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Improve your triathlon transition time by taking off your wetsuit quickly and efficiently!
Practice makes perfect. Well, it gives you the best chance of having the smoothest swim-bike transition ever anyway! So let’s see how to help with that.
Simulate swim-bike transition after your next open water swim
Taking off a wet wetsuit is a little different than taking off a dry one, so practice in a wet one if you can. The next time you go for a wetsuit swim in the lake or ocean, instead of taking your merry time pulling off your wetsuit while chatting it up with your triathlon training partners, act as if you’re in transition. Hey, turn it into a little friendly competition! If you want to simulate race day even better, instead of standing in one spot to take off your wetsuit, make up your transition spot to run to from the water. Maybe after you’ve finished your designated training session, get back in the water in standing position, or even do an extra few strokes, and then GO! Transition time!
But of course if you want to do a little transition practice without getting to the open water, practice at home is better than no practice at all! To simulate race day at home, make a loop around your house as you practice the transition process. Better to be running around your house with your wetsuit looking like a weirdo, rather than running down the street like a weirdo, right?! 🙂
Alright, so let’s get started.
Side note!
See about the best shoes for hiking in Hawaii and what to wear snorkeling in Hawaii! And for Hawaii vacation ideas, see the best things to do in Waikiki that will give you Hawaii vibes!
Go time! Wetsuit ON!
Gear on! Get your wetsuit on, and also your swim cap and goggles. Again, you want to simulate as closely as possible what it’s going to be like on race day. If you’re doing this at home, maybe do this on your lawn outside and spray yourself with a hose so your wetsuit will be wet as it will be during a triathlon. Ideally, spray inside your wetsuit too. Better yet, how about acting like a kid again by running through the sprinkler a few times?! Sounds good! Make transition practice fun! 🙂
Okay, so let’s get to it! What’s the most efficient, time-saving way to take off your wetsuit?
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Don’t delay upon finishing the swim
By now you know that mental race preparation is just as important. So imagine you just completed your best swim ever and now you’re ready for the best swim-bike transition ever! You’ve just stood up in the water and are ready to get to your bike! But don’t wait until you’ve reached your transition spot to start the process of taking off your wetsuit. You can start basically as soon as you stand up in the water.
You’ve got three things that you need to take off: your wetsuit, swim cap, and goggles. The order you take it off can matter to save a little bit of effort. When you’re at the pool, what’s the first thing you do when you complete your swim? Probably immediately take off your goggles and swim cap, right? Well, if your race is a wetsuit swim, you want to save that for later. Why? Because you don’t want to be holding your swim cap and goggles as you struggle to (errr… smoothly) take off your wetsuit. You want your hands entirely devoted to taking off your wetsuit. With the state of mind you’re in having just finished swimming and with the effort you’re putting into pulling, it’s possible for you to drop you goggles or cap without even realizing it, so it’s recommended you wait. But you will want to lift your goggles up onto your forehead so you can see better. Also don’t forget to smile so you look like you’re having fun to the camera! Your swim exit is being photographed by many!
Start taking off your wetsuit as you’re running
Now imagine that you’ve finished swimming and have started running towards your bike. Now is the time to reach back and unstrap and unzip your wetsuit. As you continue to run towards your bike, pull down your wetsuit to waist level.
Alright, so as you’re running with your wetsuit at waist level, now would be a fine time to take off your cap and goggles. Some triathletes like to throw their cap and goggles into a sleeve of their wetsuit. Similar to above though, you don’t want to lose them so be careful. If you do this, be sure that you’ve got them in the sleeve nice and tight so it doesn’t accidentally fall out as you’re running towards your spot. Otherwise, if you’re holding on to them, once you get to your transition spot, toss them down there.
Use force for wetsuit removal
So now that you’ve reached your bike comes the tough part! Getting the rest of your wetsuit off! Lean down and in a forceful quick movement, pull your wetsuit as far down as you can to your calves. From there, use your hands, again forcefully, to pull the wetsuit off your feet. You may find yourself losing balance, even more so since this is immediately following the swim leg. If this is the case, you might choose to do this part while sitting. It might be easier to put on your bike shoes while you’re sitting anyway! If you do choose to sit, be sure you’ve stomped off as much of the wetsuit as possible. Your legs have more force than your arms in pulling off the wetsuit.
If you’re having a tough time pulling the wetsuit off your legs or feet in a timely manner, spend some additional time developing a technique you’re comfortable with through repeated practice starting with the wetsuit pulled up to your waist. Also note, a minor deviance on race day will be the ankle chip timing device that you’ll have to pull your wetsuit over. This shouldn’t add any major challenge but just something to keep in mind. (As another side note, it’s recommended that you put your ankle strap on your left leg to avoid accidentally getting it caught on your bike chain when you’re pedaling!)
Be a courteous triathlete in transition 🙂
Finally, be courteous to the triathletes around you and make sure your wetsuit isn’t just thrown randomly nearby, and that you have actually placed it within your spot!
And… you’ve got the wetsuit off – GREAT! Now it’s time to get ready for that bike ride! VROOM VROOM. Compared to the swim-bike transition, your bike-run transition should be a lot more simple!
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Recap: Swim-bike transition wetsuit removal
So here’s the recap to improve your transition time during your next triathlon that has a wetsuit swim:
- As soon as you’ve finished swimming, lift your goggles up onto your forehead, then unstrap and unzip your wetsuit
- As you’re running to the transition area, pull your wetsuit down to your waist
- Take off your swim cap and goggles
- Keep moving!! Get to that bike of yours!
- Once you’ve reached your transition spot, toss your cap and goggles into your area if you didn’t place it in the sleeve of your wetsuit
- Lean down and just PULL your wetsuit as far down as you can
- Start stomping on your wetsuit to get it off further
- Use your hands to pull the remaining wetsuit off your foot
As with all things triathlon training, your method may vary!
For a visual step-by-step demonstration, take a look at this video of taking off your wetsuit, produced by Chicago’s Skyline Tri.
HAPPY TRIATHLON TRANSITION PRACTICE!
Be prepared if you discover a wetsuit tear on race day! Wetsuit Repair + How to fix a wetsuit tear
Where to next? How about:
- Preventing common triathlon injuries
- Making the most of your rest day
- Preparing for cycling in the rain on race day
- Adjusting your bike seat to prevent injuries
HOME > TRIATHLON 101 > TRIATHLON GEAR LIST
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🐠 Here are things you must consider packing!
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel:
- walking sandals:
I also don't go snorkeling without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
see more:
- What to wear hiking
- What to wear snorkeling