70.3 Debut- Gear Review

In racing my first ever long course race I had a few goals. The primary goal was to get my a$$ to that finish line. The secondary goal was to do it quickly. Now I've been racing triathlons for a little while now, so this wasn't my first rodeo. That being said, this race required a lot of gear. Some of it I already had from short course racing, some of it I was lucky enough to borrow for the day, and for some of it my bank account took the hit. Here I review what I used and (for the purpose of transparency) how much I paid to tackle my first ever Ironman 70.3 race.

Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi

Things I already Owned:

Wetsuit: For Ironman races the wetsuit legal temperature is up to (and including) 24.5 degrees celcius or cooler (76.1 degrees Fahrenheit). For age group racing you can wear a wetsuit up to 28.77 degrees celcius but you will be ineligible for awards and/or Ironman World Championship Slots. These rules are subject to change and you can stay up to date on them here.

I've previously struggled with wetsuits and found many to be restricting and found myself often wishing for non-wetsuit swims. Wanting to combat that I decided to splurdge on a high quality wetsuit in early 2022. I had this wetsuit for the entirety of the 2022 season, but Ironman 70.3 IndianWells was the first time I had a wetsuit legal swim. I did use the wetsuit regularly in training and found that ensuring a wetsuit fit correctly and a high quality wetsuit was beneficial.

Though I definitely reccomend using a wetsuit if the race is wetsuit legal, purchasing a wetsuit is not mandatory if you are wanting to get into triathlon. You will often have the opportunity to rent one. Since they are expensive it can be a good idea to rent or test wetsuits before purchasing.

What I Paid: I paid $1099 CAD plus applicable taxes for my wetsuit. This is a lot of money and my decision for purchasing was based on a product that would have flexibility and a large range of motion (specifically in the shoulders), allow good hold or feel for the water in the forearms, and allow for a quick wetsuit strip. New wetsuits do range in price, often starting at $250 and increasing based on features. You can also find used or second hand wetsuits for a significantly lower price point.

Bike computer: I had an existing bike computer which I used in training and in racing my first middle distance race, the Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells.

It reads speeds, overall distance, lap distance, time, elevation changes and power. However my TT bike does not have a power meter, so for this race I accessed speed, distance, and time.

What I Paid: I paid $290 CAD for the unit. This is at the lower price point and offers mostly basic features. Upgraded models include things like programming maps/your route into the unit and some can be solar powered and not require a charge. These units can cost up to $980+ CAD.

Helmet For this race I used a helmet that I already had that I've used for World Triathlon series races. These races are draft legal and have different rules regarding equipment (which exclude the use of aero helmets). I got my helmet in 2019 as a gift from a family member who found it on sale as a previous years model. I think that this helmet was purchased for around $180 CAD.

Cycling Shoes:

I've only had one pair of cycling shoes since I began cycling (on a road bike). These shoes are the base model/lower end model of triathlon specific shoes and are about 4.5 years old. Maybe it's because they are really worn in, but they are hella comfortable. I have changed the cleats on these shoes because they do get worn out.

What I paid: These shoes were purchased on sale for around $100 CAD.

Carbon Plated Running Shoes Technically these shoes should go into the 'what I purchased' category, however this purchase was necessary regardless of if I was racing my first long course race or another short course race (aka not a race specific purchase). I got my first pair of carbon plated running shoes in the summer of 2021. Having over a years worth of use it was time to replace the shoe. Like most running shoes, this is a fairly regular-ish purchase because running shoes have to be replaced often. I purchased the exact same model as I previously had.

I knew I wanted a carbon plated shoe for racing and I chose the specific shoe I wanted to race in based off of the fit of the upper part of the shoe. More specifically my feet are relatively narrow but I like a wide achillies.

What I Paid:

I paid $300 CAD plus applicable taxes for this shoe. This is fairly standard and the only real tip I have for getting carbon plated shoes at a lower price point is to visit outlet stores and hope for the best. I have seen this model of shoe at an outlet store for $180 CAD (however sizing is limited). May the shoe gods be in your favour.

GPS Watch

There are a lot of different GPS watches on the market and the price range is huge depending on your needs. Some are multisport specific and can be used for swimming, biking and running while others can be used solely for one discipline like running. Prior to this race I only used my GPS watch in training and raced watch-less. However for this race I grabbed my watch in T2 and used it for the half marathon. The watch I used is a multisport watch.

What I Paid: I paid $699 CAD plus applicable taxes for this watch. If you are looking for a running specific watch they generally start at around $250 CAD and the price increases based on features provided.

Transition Bag:

Now full disclosure, a transition bag is not necessary to complete a triathlon. This was a luxury purchase that definitely makes my life more convenient. Rather than stuffing all my stuff into different bags all the time I purchased a transition bag that I used for my short-course racing. This product is the exact same that you would use for long course racing. It also doubles as a very large carry-on for flights.

What I Paid: I paid $155 CAD plus applicable taxes for a transition bag.

Other Equipment:

Socks

Goggles

Anti-chafing cream

Things I borrowed:

Going into this race I was very lucky that my dad has been doing triathlons for longer than I've been alive, and was willing to lend me some of his gear. To save myself some money but upgrade some of my equipment on the day I borrowed the following:

Carbon Race Wheels with a disc cover

For this race I was loaned a set of carbon race wheels with a disc cover for the rear wheel. This set with the disc cover cost approximately $1200 CAD.

Rear (Race Wheel) Cassette and Tire/Tubes: With the race wheels I also borrowed the cassette, tube, tires and a spare tube with an extended valve in case of a flat. This whole set up cost approximately $300CAD.

Race Belt

My dad had a spare race belt and this 'borrowed' item was ultimately gifted to me. Though a relatively minor purchase compared to most other triathlon expenses, I'm always down to save a few bucks and be the benificiary of some recycled equipment. The average cost of a race belt is $10-20 CAD.

Bike Box:

This was another item that started out being 'borrowed' but was eventually gifted to me. For this race, and many other races where I required a bike box I borrowed my dads. Eventually after he purchased a new bike box I was gifted his old one. I don't know how much he originally paid for his bike box but a newer version of the same product retails for around $500 CAD. For road bikes my current bike box some helpful features including wheels on the bottom to make pulling it through an airport easier and ease of fitting additional equipment in the box. My bike frame (size 48) is small and I've never had to remove the seat. If I was planning on purchasing a new bike box (particulalry if I had a large frame) I would want a box or bag specifically for TT bikes. The main feature I would look for is the option of not having to remove handlebars.

Things I Purchased:

To do this race (and do it fast) I did have to purchase some long course specific items. Some of these products were really hefty purchases and my bank account took a hit. I ultimately sought out the best possible deals that were available to me. Some things that impacted my choices included the cost of the product compared to similar products, the shipping costs to Canada, and product reviews.

TT Bike:

A TT bike is short for time trial bike. This is a bike that is designed to be aerodynamic is designed for speed. This is the style of bike that is predominantly used in non-draft long course racing. Remember you can always brush up on your triathlon terms at the Triathlon Glossary.

I purchased my bike brand new in the fall of 2022. The bike I purchased was a 2020 model with mechanical shifting in a size 48 frame. It is a carbon frame triathlon bike with mid-range components and rim brakes. The model itself is a low trim and the major differences between the model I chose and more expensive models is that it is approximately 0.6kg heavier then the highest trim version of this bike, it has rim brakes instead of hydrualic disc brakes, it uses Shimano 105 components rather than Ultegra or Dura-Ace, and it uses mechanical shifting rather than electronic. It also came with aluminum wheels rather than carbon but that was not something I considered since I knew I would be swapping out the wheels.

What I Paid: For this bike I paid $2,999 CAD plus applicable taxes. If you are looking at getting a reasonable-ish priced TT bike I reccomend finding previous years models and/or looking for gently used bikes. For both of these options a little bit of luck is required because you can't order specific sizes and usually have to spend time scouring the internet for a deal.

Tri Suit My race outfit for short course racing consisted of a World Triathlon Approved Bathing Suit. I knew I didn't want to ride 90km or run 21.1 without a real Tri-specific suit (specifically pockets and the chamois). I did a lot of research (crunching numbers) and found this to be a really expensive product. A problem I often faced was the conversion rate from a lot of products sold in USD and cost of shipping to Canada. I ended up finding a suit that fit my needs and went for a mid-level model to provide adequate coverage at a mid-range cost.

What I paid I paid a total of $273 CAD. This included total shipping and the conversion from Euros to CAD. The price range for these varies. Most I've seen have been more than $300 CAD with a common price point being $400 CAD if you include international shipping.

Waterbottle Cage For this race I had two 750ml bottles. One of the bottles was kept on my downtube and the other was stored in a bottle cage between the handle bars. This bottle cage and bottle I had to purchase to add on to my bike. You can purchase waterbottle cages to store behind your seat or arrow bottles to store on your downtube.

What I Paid: I paid $89 CAD plus applicable taxes.

Tips and Tricks for Aquiring Triathlon Gear:

I think we can all agree that triathlon gear is expensive. Though I haven't necessarily found a 'cheap' way of getting the gear I do have some tips on getting a little bit more bang for your buck.