Race Registration
When signing up for races, sign up as a "Women’s Triathlon Club" member. Some events offer club rebates while others provide us with designated transition racks.

Check out each event’s web site prior to signing up to determine, if there are club member deals. If we need to register with the event organizers as a club, let us know and we will take care of it.

Some events give buddy deals. Sign up with a friend and get a rebate. We can all save a bit of money here if you are alert before signing up.

Some events sell out, so check the registration procedures for those events way ahead of time.

Also check our event calendar's "info" links where we will post additional relevant information.

USATriathlon Membership
We are registered with USATriathlon as the "Women’s Triathlon Club."

There is a $10.00 one-day USAT fee for non-USAT members at USAT sanctioned events. So, if you are planning on doing more than three USAT sanctioned events a year, a USAT membership is worth considering. The USAT membership is $39.00/yr.

Besides avoiding the $10.00 fee, the membership benefits include the USAT newsletters, yearly rankings, product discounts, etc.

Let us know if you have any questions or need help.

Equipment
Equipment needs are minimal in terms of what will get you to the finish line. A swimsuit. Any bike. Approved bike helmet. Running shoes.

Swimming goggles are a great help. Early on, many chose to pull some biking and/or running apparel over their swimsuit for those segments. Eventually, they will just use a swimsuit or acquire triathlon specific clothes, such as tri shorts and a race shimmel or a trisuit, which are more functional and cut down on the transition time. Using bike shoes will greatly improve the power transfer to the pedals.

Athletes doing several events per year often get a wetsuit. The wetsuit can helps keep the body warm during the swim, but the added flotation and thereby speed is often the reason it is worn.

The race number is required to be display on the front when crossing the finish line. The number can be pinned anywhere, but many use a number belt. It is quick to just pick up the belt and head out on the run.

Running Shoes. Racing flats or training shoes, they just need to fit and feel comfortable.

Bikes. There are Road Bikes, Time Trial Bikes, Triathlon Bikes, Mt. Bikes, Hybrids, and Street Cruisers. There are new, used, borrowed, and "long-term borrowed" bikes. Any of them will get you to the finish line. Before going out and getting a bike, contact us and we will help you through the process so you get the bike that best fit you and your needs.

There are plenty of additional equipment options available, but the single biggest improvement will be to put aero bars on the bike--and using them off course. Aerodynamics is king.

Let us know what equipment you are considering and we can help steer you in the right direction.

What would you like to get? Print and fill out the order form and hand it back to us any time. It helps us to determine the demand and fill as many orders as possible. Payments are due prior to the ordering deadline, which we will post here when available.

Tri clothing (shimmels, shorts, sports tops, & trisuits) plus bike shorts (shorts, bib-shorts, & bib-knickers) are normally ordered in the spring.

Bike jerseys (sleeveless & short sleeves) and bike jackets (wind vest & thermal vest) are normally ordered in the late summer.

Rules

Check out the USAT rules here.

Check out the USAT forum here.

Most triathlon rules relate to safety and to putting on a fair event. In non-USAT sanctioned events it is up to the race organizers, so pay attention. When it comes to equipment the rules are relatively relaxed, but know them.

At one event, participants not crossing a public road, on their way to the transition area the day before the event, at a location designated by the race organizers, got DQ’ed!

All events, sanctioned or not, require the use of an approved bike helmet, prohibit drafting during the bike segment, and forbid outside help during the event. Any "unsafe" or "un-sportsman’s like" conduct is also often grounds for penalties.

Drafting and Passing. Familiarize yourself with these rules. It is the athlete’s responsibility to know the rules. The easy thing is to not draft, to make the pass instead of lingering around, and always stay to the right. These are the areas where most penalties are handed out.

Helmet and Chin Strap. Wearing the helmet without strapping it...is this necessary to explain? You must wear a securely fastened approved bike helmet at all times during the event if your bike is not racked in the transition. At USAT* sanctioned events it is interpreted in the broadest sense.

* At USATriathlon sanctioned events, the helmet rule applies "...at all times while at the event site on race day." In rule 5.9(b) "event site" is interpreted broadly, meaning that "from the moment you park your car and until you are back in your car and leaving after the event" might be included. Riding to and from the transition area before and after the event without a strapped helmet will likely get you DQ’ed. Straddling your bike at any time without a fastened helmet will get you DQ’ed. Events with bike "racking" the day before --broadly interpreted-- are included too. While one can argue that USATriathlon and the race organizers have no "police powers" on public roads, walking your bike before and after the race would be a good move--unless you wear a helmet.

Rack your bike correctly. Pulling into your spot and rolling you bike under the rack and racking it by the seat is a technical violation because the bike now primarily is on the other side of the rack and therefore in somebody else’s space. The bike needs to be on your side. Coming in and racking it by the handlebars will accomplish that. So will turning it around and racking it by the seat so that the handlebars face towards you. The wheel touching the ground when your bike is racked must touch the ground on your side.

Bar End Plugs. For safety, the bar ends need to be "plugged." A beer cap looks cool, but...!

Ear Phones, Music, etc. While not too vigorously enforced in the past things are changing. Any device is now considered a potential aid that, besides being a safety hazard, can give an unfair advantage and aid in the performance, so don't -- you can get DQ'ed.

Abandoning Equipment. This is a fancy for littering--anywhere. It will get you DQ'ed. This even includes loosing your water bottle during the bike segment -- so, stop, turn around and pick it up.

Glass. Why is glass in the transition area not a good idea? Bikes, bare feet, littering, sandy transition areas, etc.

Following the rules are small potatoes compared to the cost of racing just to get DQ'ed!

At USAT sanctioned events USAT walks through the bike racks, either before the race or while the athletes are swimming, to check for common violations. Coming out of the water and finding the helmet removed because it is not of the approved type or the bike removed is not the kind of surprise any athlete is hoping for.