What To Wear For A Duathlon – Beginner Kit List

If wondering what to wear for a duathlon – first event or not – I got you! 

Considering it’d been 7 years since I last took part in the London Duathlon and I’ve no real intention of taking part in another multisport event anytime soon, I decided against splashing out the cash for a tri suit back in 2021.

I did have my eye on one from Velovixen, or even the For Every Adventure Focus Race Suit, but in the end, time wasn’t on my side.

I knew I could find everything I needed for this duathlon and more in my kit wardrobe, so I raided it ready for race day and am sharing what I wore in this updated post from 2014. Back then, I wasn’t sure whether to go for the ‘pro’ look or whether I should just wear my regular fit kit… so I’ve come a long way!

If you’re about to take on your first duathlon, then read my tips and tricks for beginners here.

What I Wore For My 2014 Duathlon

Back in 2014, I was working at lululemon and I actually got the cycling kit I’m wearing in the picture above as a Thank You for my contributions that month including organising a city cycle tour for the lululemon community. It was a limited edition collaboration with Specialized, so I felt extra lucky to have it to wear on race day.

I teamed it with what accessories I had back then, my adidas boost trainers and lock laces, some Oakley sunglasses, a race belt (we’ll come to this) and more accessories from lululemon. 

Come 2021, I felt much more confident about what to wear for a duathlon and picking my kit. I also had all my posts from London Duathlon 2014 and the triathlons I completed since for experience, information and inspiration.

What To Wear For A Duathlon

The thing about your first duathlon, triathlon or multisport event is probably the fact that you don’t wanna spend money on a triathlon suit which you might never wear again. Because, let’s be real, who knows if you’ll love duathlon enough to sign up for more?!

You could go for a running outfit and forfeit comfort on the bike without padded shorts. Or you could go for a cycling outfit (i.e jersey and shorts) and potentially forfeit some comfort when running with padded shorts especially if they’re super thick. Or yo could even find reasonably priced pair of tri shorts to team with your cycle jersey. 

London Duathlon Race Day Kit List

Here’s a pretty complete list of what I wore, took with me and packed for London Duathlon 2021:

• Velociposse Race Suit
• Le Col base layer
• Stance socks
• Hoka One One Mach X running shoes
• Sungod sunglasses
• Bioracer cycling cap
• Race / bib belt
• Towel (for transition)
• Wahoo ELEMNT Rival
• Wahoo TICKR X HR monitor
• Wahoo ELEMNT Roam Cycling GPS
• Liv Langma 2021 Bike
• Helmet, gloves, cycling shoes
• Liv Trilliant Tri Bag
• Nutrition (Clif Shot Bloks, 2x 1L water bottles, SIS gels, SIS flapjack)

All of this kit fit easily into the bag I took with me to the transition area, with plenty of space left over. I got this triathlon specific bag from Liv Cycling UK as a gift (I’m an ambassador) a few years back and it’s been so useful for events and generally, big days out.

It has separate compartments for the entire race – swim, bike, run, a waterproof area for swimsuit or wetsuit and a handy external water bottle pocket.

Duathlon Running Kit Tips

Your actual running gear kit picks will really come down to the (predicted) weather conditions on the day. In warmer weather, you might opt for short sleeves with arm warmers or no sleeves and in colder, wetter weather, you could choose to add a jacket.

It’s 100% a good idea to run in shoes you’ve run in before. I almost made the decision to run in new shoes then I came to my senses and ran in shoes that I’ve tried and tested over the past year.

Choosing the shoes you run in will also be determined by your race distance. With longer distances to run, you might opt for a running shoe made for endurance with more stability. 

If you’re wanting to run with your phone, you might choose something like a quadlock running armband. You can use the code “ellelinton10” to get 10% off your purchase at www.quadlockcase.co.uk

Duathlon Cycling Kit Tips

To keep things simple you could just ride in your running shoes, but personally I ride using specific bike shoes and clip in. The professionals manage to run barefoot out of the transition zone, jump on their road bike and then secure their shoes while riding.

When you see them doing that, it’s pretty inspiring and gives you something to aim for one day! Till then, just put your cycling shoes on and run with your bike to the exit to start your bike ride. 

If it’s a cold day you’ll probably need a few more layers for the bike like a gilet / jacket, gloves or leg warmers.

When it comes to the bike you use, as a beginner doing sprint duathlons, just use whatever you have even if it’s a mountain bike! I was due to complete my first ever duathlon on a hybrid bike but it got stolen and my friend kindly lent me her road bike for event day. 

What I Would Do Differently

On the last event I did, the weather somehow turned out to be really hot and sunny, with minimal shade on the course. I wish I’d had a cap with a bigger peak to help protect me from the sunshine. 

I didn’t use lock laces (elastic laces) for this event as I didn’t think they were needed. I feel like coming out of a swim in a triathlon, dexterity may be an issue but not so much after a ride.

Any extra time they were gonna save me on race day weren’t gonna make a massive difference to my time. This is definitely something you can test out in your own brick session though. 

In hindsight, I should also have carried water and hydration tablets / electrolytes with me on the run, like I did for the ASICS London 10k earlier in the year. I recently started using Elete Electrolytes which basically have no added anything. 

Last but not least, I would have sprayed magnesium on my calves to relieve the cramping after the bike portion, during T2. I think I actually had it packed but just forgot it was in there, which was a shame. I remembered once I was back on the second run by which time it was too late.

Race Bib Belt

One of the best pieces of kit for a multisport event or duathlon has to be a race belt which holds your race number. It means you don’t make holes in your kit from safety pins, and helps reduce the risk of not being able to get out of kit when you visit the bathroom (‘cos if you’ve ever pinned your bibs to your jersey and bib number, you’ll know about it!). 

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Race Number Belts On Amazon:

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It also allows you to have your race number on the front for your first run, then quickly flip it to the back for your ride, before switching it again for the final leg. I’m pretty sure the rules of the event state that’s where your number needs to be place at each time, so thats a win for making compliance easy. 

The race belt I have can stash gels too but I had pockets in my race suit so didn’t need to use that part of the race belt.

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Once you’ve chosen your kit for race day, make sure you have a chance to try it all out during a brick workout. Then, check & pack all your kit at least the night before to make sure you are organised and have everything you will need.

At the end of the day, don’t stress too much about what to wear for a duathlon, especially when it’s your first race. Wear whatever is comfortable, get out on the course and enjoy yourself!

Anything I missed that makes the cut for your duathlon kit list?

Elle