Race-Day Checklist

A race-day checklist is exactly what it sounds like — a written, itemized list of everything you need to bring, do, and remember on race morning. It sounds mundane, but it's one of the most important tools in an endurance athlete's toolkit. Race morning is a high-stress, early-alarm, foggy-brained situation, and forgetting your timing chip or race nutrition can turn months of training into a disaster.

The checklist typically covers four categories: essentials (bib, timing chip, ID, safety pins), gear (shoes, socks, race outfit, watch, sunglasses, hat), nutrition (pre-race breakfast, race fuel, electrolytes, water bottle), and logistics (parking plan, warm-up route, gear check bag, post-race dry clothes). Triathlon checklists are exponentially longer — swim, bike, and run gear, plus two transition setups, plus bike maintenance tools.

The best checklists are personalized and refined over time. After each race, note what you forgot, what you didn't need, and what you wish you'd had. Keep it digital (phone notes) with a physical backup (printed and taped inside your gear bag). Many experienced athletes pack everything the night before using the checklist, then run through it once more at 4 AM. The 5 minutes of checking feels tedious; the alternative — standing at the start line without your GPS watch — feels much worse.

Pack your race bag the night before — never on race morning. Use the checklist to verify every item.

Pin your bib to your shirt or race belt the night before; fumbling with safety pins at 5 AM in a dark parking lot is miserable

Bring more than you need: extra gels, backup socks, spare hair ties, extra safety pins — you or a fellow racer will be glad

Include a "post-race" section: dry clothes, warm layers, recovery drink, car keys in an accessible pocket