Q: Do you have any tips on how and when I should take off my wetsuit?

A: The answer comes in two parts. How you take your wetsuit off is something that you should practice before race day. It is as simple as putting the suit on, and taking the suit off over and over again until you are comfortable. On triathlon race day, the biggest challenge is to take off the wetsuit below the knees. In order to make this easier, bring a can of cooking spray (like PAM) and spray all around your lower leg. This makes a slippery surface which makes the wetsuit slip off easier.

In the second part of your question, you want to be careful about when you are taking off your wetsuit. When you are running out of the water, you could possibly plant your foot on a rock or some other hard or sharp surface if you are not looking. For this reason, I recommend to look down for obstructions and keep the suit on as long as your feet are in the water. The only thing I do when running in water is take off my goggles, which are often cloudy and so taking them off lets me see obstructions better.

As you are running through transition, pull the zipper, get your arms freed and take your swim cap off. You can save a lot of time by doing these while running and before you get to your bike. Once you get to your bike, completely take the wetsuit off and start the bike portion of the race.

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