The Transition Is Part of the Race: How to Move Fast Between Disciplines
I have watched a lot of adventure racers lose races they were fit enough to win. Not on a climb, not on a navigation leg, but in the quiet minutes between disciplines, standing beside a pile of gear, trying to remember where they put their helmet.
Transitions feel like downtime. They are not. They are part of the race, and in a short event like the Spring Equinox Triathlon (or a traditional adventure race, even), where the whole thing is run, bike, ski, they can decide your day.
Here is how I think about them, and how I coach racers to get faster without getting frantic.
Rehearse it before race morning
The best transition I ever had was boring. I had walked through it the night before, in my head, step by step: run in, shoes off, helmet on, bike out, go. On race morning I did exactly that, and I was gone while other people were still unzipping bags.
You do not need a fancy setup. You need a sequence, and you need to have done it once before it counts. Lay your gear out in the order you will use it. Practice the changeover at home, even once, in your driveway. Time it if you like, but the point is not the stopwatch. The point is that your hands know what to do when your brain is tired and your heart rate is up.
Keep it simple, keep it in order
Every extra item in your transition area is a decision you have to make under fatigue. Bring what you need for the next leg, and only that. If you are moving from run to bike, your bike
gear should be on top and your run gear should have a place to go, not a pile to sort later.
I lay things out left to right, in the order I will grab them. Helmet with straps open and ready, not tangled. Gloves tucked where my hands will find them. Food for the bike leg already in a pocket or on the bike, not still in a wrapper in a bag.
The racers who look calm in transition are not calmer people. They just have fewer choices
to make.
Change what needs changing, nothing else
New racers tend to over-change. They swap every layer, re-tie everything, and eat a full meal standing in the snow. Experienced racers change only what the next leg demands.
Ask one question at each changeover: what does the next leg need that this leg did not? On a cold day, that might be a wind layer and gloves for the bike. It might be nothing at all, and that is a fine answer. If you are warm from the run and the ski leg is short, keep moving and adjust on the go.
The same goes for food and water. Eat and drink on the move when you can. A transition is a bad restaurant. Grab what you need, get going, and sort the rest out on the trail.
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast
This is the oldest advice in racing, and it is true because panic is slow. Rushing makes you drop things, forget things, and go back for things. A steady, practiced changeover beats a frantic one almost every time.
I tell first-timers: walk into transition if you have to. Walk, breathe, do your sequence, then run out. You will pass the person who sprinted in and spent three minutes looking for a shoe.
It also helps to know where you are going. Before the race, look at the transition area. Where do you enter, where do you exit, where is your spot? On race morning, walk it once. That one walk saves more time than any piece of gear.
Practice the unglamorous skills
A few small things pay off far beyond their size. Practice getting a helmet on with cold hands. Practice clipping in, or stepping into skis, when your legs are tired. Practice taking a jacket off while moving, if the course allows it.
None of this is exciting. None of it shows up in a race photo. But add up three changeovers in a triathlon, or a dozen in a longer adventure race, and the minutes stack up fast. I have seen podiums decided by less.
And be kind in transition. Volunteers are out there in the cold, holding bikes and pointing the way. A quick thanks costs nothing and it keeps the whole event warm, including for the racer behind you.
The finish line gets the glory, but races are often won in the in-between moments, by the person who stayed organised when everyone else got scattered. Do the boring work before race day, keep your setup simple, and let your transitions be as steady as your legs.
The Spring Equinox Triathlon returns on March 20, 2027 at the Canmore Nordic Centre, run, bike, and ski on a marked course. If you are thinking about it, the transition tips above are a good place to start your preparation.
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