For age-group triathletes who want practical triathlon tips, honest stories, and race week advice from Team Saunders Tri. Useful, human, and never taking the sport too seriously that we forget to have fun.
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A Little Race Week Wisdom
Published 8 days ago • 4 min read
Issue #3 - 05.12.26
It's Race Week, Chattanooga!
Hey Reader!
IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga is almost here, which means there are probably a few athletes out there staring at a gear pile and wondering if triathlon is a sport or an elaborate packing test.
Respectfully, it is both.
This week, we’re talking about organization, nerves and why Chattanooga continues to be one of our favorite race experiences on the calendar.
Because yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s humid. Yes, there are hills. Yes, the road out of town can rattle your teeth and launch your bottles, especially if you stop paying attention around railroad tracks.
But also?
THIS sunrise over the river. The big wide swim. The rolling bike course. The small communities that line the streets and cheer as cyclists roll through. The run aid stations that somehow find a way to bring more energy when you need it most. And that final stretch down the red carpet.
That’s why we do this!
One Smart Thing
Your transition area should be a plan, not a pile.
A lot of athletes think transition organization is about being fast.
It is, eventually.
But you can’t be quick if you’re not organized or calm.
Race morning is not the time to solve tiny puzzles. You do not want to be standing at your bike asking deep philosophical questions like, “Where did I put my sunglasses?” or “Why is my helmet under a towel?” or “Did I bring socks or did I just imagine being a person who brings socks?”
The goal is simple: when you get to your spot, your setup should tell you what happens next.
Bike gear together.
Run gear together.
Nutrition where you can actually find it.
Helmet ready.
Shoes ready.
Nothing buried.
Nothing mysterious.
A clean transition does not guarantee a perfect race, but it removes unnecessary decisions when your heart rate is up and your brain is still trying to understand why you willingly jumped into a river before breakfast.
One Real Thing
Nerves do not mean you are unprepared.
Race week has a way of making normal things feel suspiciously urgent.
You start wondering if you trained enough. If your tire pressure is right. If your nutrition plan makes sense. If you packed the right shorts. If everyone else knows something you don’t.
That doesn’t mean something is wrong.
It means that you care.
The trick is to not let nerves take over the job of preparation and don’t let your brain sabotage all the work you’ve already done.
Preparation is useful. Nerves are an obnoxious voice in your head.
There’s a difference.
So when the nerves show up, give them a job.
Check your gear. Read the athlete guide. Visualize the course. Know your transition flow. Make your nutrition plan. Decide what you’re wearing. Charge the things that need charging. Then stop trying to solve your entire race from the hotel room floor.
You don’t have to feel perfectly confident to race well, but you should be organized enough to keep moving forward when the taper madness is at its peak.
One Useful Link
Caitlin’s transition video is worth watching before you start packing.
If you’re racing Chattanooga or any triathlon soon, this is a good time to revisit your transition setup.
Caitlin walks through how she organizes her gear, thinks through race morning and avoids turning transition into a scavenger hunt.
This is the kind of boring-looking preparation that can save your race day from becoming unnecessarily dramatic.
One of the things we love most about Chattanooga is that the course has an awesome personality. It sounds cliche’, but it’s true.
Let us explain.
The morning starts with that beautiful riverfront energy. The swim is big and open. The bike course rolls out into scenic roads and small communities where people actually come outside to cheer.
The run gives you plenty to think about, including the hills, the heat and the aid stations that are always there just when you need them most.
Every year, they go all-in with a theme and bring a truly impressive amount of energy to the course. Last year they were bringing the 80s vibes to life while handing out your hydration.
Rumor has it this year’s theme is “Welcome to the Jungle” and it’s proclaimed to be the Happiest Aid Station on the Course.
From past experience, The Most Fun Team in Triathlon agrees with this statement (although all of the aid stations really are rock stars!).
We also encourage anyone who will be in Chattanooga spectating to consider working a volunteer shift. It truly is a rewarding experience.
And we'd like to add an important reminder: be nice to the volunteers! They are there to make your day possible. A little kindness goes a long way and comes back in the form of race day karma.
Race day can get hard out there. That’s part of it. Sometimes you are managing heat. Sometimes you are adjusting your plan.
Sometimes you are questioning why you willingly signed up to run up another hill in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Then you hit an aid station with music, costumes, volunteers who are clearly having the time of their lives and suddenly you remember:
Oh yeah.
This is supposed to be fun too.
One More Thing...
Team Saunders Tri will be in Chattanooga!
Surprise!
We’ll be in Chattanooga on race day cheering, supporting and bringing as much orange energy as we can to the course.
If you’re racing, we hope we get to cheer for you. If you see us out there, give us a wave, a smile, a thumbs up or whatever form of communication you can manage at that point in the day.
We know there will be challenging moments. It’ll likely be warm. It’ll be humid. The hills will feel relentless. The road will have a few bumps, literally and figuratively.
And please, for the love of your race day, be smart and cautious around the railroad tracks as you leave town on the bike. A few seconds of caution is always worth it.
But when you make that turn toward the finish, hit that downhill, and finally hear the crowd and run down that red carpet?
It's going to feel amazing.
That’s the part that makes all the early alarms, long rides, weird tan lines, laundry piles and race-week nerves feel worth it.
We GET to do this.
And this weekend, Chattanooga gets to remind us why.
Race Mighty,
Caitlin + Tiffany Team Saunders Tri
P.S. If you know someone racing Chattanooga, send this their way. They may need the transition reminder, the railroad track reminder or just the reminder that the hard parts and the fun parts can exist in the same race.
For age-group triathletes who want practical triathlon tips, honest stories, and race week advice from Team Saunders Tri. Useful, human, and never taking the sport too seriously that we forget to have fun.
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