[gator]

I'm doing my first tri in August (sprint distance) and I don't want to look like it's my first tri. I've seen pictures of races in magazines and seen both socks and no socks for riding and running. I do normally run and ride with socks but I don't want to show up and be the only one with socks. Help.

[Bucky]

Hi Gator,

The sock question plagued me as well, and subsequently I tried one race withouth socks last year. Can you say blisters (and that was even with glide on my feet as a preventative measure)? After that I realised that taking a few extra seconds to put on socks was not going to make a huge difference to my overall standing in the race, but failing to do so could hamper training for my next race. That said, I purchased my first road bike this year, and along with it my first pair of bike shoes. Prior to my first race this year I experimented with going sockless in my bike shoes, and I found it didn't cause me any problems, and subsequently I went sockless for the bike in one race this year. I still put socks on for the run, however.

I hope this is of some help, and if triathletes in your area are anything like those where I race, I wouldn't worry about people looking at you funny based on appearances or apparel. Once you see a herd of people with varying body shapes running in bathings suits and spandex, the sock issue won't seem that important.

Good-luck with your race, and have fun!

[sfricks]

Gator... I went sockless from the start and much prefer it for Sprints and Olys but 70.3 and 140.6 races would be suicide without. The key is multi-fold. Get shoes that you CAN go barefoot in. I love my Sidi T1 bike shoes. They will blister if not fitted properly but I just did a Half in them sans socks with no problem. I wear Omni Grid 4 running shoes, again with no problems on the short races. Yankz laces will make putting them on fast and easy and will keep them tight on your feet. Longer races I wear quality (DeFeet) socks. Secondly you MUST train without socks to calous the blister points. You should never blister on short races with proper fitting shoes. GOOD LUCK!

[BuffaloTriGuy]

I was a sock junkie for years when I started and as of last year started to go sockless.

The keys are:

1. Having comfortable shoes for bike and run
2. Using glide / vaseline if needed
3. Trying it again and again in training - don't let race day be your first day!