WHAT CLOTHING DO YOU NEED TO COMPETE IN A TRIATHLON?

Victor del Corral is a well-known veteran professional long distance triathlete who competes in the toughest triathlon events: the Ironman and the Half Ironman. In fact, he has won 4 Ironman events and holds the world record for winning two Ironman events just 15 days apart. Victor is also the author of the successful book Triatlón para Dummies [Triathlon for Dummies] which is a great help for all athletes wishing to enter the world of the triathlon.

According to Victor del Corral, triathlon races are divided into short, medium and long distance. The short triathlon races are the Super Sprint Triathlon, the Sprint Triathlon and the Olympic Triathlon. The medium distance races are the Half Triathlon and the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon. And the Ironman Triathlon is the longest.

You need to select the type of triathlon wear you need depending on the distance involved in each of these triathlon events or races. As we shall see, these triathlon wear do not have the same fabric and design. In the video, we will see Victor de Corral dressed in the high-end range of personalised Inverse triathlon clothing, called Platinum.

The short distance triathlon events are the Super Sprint, Sprint and Olympic triathlons. For these, you need a sleeveless tri suit. The main feature of this tri suit that you need for short triathlon races is that it is made with an ultra-water repellent fabric, since you usually have to swim without the neoprene suit; it is very important that the fabric does not absorb any water so you can swim as quickly as possible. And you don’t need a pocket, or anything else that will slow you down, since in principle you don’t need to carry any extra food. It is very important that the chamois pad is thin so that it does not absorb water and weigh you down, and it must very comfortable while you are on the bike. Inverse’s new Evolution-like finish in this tri suit without a trim makes the garment fit more snugly, making it more aerodynamic and comfortable to use.

The medium distance triathlons are basically the Half and 70.3 triathlon races. These races last approximately 4 hours and you need outfits different from those used in short distance triathlons. Ideally, it should be like Inverse’s 2-piece Platinum sleeveless triathlon suit and Shorts, although it could also be the tri suit we were talking about earlier. You can also decide on whether you want it to be with water-repellent or non-water-repellent fabric if you are going to take part with a neoprene suit. And in this case, if it is important to have back pockets to carry gels and energy bars, for example. The chamois pad needs to be a bit thicker because you’re going to be on the bicycle longer and you need to be more comfortable.

When participating in a long distance triathlon, you can use a single-piece or two-piece tri suit with sleeves or without sleeves (Top with or without sleeves and shorts). Victor del Corral recommends with sleeves, as they can provide protection from the sun and also make you more aerodynamic in the part of the race involving the bicycle. Any radiation from the sun that you can avoid will make you more comfortable and will vastly improve your performance. In this case, you don’t need the fabric to be water-repellent, as most of the time you’ll be swimming with the neoprene suit on. And because it is not a repellent fabric, this will improve the breathability, which you will be grateful for over the many hours that the race lasts. Pockets are essential, and they need to be a little larger to hold more gels or energy bars. The pad has to be much thicker and padded to deal with the long time you’re going to spend on the bike. An Ironman event lasts between 8 and 10 hours.

Remember that Inverse has 4 quality and price ranges (Pro, Fast, Platinum and the innovative Titanium range made with 5 different fabrics) to provide personalised triathlon clothing solutions for all athletes. We can advise you on the telephone (+34 935 795 021) or by email at export@inverseteams.com