On 7th May 2002, I raced Ironman 70.3 Mallorca. This was my sixth middle distance triathlon since I started in 2018 and I have made a quick post like this ahead of most of them. I find it useful to look back at these gear blogs before each race so I know what I need to pack. Let’s face it, there is a lot of kit you need to pack for a triathlon and it is easy to forget something.

Fuelling

My race day fuelling is something that has been well practised over the winter months in the build-up to the Paris Marathon a month ago and hasn’t changed much over the years. I feel confident I have enough carbs and electrolytes to see me through a 70.3 race. So I stuck with the tried and tested.

On the morning of all my long runs and all races I have a bowl of porridge for breakfast, for those races where I stay away from home the night before, I always take two pots of porridge oats with me and a travel kettle. I have these in the hotel room whilst getting ready to head to the start.

When on the way to the start and whilst waiting around in transition, I have a 500ml bottle filled with Maurten Drink 320 to continue to fuel the body and load up on carbs prior to the swim start.

This year I took Science in Sport Go Energy Electrolyte gels on the bike and popped one into each transition bag. The thinking is I can take a gel after the swim to keep on top of the fuelling before starting the bike and similarly in T2 before the run. Each of these gels gives around 20g of carbs.

On the bike, I take a gel every 35mins, giving me 40g of carbs every 70mins. Alongside these, I have found that I like to have something solid to eat during the longer 70.3 and Ironman distance events. Just taking gels doesn’t sit too well for me. So I pack a flapjack bar into the top tube bag on the bike and have a bite of this every 20mins. My two 900ml bottles are again filled with Maurten Drink 320 giving more carbs. As Mallorca is most likely going to be warmer than most races I did over the last few years, the plan is to get through the first 900ml bottle before the second aid station around 50km and grab one of their Gatorade bottles to drink and again swap out for a fresh bottle at the third aid station.

On the run they have Maurten Gel 100 at each of the three aid stations, we will be doing 3 laps, so passing nine aid stations on the 13.1 mile route. My well tried and tested method is to take a Maurten Gel 100 every 30mins on my long runs. I am planning on picking these up from the aid stations as I pass by and drinking as much water and Gatorade as I can to keep well hydrated.

Swim Gear

I raced Ironman 70.3 Mallorca 2019 but had to pull out after the bike leg with a calf injury. That wear I wore this same Zoot sleeveless trisuit. Since then I have moved away from the sleeveless suits but figured that I had to wear the same kit as 2019 to put that bad experience behind me.

I still swim in the same 2018 HUUB Archimedes II GB Edition wetsuit too. My googles are Zoggs Predator Goggles, I really like these, I had a pair in 2018 and only just replaced them with the same just before Ironman 70.3 Bolton 2021. They give a great field of view which helps when navigating those around you and really helps to sight the buoys. They have a slight tint to them to cut down on glare and sunlight. I always take Body Glide for my open water swims. I put this around my neck to help reduce the risk of chaffing and around my wrists and ankles to help get the wetsuit off quicker in T1.

Tech-wise, I am using a Garmin Forerunner 935 to track my race and a Garmin HRM Pro chest strap for heart rate tracking.

T1 Gear

I already mentioned the Science in Sport Go Energy Electrolyte gel above. One tip I got early in my triathlon journey which has stuck with me to this day was to pack a small hand towel in your T1 bag if you plan to wear socks on the bike. That way you can have a quick towel dry of the feet, this makes it easier to get socks on.

This year I am using the Gymshark No Show Performance Socks for my races, I used these in Paris for the marathon and all of the long runs leading into that so I feel confident they won’t give any blisters. My preference is to wear socks on the bike more for comfort than any performance gain but I certainly wouldn’t risk running without socks! I like the small trainer style socks for triathlons as they are easier and quicker to put on damp feet than longer socks.

My bike shoes are getting quite old now, again from 2018, the Fizik R3B cycle shoes. They work and I have no issues with them but will look at replacing these later this year.

I have the Oakley Jawbreaker Cavendish Edition sunglasses, Kask Mojito helmet and FitLetic Ultimate II race belt. I like this belt as it has a zipped pouch which can fit up to 4 gels plus loops around the side for an additional 6 gels if needed. As Mallorca is most likely going to be sunny and warm I am also packing Hawaiian Tropic sport sunscreen into both the bike and run bags.

Tech-wise, I have the Wahoo Element Roam loaded with the bike route to show me when the hills are coming up and on the fast descents, I have the map to show the turns ahead.

T2 Gear

Not much in the run bag. Just the Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen, a New Balance run cap my Nike Vaporfly Next% shoes. The run course in Mallorca isn’t too twisty and is 100% on paved roads so these shoes will be stable enough and give a lot of cushioning to help get the legs through to the finish feeling fresher. Had it been a more twisty run course I may have opted to swap the Next% for something with a lower stack height for more stability on the turns. Finally, I have my Roka Kona sunglasses for the run. No performance gain from them compared to keeping the Oakley’s on after the bike, I just prefer to run in these.

Race Day?

How did race day go? head over to my IRONMAN 70.3 MALLORCA 2022 RACE RECAP to see how I got on and whether this gear worked for me.