10 Triathlon Race Day Tips That Actually Make a Difference

Today we discuss how to execute your best possible race day performance. Mikael and Jack provide practical tips that you can apply from sprint distance triathlon to the Ironman. Some of these tips are probably familiar (but bear repeating), others you have likely never heard or thought of before.  HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:  Proper pacing across swim, bike and run in a triathlon Why you should use RPE as the primary driver of pacing strategy Known and lesser-known tips for maximising speed across the swim and the bike Is “run for dough” still true in triathlon?  Managing the heat in hot races  Nutrition and hydration - more than just having a plan, it’s about understanding how to adjust the plan on the fly when needed.  How to get the most out of yourself mentally - the brain is a central governor, so if your head is not in it, you won’t have your best race. But getting your head to be in it and stay in it is easier said than done. DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES:  We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode.  The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts701/ LINKS AND RESOURCES:  The effect of additional skin wetting on physiological strain and exercise performance: systematic review and meta-analysis - Anderson et al. 2026 WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT? If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes, related to sports science and (the third episode listed) fat adaptation and performance.  Pacing science and training talk with Andy Renfree, PhD | EP#349 Sports psychology and applied neuroscience with Simon Marshall, PhD and Lesley Paterson | EP#282 Q&A on racing and testing | EP#399 You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Triathlon Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc. You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes.  LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON:  The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs) Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow us on Instagram Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.  HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)?  I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.  Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released. Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!  Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones). Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.  SPONSORS: Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout. Rouvy is hands down the most complete indoor cycling platform for triathletes. Among their thousands of beautiful bike courses from all around the world, all filmed in stunning quality, they have over 75 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 race courses plus 20+ Challenge Family courses, so you can pre-ride your race from home. Real gradients, real visuals, and real feel! Head to rouvy.com and use the code TTS to get your first month free on top of a 7-day free trial. Effortless Swimming produce the best swim goggles for triathletes and open water swimmers. Their NanoClear anti-fog lenses give you clear, fog-free vision that lasts and doesn't wear off. Don't let foggy or leaky goggles ruin another swim. Go to shop.effortlessswimming.com and use the code TTS15 to get 15% off your goggles, and get a free two-month Effortless Swimming course membership.LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we doContact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on InstagramLearn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals. HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far! Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack. 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