Find Your First TriathlonHow do you find your first triathlon? Well there are some factors to consider before picking a race. 1- How close to home is your race?- It is a good idea to stick close to home for your first triathlon. I say this because there is enough for you to concentrate on without having to make travel plans for you your family and your equipment! 2- What is the race distance?- Don't be overly ambitious. Unless you come from an endurance sport background, doing anything longer than a sprint distance race (usually: swim- .5 mile or less, bike- 12 miles or less, run- 3.1 miles or less). 3- How hilly are the bike/run courses?- Unless you have been training on hills, your first race should be on easy a course as possible. after all you have plenty of time to conquer the Ironman in Hawaii. 4- Is the swim in a pool, a lake, a bay or the ocean?- Unless you are a strong swimmer accustomed to swimming in the ocean or even a bay, you should stick to a pool or lake swim. I would still make sure to work with a
triathlon coach
to learn the nuances of swimming in the open water.
Now that we have that out of the way, you can get around to picking your first triathlon. Tri Find.com has an easy to navigate site that gives you links to race web pages as well as the links to register for the races. When you sign up you will be asked for your USAT membership number. If you don't have one you will have to pay a one time fee for race day insurance. If you have a USAT membership you don't have to pay this. Many race fees are non-refundable but they are transferable to another race that the same race promoter my be staging, so BE VERY SURE that you don't have any prior commitments the day before & the day of the race.
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