Newbie Equipment - Triathlon Week

DLW558 · 03-04-2006, 05:19 PM

I am new to the whole triathlon thing. I am 13 years old and I want to try and complete the ironman before I am 20. I need like a list or website that gives me a starter set of everything.

sfricks · 03-07-2006, 05:13 AM

Well... I'd shy away from a "one size fits all" approach. You can get most of your gear (including tri gear) from PerformanceBike.com. They carry a lot, but not everything I personally use. I recommend you buy your bike (assuming you don't already have one) from your local bike shop (LBS). They'll be able to fit you with a steed worthy of mounting for hours on end. You'll probably have lots of equipment questions. Feel free to bounce them off us here. Good luck and welcome aboard.

On another note. WTC and USAT both require you to be 18 to compete in a 70.3 or 140.6 event. You have a couple of years to go but I love your goal. My son completed his first 70.3 at 18 years and 6 days old.

DLW558 · 03-07-2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfricks

Well... I'd shy away from a "one size fits all" approach. You can get most of your gear (including tri gear) from PerformanceBike.com. They carry a lot, but not everything I personally use. I recommend you buy your bike (assuming you don't already have one) from your local bike shop (LBS). They'll be able to fit you with a steed worthy of mounting for hours on end. You'll probably have lots of equipment questions. Feel free to bounce them off us here. Good luck and welcome aboard.

On another note. WTC and USAT both require you to be 18 to compete in a 70.3 or 140.6 event. You have a couple of years to go but I love your goal. My son completed his first 70.3 at 18 years and 6 days old.

WHat is a 70.3 or a 140.6? The tri I am doing is a 375m swim,4 mile bike,2 mile run, 4 mile bike, 1 mile run and then a 375m swim.

sfricks · 03-08-2006, 04:08 AM

Sorry! Triathlon tech speak :( 140.6 refers to the distance one travels in an Iron distance race. (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run). A 70.3 is half of that AKA Half Ironman. FYI, the other tri distances typically seen are Olympic (AKA International Distance), Sprint and Super Sprint. The distances you're talking about would be classified as a Super Sprint ot Try-a-Tri distance. Good luck!

tri-o · 04-09-2006, 07:17 PM

You don't need much to race in triathlons: bike, helmet, running shoes. Everything else is a unnecessary addtion that just make things easier and more comfortable (goggles, race clothing, sunglasses) or allows you to get a little faster (wetsuit, aerobars, clipless pedals, etc.).
So, I would guess, that it depends how much money you (or your parents) want to spend on your gear.
There are not many places that carry triathlon clothing for kids. If you are planning on getting race clothes check out Tri Outfitter @ [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] .
Otherwise, start by getting the basic stuff.

adidas82 · 05-02-2006, 12:24 PM

I don't know if you are any sports teams, but if you aren't, and you're looking for something to do, I suggest joining/training with the high school cross country team, and swim team. Then find yourself a nice road bike and ride it on the weekends. Do this until you graduate high school and you'll rip through an Ironman like a champ! :)