-of-the-line components and built-in aerobars; the fee for a weekend rental to allow practice and adaptation before the race is $125 to $150. If you are traveling to one of your first races, note that a $150 weekend rental of a well-maintained bike would be no more expensive than many fees airlines charge for a bike box.
Although a simple race cyclometer (a speedometer and odometer on a bicycle) that gives speed and distance figures may be of some pacing help, a first-time triathlete can do without. It is probably better to focus on the road ahead to avoid first-race crashes into potholes or other competitors. If you do not already have a lot of miles on your bike in the aero position, it might be better to forgo attempting the flat-back tucked position in a race. Also, even for sprint races, it is advisable to have bike bottles of your favorite electrolyte-replacement drinks in cages on the frame. But save the fuel belt with bandolier-style holders for squeeze bottles of Gu and drinks on the run for later, longer races.
Run Gear for Beginners
Beginners may not need much in the way of run gear and accessories for a first-time sprint race finishing off with a 5K. Odds are, at least one-third of beginner triathletes have running experience and possess current running shoes. Also, in a sprint triathlon, even the raw beginner might benefit from simple transition strategies—if only to reduce the stress. That’s why inexpensive toe clips on the pedals—allowing the competitor to keep the same run shoes through the bike and run—are a good first-race choice. For beginners who insist on trying out the more advanced clip-in pedals with hard-shell bike shoes, the switch to running shoes can be made smoother by using run shoes with elastic laces or, if the triathlete has old-school tendencies, using lace locks on standard laces.
Also in sprint races, it is advisable to wear either a running- or triathlon-specific singlet with triathlon or bike shorts through the swim, bike, and run. Or else wear Speedo-style bathing suits throughout rather than spending long minutes changing from one specialized piece of clothing to the next. For those beginners absolutely certain they will stick with the sport, the one-piece and two-piece tri-suits ($80 to $160) are rugged, aerodynamic, stylish, colorful, and functional—if not absolutely necessary.
Although a running cap and sunglasses may be de rigueur for Olympic-distance and longer events, they are optional for a sprint and may be ignored in the interest of simplicity. The place where sunglasses might be of greatest value is on the bike to prevent dirt or dust from catching in your eyes while charging along at 20 to 25 miles per hour (32 to 40 km/h). But that function does not require $150 to $250 sport eyewear. One piece of triathlon equipment that is not optional is waterproof sun block.
Intermediates
Odds are the new triathlete had a great time in her first few triathlons with borrowed, rented, or used gear. And this triathlete is often hooked and wants to give the sport her best shot for a year or more. But it is likely that the bike and those shorts and sneakers were a wee bit uncomfortable. And this now committed triathlon enthusiast wants to see how good she can be. So what are the smartest, most effective, and somewhat reasonably affordable pieces of equipment she should acquire?
When contemplating buying a more extensive list of better equipment to carry you through a full season or more of triathlon, a longer-term budgeting strategy might be of value. First of all, you can start by selling your $500 used bike for close to what you paid for it and get half what you paid for your first wetsuit. Then, when the cost of middle-range triathlon bikes and other equipment looms large, think of it as depreciating over 2 or 3 years. If the initial investment is too much, spread out these purchases over a year or 18 months, and make them in order of greatest necessity. If you can’t own all the stuff you’d like, a membership in a triathlon club might allow some pooling of race-day equipment.
According to a survey of coaches, shop owners, tech writers, and athletes, there is a rough logical order to second-stage triathlon equipment purchases.
Swim Gear for Intermediates
Although the list of swim accessories for the intermediate triathlete may not be as long or as expensive as that of the bike, the increased mastery of the swim pays almost as big a dividend. Not all swim expenditures come under the equipment category, but they are all related. The first priority is to join a masters swim program in your area. The second priority is to pay for a few private sessions with a top-notch instructor to fine-tune your stroke mechanics. Along with this coaching, an increasingly dedicated triathlete should buy swim fins and a pull buoy for workout drills. Dryland training and warm-up exercises travel well with simple and effective 10-foot (3 m) rubber stretch cords. And the improving triathlete should probably try out a few new models of swim goggles to see if there is a better fit. Finally, if you sense your fast-improving swim technique has plateaued—and you have room in your budget—you may consider one of the elite $450 to $650 wetsuits with super-smooth and fast rubber.
Bike Gear for Intermediates
Intermediate triathletes may want to start searching for a better bike. When you are searching to buy, first get a fit in the shop. If you have the money, a more complete fit by experts that may cost from $80 to $250 will indeed pay off in the long run in preventing injury, increasing speed, and finding ease of use. At this stage, it might also pay to look at the USA Triathlon member survey to see what brands of bikes and components are favored. Almost all modern bikes meet a standard of performance and quality, so knowing the most popular brands may be a useful shortcut to making your decision. If your overriding goal is to do half-Ironman and Ironman events, looking at the Ironman Hawaii bike check survey will also offer a good idea of what bikes work well—triathletes are a pretty discriminating bunch.
If your bike budget is $500 to $1,000, your choices will likely be limited to aluminum-frame road bikes with basic components. For $1,000 to $1,500, many excellent road bikes have aluminum frames with decent components such as the popular smooth-shifting Shimano 105, with clip-on aerobars, a decent cyclometer, and a choice of pedals that includes the lollipop-shaped Speedplay clip-ins ($185) or the wide-based Look pedals, which will be fitted to contact with hard-shell bike shoes to give power to the up and down stroke. If you must keep closer to the $1,000 mark, you won’t be buying aero wheels for a while and will do your training and racing with standard spoke wheels on regular tires with tubes. One other hint: If you are contemplating climbing a lot of steep hills and you are not as strong as Alberto Contador or Chris Lieto, you would do well to ask your bike shop to install climbing gearing for roughly $125 to $200.
For $1,500 to $3,000, which is the higher end of what is considered a middle-range bike, many more options open up. This price range may include triathlon-specific bikes with aerodynamic 78-degree seat angles and integrated aerobars with bar-end shifters. Perhaps more significant for many, it will also include carbon-fiber frames, which are lighter and offer far more shock absorption than aluminum frames, thereby encouraging more long-distance riding. This price point may also include race-quality components such as the Shimano DuraAce or Campagnolo shifters.
At this price point, it is assumed you have trained regularly on the bike and are improving, so better-quality race tires such as Continental, Vittoria, or Michelin might well be part of the package. If you have reached the point of qualifying for USAT national events or ITU World Championships, you could also contemplate buying a rear disc wheel or other deep-dish carbon wheels, which start out at $400 a pair for good used ones and go up to $2,500 for top-of-the-line Zipp, Hed, or other wheels. In addition, Xlab makes very aerodynamically beneficial water bottle frames mounted behind the seat.
Another aerodynamic tip: To avoid the weight and aerodynamic negatives of an air pump mounted on the frame, CO2 cartridges for fixing a flat are a good idea.
Also, at faster speeds and in closer competitions, cycling headgear starts to make a significant difference. Once you are competitive and willing to pay more for helmets, the choice is between composite helmets with large ventilation channels to cool the head such as the Giro, Bell, and Specialized models versus the purely aerodynamic models, which are up to 2 percent faster but have no ventilation and so are hotter and increase hydration risk. Because triathlon is a total energy equation, those minutes gained with hot helmets can lead to a net loss if they affect the run.
At the intermediate level, scientific coaching is effective and appropriate—whether a local hands-on coach or Internet coaching. At minimum, a simple heart rate monitor without the ability to record splits or other data can be of great help and costs around $80 to $120. For more complete data such as splits and average heart rates for the workout and even GPS and altitude figures, Polar, Timex, and Garmin make great HRMs from $120 up to $450. Some coaches swear by power meters for the bike, which can range from $300 for indirect-measurement versions to full-on $4,000 CycleOps PowerTap and SRM DuraAce models.
Also, for winter weather, days when it’s really too cold to ride outdoors, everything from $120 wind trainers to full-on CompuTrainers can help you keep up with your training. CompuTrainers have changing pedaling resistance made to mimic synchronized video versions of famed triathlon venues. They sell for about $1,200 and offer an accurate way to measure power output as well as maintain fitness on icy winter days.
Run Gear for Intermediates
Once you have established a regular running workout schedule, you may consider buying a wider range of advanced run gear.
Start with shoes. With the advancement of barefoot running—or more conservatively, the popularity of minimal running footwear—it may be time to carefully explore the concept by checking out the growing popularity of the Newton shoe or the minimalist offerings of big companies such as Nike, Asics, and Saucony. Although many of these are not far from the long-established lightweight race shoes, there may be something to be said for the theory that wearing shoes with minimal cushioning may lead to a lighter foot strike and a more natural stride that is both faster and healthier. But this approach should be made only with the guidance of a running coach. And remember, if you prefer the heavily cushioned versions, thousands of runners and triathletes use them.
Another tactic that has worked for some triathletes is the use of tall compression socks, which make rough and tough elite runners look a little like English school boys and girls. The theory is that the socks keep the blood from pooling lower in the legs on long runs—and many elites swear by them. Also, especially if you are branching out and considering longer events such as half and full Ironmans, a fuel belt that holds both water bottles and bandolier-style holsters of Gu will be very helpful in training and racing. For racing, the one- and two-piece triathlon suits are water resistant, wick off all the sweat that long runs incite, are hydrodynamic in the water and aerodynamic on the bike, and look great. These suits range in cost from $75 to $175.
Now that you have established a regular, long-term running regimen, you will also want to record values such as heart rate, mileage, altitude, and running cadence, either by pen in an old-fashioned training notebook or on your computer in a training program or your own self-fashioned spreadsheet. The higher-end heart rate monitors such as the Garmin, Polar, or Ironman Timex models can save that data as well as multiple laps and splits and calculate overall, average, and range of splits matched with heart rates. And some measure air temperature and altitude and even estimate calorie consumption.
If you have a run coach, he will almost assuredly have a video camera to analyze your stride. However, if you are recording much of your data on your computer, having a small video camera or flip cam—both available for $100 to $350—could be helpful for recording your running stride throughout the season to track your form’s evolution. This also becomes much more practical if you are working with an online coach who can look at your videos and then lend his experienced and well-trained eye to analyze your form and help you keep your technique on the right track.
Experts
An expert status implies that a triathlete has experience, proven talent with championship aspirations, and money or sponsors willing to help her. If we were talking about auto racing, it would be the open or unlimited class. More modestly talented amateurs could also opt for some of these products.
High-Performance Triathlon Bike
A lot of high performance can be had from triathlon bikes costing up to $3,000, including state-of-the-art aerodynamics. But right now the biggest change in bike frame shaping, said Triathlete Magazine’s Aaron Hersh in a telephone and e-mail conversation, is a trend to make the top tubes longer from front to back and thinner side to side than the standard that has held for the last 10 years.
For the past decade, says Hersh, most triathlon bikes have been using one of the standard National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) specifications regarding airplane foil shapes, which measure aspects such as maximum camber, chord position from the leading edge, and maximum thickness. The new trend in triathlon bike frames, says Hersh, forgoes the old narrower and deeper foil shape for one that is wider and shallower, chopping off the rear portion of the top tube by 40 percent.
Aero Wheels
For many years, aero wheel manufacturers thought a narrow and deep rim shape was the best way to go. But with new frame shape theory came new, wider aero wheels and the challenge of creating a wheel shape that would synchronize the whole package. Aero wheel rivals Hed and Zipp joined forces on this evolutionary project. For years, explains Hersh, 19 mm wide wheels with narrow brake tracks and wide, football-shaped oval rims had been the industry standard. The new wheels designed by Hed and Zipp eliminated the 19 mm brake track and made it distinctly wider. Other companies tried to adjust to this trend by making wheels with rims 21 to 22 mm wide. But Hed and Zipp made their new rims 25 to 27 mm wide.
The reason for doing this was all aerodynamics. The old football-shaped rims weren’t just a fashion statement—that is the most aerodynamic shape. The problem is that the old wheels could not mesh with the new wide tires on top of the old, narrow brake track. The combination created a figure eight rather than a true, fast toroidal (three-dimensional donut hole) shape, reducing aero performance especially in crosswinds. “The new generation of very wide wheels integrates the brake track and the rim into one unified, fast, true toroidal shape,” said Hersh in a telephone conversation.
These new wheels are very fast and expensive. A Hed Stinger set ranges from $2,100 to $2,200, plus $1,600 for a single Stinger disc wheel. A new set of the Zipp Speed Weaponry models costs roughly $1,900 to $2,100.
Electric Shifters
While Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM continue to improve their already excellent shifters, Shimano has made a totally unique component group that seems as if it belongs in a Formula One race car. The Shimano DuraAce Di2 is an electric, motor-driven shifter that costs roughly $4,000 to $5,000. Why so expensive? It is better because the rider is shifting electronically. It takes little effort, the shifting is faster and very precise, and it does not come out of adjustment as easily as a traditional drive train. Not many use it because of the price. But two-time Ironman world champion Craig Alexander is quite happy with his sponsor-provided model. In the couple of years it has been on the market, it has proven to be very reliable—and it weighs only 150 grams (5 ounces) more than the regular DuraAce.
High-End Power Meters
The full-on $4,000 CycleOps PowerTap and SRM DuraAce models that are integrated with the bike can be worth it for expert-level competitors. Although they grew enormously in popularity when it became known that Lance Armstrong used them, along with top triathletes, the reason was that coaches considered them an important and efficient tool. One key measurement that is crucial to high performance is lactate threshold, which reflects the muscles’ ability to match energy supply to energy demand. Lactate threshold, measured in terms of power output, is the single most important physiological determinant of performance and holds true for sprints as well as Iron-man stages. More specifically, functional threshold power (FTP) is the highest power an athlete can maintain in a quasi-steady state for an hour without fatiguing. One key advantage of the power meter is it can determine lactate threshold and FTP without invasive blood sampling. And the information provided both indoors on a bike trainer and riding outside and in races is crucial for performance-enhancing goal setting. Although many elite professionals use the acutely precise high-end models, average age-group performers with more discretionary income can easily benefit from more affordable basic power meters.
High Tech or Low Tech: Putting It Into Perspective
Cory Foulk is 52 years old and has finished 47 Ironman races and 21 Ultraman events. He is an architect and a fine athlete with a wicked sense of humor, and at the same time he has a firm grip on the spirit of the sport. And he is a good person to talk to if you get too caught up in the obsession with the high-tech wonders that are a part of the sport of triathlon—or have an old-school fixation that cannot see the value in the beautiful modern machinery. Foulk has been involved in the sport from its first decade and is still going strong. He did Ironman Hawaii riding barefoot on a $200 neon green, 60-pound (27 kg) Schwinn beach cruiser with foam flames attached to his helmet with Velcro. And he has done the same event on a modern bike he says cost him $12,000. And he found joy and meaning in both experiences.
“Absolutely the greatest thing about doing an event like Ironman on a stone-age piece of equipment is that there is absolutely no pressure,” says Foulk, who did that feat in 1996—the year that Luc Van Lierde set the still-standing course record of 8:04:08. “On a bike like that you can sit back and enjoy the race—because that is your only option. You can take your type A personality and throw it out the window. While a PR is not in play, there is always a challenge on a bike like that just to finish within the cutoff time. On a bike like that, there is always a point where I realized that maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew. Maybe I would not make it. And that is a cool feeling. Back in the old days, the finish was not guaranteed. And that was what attracted me to it. That is what I came to triathlon for.
“My 12k bike is a great bike, there is certain almost impossible to describe enjoyment to even have a piece of equipment like that. It’s like if you own a BMW, wow the precision and it’s so easy to drive. For me honestly I think it is even cooler that I can ride both ends of the spectrum. After I ride the big old fixed gear bike, I really notice the difference.” Both his beach cruiser and his very modern, cutting-edge bike sit comfortably together in his Kailua-Kona condo. “My $12,000 bike is a great bike,” he says with equal enthusiasm. “It is almost impossible to even describe the pleasure to even have a piece of equipment like that.”
Foulk’s appreciation for modern technology runs deep. In 2005 he had BHR hip replacement surgery, which rescued him from triathlon retirement and enabled him to do a dozen Ironman and Ultraman races since the procedure.
PowerCranks
One of the most efficient high-end tools is PowerCranks, devised by Frank Day, a Naval Academy graduate with an engineering background—and one of the original 12 Ironman finishers in 1978. PowerCranks are independent bicycle cranks that replace regular cranks found on typical bicycles or exercise machines. Independent means one leg cannot help the other in making the pedals go around; to pedal the bike, you cannot simply relax on the back stroke but must actively raise the pedal using your hip flexor and hamstring muscles. This change ensures that your leg muscles will become balanced (both right and left, fore and aft) and will train additional muscles for coordination important for health and improved athletic performance. Basically, PowerCranks demand the athlete pedal with virtually perfect form. The company claims PowerCranks can improve both cycling and running, citing not only Tour de France cyclists but also marathon legend and coach Alberto Salazar and many triathletes, including Paula Newby-Fraser, Chris McCormack, Mirinda Carfrae, and Conrad Stoltz, seeking to perfect their form. The cost ranges from $999 for PowerCranks Basic to $1,299 for PowerCranks X-Lite.
Altitude Tents
By limiting the percentage of oxygen, an altitude tent simulates the effect of living and training at altitudes ranging from 5,200 feet (1,600 m) up to 30,000 feet (9,000 m). The body’s adaptation to those conditions stimulates the natural production of red blood cells crucial for endurance sport performance. A decade ago, these tents and hypoxic air generators cost nearly $10,000, but now competitive firms offer tents for as little as $2,500. A clue to their effectiveness? The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) seriously considered banning them.
In summary, there are a lot of equipment considerations to be made in the sport of triathlon, which can sometimes be overwhelming for many athletes. What type of bike should you buy? Do you need a power meter? Should you have race wheels and areobars? Many equipment choices will depend on your experience level and budget. I hope the information in this chapter will help you better choose the swimming, cycling, and running gear that is right for you.