Weather Issues
Thanks to the Internet, you can get a pretty good idea of what the weather will be like on race day in advance. Thanks to Mother Nature, the forecasts often miss the mark, and there can be freak events that take everyone by surprise. For example, at a race in South Dakota in 2005, high temperatures, as forecast, were in the seventies the day before the race and on the day after. On race day, temperatures soared to a high of ninety-seven. That can happen anywhere.
Hot to Trot
Dealing with unexpected and extreme heat will be your biggest challenge, primarily because if the mercury rises too high, it can be very dangerous for competitors. Here are some measures you can take in the event that heat and humidity become a major factor in your race:
Stay in the shade as much as possible before the race starts.
Forget about warming up.
Drink extra fluid and take it with electrolytes.
Go slower once the race starts. You want to live to race another, cooler day.
Water from Above
There's not much you can do in the case of rain, although in severe cases involving lightning, the race start might be postponed. It's not unheard of for race organizers to scrap the swim altogether, turning the event into a duathlon (run, bike, run).
Lightning isn't the only weather-related problem that will cause cancellation of a triathlon swim. Unrelenting fog will do the same because it's too difficult to keep track of swimmers, and it's a nightmare for swimmers trying to see where they're going. Ocean swims can be canceled if the waves are too high, posing serious danger to swimmers.
If the issue is rain and nothing else, the competition will start as planned and you will have to deal with it. Start by covering your shoes and socks with the garbage bag from your checklist. It's better to start your run with dry shoes even if they are going to be squishy from the rainwater in short order.
Rain will make for slippery roads, possibly poor visibility, so plan to slow down and take extra care in curves and on downhills. A crash can cause serious injury, even death. Running in wet shoes often causes blisters, but there are wool-based socks that perform very well in staving off the blisters in rain-soaked running.
Chills
When it's hot, there's a limit to what you can do, clothing wise, to cope. You can take off only so much, and even the ultimate won't help when it's really hot. On the other hand, you can bundle up when a northerly wind blows through.
Starting with the swim, you will be permitted to wear your wetsuit if the water temperature, measured twelve to eighteen inches below the surface, is 78°F or colder.
If it is really cold, a neoprene cap will come in handy. It is similar to a wetsuit and can be worn under your race cap to keep your head warm. Also, smearing your face with petroleum jelly can help protect the exposed skin from the cold.
Be careful about piling on too much clothing when temperatures drop. You will warm up a lot faster than you may realize, and you are not permitted to throw off clothing during the race. That's considered littering. It's okay to leave something at an aid station, but there's no guarantee it will be there later or that it will be returned to the staging area.
Riding will, of course, create a wind chill if it's cold, and gloves will keep your hands from feeling frozen, but they will be awkward in the transition from biking to running as you try to get your running shoes on.
What you must keep in mind about weather issues is that all competitors will experience the same problems. There's no point in freaking out or bemoaning your bad luck. Think of it as an adventure, and envision all the stories you will have to tell your friends when you get home.
