considered very sporty, but will suffice, otherwise short cut Speedos, or the longer legged version. Serious competitors often complete the swim in a one piece tri-suit, which is suitable for the rest of the race. These can be picked up fromTriathlon stores or online from around £40. Competitors need to be at the pool side 15 minutes before there allocated swim start, when they will be given a coloured swim cap (so length counters can recognise competitors).At Registration you will be given a timing chip with Velcro band to attach to your ankle, and your race number will be written on your arm with a Permanent Marker Pen. You will also get an exact race start time, so that the timing system registers your start time correctly. From then on mats at Transition will record your time splits for each section of the race. Competitors will start at 1 minute intervals which will keep the average number of swimmers per lane to 3. On applying you will be asked to state an anticipated swim time so that you can be set off alongside other competitors of similar abilities.
Lap counting officials will count the number of lengths you complete and will signal to you when you have 2 lengths left to go. Breast stroke is perfectly acceptable, although Front crawl is faster and more efficient, back stroke is not appropriate.
Now triathlon, although being 3 sections, is 1 event and the clock does not stop after you finish your swim. So climb out and either go for a shower, change, have a cup of tea and head outside for your bike, or simply head straight outside to where your bike will be waiting for you in the Transition. Competitive athletes will have their helmet (compulsory) on their bike and shoes and any other clothing beside it for a quick change.
Any non motorised bike will do, although for speed sake most athletes opt for the road bike or time trial bike. If you only have access to a mountain bike, a reasonable priced option is to get some smooth road tyres allowing a greater rolling speed than knobbly off road tyres. Compulsory wear on your bike is a helmet and shoes and male athlete along with female counterparts must have at least a vest covering your chest. Be wary of man-made materials as some are very difficult to put on when your chest is wet and warm, you can rarely go wrong with a cotton t shirt. You will have a race number which will need either pinning to your shirt or an elasticated number belt. Other optional clothing includes, shorts, sunglasses, and socks. Also there will be drinks available at the Transition, but if you want a drink on the bike section, you will need to take something with you.
Before the start of the race, you will take your bike into the Transition area and hang it on the purpose built racking. Clothing etc can then be hung on your bike or left on the floor below, or if you prefer bring a
plastic box to put stuff in. One strict Triathlon rule is that you cannot unrack your bike until your helmet is fastened on your head. When ready you push your bike out of the transition area to the 'Mount Line', where
you will be allowed to get on the bike and pedal away.
Scissett Triathlon starts with a nice flat section before the left hand turn up towards Emley mast along a challenging hill. Down the other side you get to the first highway hazard, a left turn at Shelley. This is a
Give way junction. All competitors are required to comply with the Highway Code. Marshalls will be in situ to slow you down, but the junction has brilliant sight lines so most competitors will be able to merge safely with traffic to avoid having to stop. There are a couple of Zebra crossings in Skelmanthorpe, and a pelican crossing in Scissett which will be signed to try and reduce the disruption to competitors caused by other road users.
Back to the dismount line, competitors then push their bikes back into Transisition and change any clothing required before setting out on the run. Drinks will be available when you leave transition and half way along
the run course. The run section is half on hard track and the second half follows the bike course so for safety sake runners must run on the pavement.
TRAINING: Obviously the ability to complete each individual section is important. You need to be confident cycling on the road, not just on a gym bike. You may want to try cycling in a wet swimming costumes, it will help
you to accept that it is not a problem and generally does not cause any unwanted chaffing. The one thing to try out is the bike to run change over. This can be a shock especially for regular runners who may question why they cannot run after cycling hard. The physiology is the way blood pools in your legs. How to resolve this is by practice and can also be reduced by getting out of the saddle during the last mile of the bike
section.
