The Race Day Checklist

In general, triathletes tend to be very organized. Prior to a race, we go over our checklist of the gear we need to take. We have a plan for how our gear will be laid out in the transition area. And, over time, we perfect the process of moving in and out that transition area in the least amount of time.

But even with all this attention to detail and process, we sometimes forget things. Even with our handy-dandy checklist, a helmet can get left in the garage, goggles won't be in that tri-bag pocket you thought they were, or your race belt disappears.

I always feel bad for the poor guy standing with the race director, as he gets on the loud speaker and says, "Does anyone have an extra helmet this gentleman can borrow?"

Over the years, I've become less diligent about preparing my gear for a race. Basically, the night before a race I grab the necessary items and then hop back on the couch in less than 5 minutes. And in all those years, I've forgotten only an aero water bottle. Not bad. But in the last race I did, I forgot my shoes.

Now, as bad as that sounds, I got lucky. This was a biathlon on the beach. So I did the run barefoot without much problem. Had this race been on pavement, I wouldn't have even tried. Running barefoot is quite nice actually, but I did manage to stub my toe on something buried in the sand. I don't know if it was a shell or a rock, or rebar, but it didn't budge, and took a nice little chunk out of my big toe.

Anyway, you've seen the standard Triathlon Checklists before. They usually have everything you would possibly need, and then some -- things like bug spray, sunblock, hat, body glide, kitchen sink. These are good lists to help you get started with making your own, which is exactly what you should do. Tweak it and make it your own. If you want to bring bug spray, leave it on the list. If not, remove it. No need to sift through that giant list every race.

So I won't offer the perfect checklist here, but I will offer up the Top 10 most common items left behind on race day morning. I'm basing this list off my experiences in the transition area prior to a race. As the race start nears, these are the things I most often hear people asking to borrow, or trying to purchase from a vendor:

1. Race Belt
2. Helmet
3. Goggles
4. Race Sunglasses
5. Hydration/bottles
6. Gels/Fuel
7. Body Glide
8. Bike Pump
9. Spare tube
10. Race Belt

Good luck creating your own list. And remember to double-check the items I listed above. They are sneaky.especially that race belt.