After you have everything set, athletes should familiarize themselves with the flow of the transition – where they run in from the swim, run out with their bike (know where the bike mount line is; they must be past this line before they can get on their bike), run in with the bike (there will be a dismount line and they must get off the bike prior to this line) and where to run out for the beginning of the run. Rehearse transition movements for smooth, quick movements without thought.


athletes will head to “body marking,” where volunteers will write their race number on their arms and legs and their age on your calf. After they are marked, they can go pick up their timing chip and put it on with the strap provided or with a neoprene strap (these are sold at multisport shops or at the race site/expo). Some racers like to take care of these steps prior to entering the transition area, but some like to do it after to avoid the struggle with where to set gear while taking care of this important step.


Keep an ear out for last-minute race announcements and for the start of the pre-race briefing. some races offer this briefing the day before at packet pick-up. Again, anything that you and your athletes can take care of before race day, try to do it. It will be just one less thing to take care of on race morning.


After one last check of the transition area and, hopefully, one last porta-potty stop, direct your athletes to the swim start to review the course and get in a short swim warm-up. at this point, the time has come to start their big day. Now is the time to watch the race and enjoy the day. Don’t forget to wish your athletes good luck and remind them to relax and have fun!


Karen Buxton is Level III USA Triathlon certified coach with over 20 years of coaching experience. Coach Buxton works and trains in Greensboro, N.C., and can be reached at karen@coachbuxton.com. Find out more about Coach Buxton at www.coachbuxton.com


page 13 | PERFORMANCECOACHING


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16