Whether you’re shopping for a loved one, or just looking for a handy article to conveniently leave open in to drop some major hints. Keep reading for some triathlon-themed ultimate gifting inspiration from 6-time Ironman finisher and long distance triathlete, Jen Lucas-Hill.
What to buy for the triathlete in your life
The thing about triathlon, especially the long distance stuff, is that with countless hours of training across three different sports there’s always some bit of kit and kaboodle being added to your wishlist. Which means when it comes to shopping for the triathlete in your life, it’s less about what to get them – and more about whittling down the long list of gear and accessories they need, so you don’t end up overloading Santa’s sleigh!
With that in mind, here’s my top 7 ultimate gift ideas for any female triathletes.
Long Distance Tri Suit Race day comfort with optimal performance
Get them inspired for next year’s race season by treating the triathlete in your life to a new tri suit. For long distance, finding a suit that offers the perfect balance of race all day comfort with optimal performance to help them make every drop of sweat count is essential. I’ve tested out TRI-FIT’s EVO 2.3 tri suit over two full Ironman distance races and it performed exceptionally well. No chafe, packed with performance and more than enough pockets to carry all my nutrition for a long day of swim-bike-run.
If you’ve got a little more budget, I recently tested out the brand’s new premium ultra-aero tri suit – the TRI-FIT VORTEX. If you’re shopping for someone who’s serious about chasing that new personal best this season, this suit is certainly worth considering as it’s got next level aero details.
Wetsuit From natural feel to higher end buoyancy.
We triathletes famously dislike the swim. But a shiny new wetsuit can certainly help ramp up our motivation levels! The best wetsuit for the triathlete in your life will really depend on what sort of swimmer they are. For those who don’t suffer with ‘sinky legs’ and prefer a more natural feeling in open water, I’d highly recommend the Zoggs Hypex Pro FS wetsuit which not only looks stunning (I’m obsessed with the design, it makes me feel like a swimming super hero!) but offers up a nice, natural-feeling neutral buoyancy profile and good flexibility through the shoulders. But if your triathlete seems to be in a co-dependent relationship with their pull buoy, something with a higher buoyancy profile through the legs such as the Zone 3 Vanquish X (which has been my go-to for longer swims when my legs get lazy) is a good choice.
FORM 2 Smart swim goggles Live swimming stats and technique assistance.
Give the gift of better swim technique! Honestly, before I got my little chlorine-shrivelled hands on a pair of the FORM 2 smart goggles I kind of thought they must be a bit of a gimmick. Surely a goggle couldn’t pick up the many faults in my swim stroke, and actually tell me about them in a useful way purely through a tiny augmented reality display in the goggle itself!?
I soon found myself eating my words, because these have actually been incredibly useful. They give you a ‘live’ view of how many metres/yards you’ve swum which is ideal if like me you have a tendency to daydream and lose count of your lengths mid-set. They also give you a score out of 100 every time you turn at the wall which gives you an early warning sign of when your stroke is falling apart. And speaking of swim stroke, these goggles not only picked up that my head position was a bit off – but they gave me genuinely useful visual cues to fix it. If the triathlete in your life has been putting in the hard yards in the pool, but struggling to make progress these goggles might help them level up. If your budget allows, I’d recommend gifting them the premium subscription that comes with the goggles, so they can access a full library of workouts too.
Wetsuit and smart goggles aside, chances are your triathlete is doing a lot of pool training right now so check out Mel’s ultimate gift guide for swimmers for more swimming-related gifting inspo!
Winter training kitKit to keep you warm and dry
Nothing says ‘I care’ like giving someone the gift of being nice and toasty through all their tough winter training sessions. Think winter cycling jackets and bib tights for the long cold rides. A good water-resistant running jacket for those soggy winter trail runs. And a base layer (I’m planning to spend my winter living in this one from Runderwear!) is one of those things that might not sound particularly exciting, but they’ll end up wearing for absolutely everything from bike rides and runs to chilly morning dog walks.
GPS Multi-Sport Watch Turn by turn navigation to well-being stats at your finger tips.
There’s nothing we triathletes love more than tracking every single tiny activity we do and having a constant record of all our training and health stats. My Garmin pretty much never leaves my wrist! GPS watch tech has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with newer models offering up improved battery life, improved GPS and easy to follow turn-by-turn navigation (something I couldn’t live without as someone who used to regularly get lost and confused on my long runs!). Many also have extra features like sleep tracking and monitoring HRV which are useful stats to keep an eye on overall wellness and recovery to get that work-training-life balance right.
If the triathlete you’re shopping for can’t wear a watch all the time (or just doesn’t like to) there’s also the option of wearable smart jewellery – an Oura ring is currently top of my wish list! While these aren’t going to track swim, bike, run activities, they are a great way to be able to get a consistent measure of wellbeing stats without having to wear a ‘hey look I’m a triathlete’ watch
Triathlon transition bag/back packYour race day pack that keeps your kit organised
A transition bag is for life, not just for race day! Get the triathlete in your life a really good bag and they’ll be singing your praises all year long. When you’ve got three sports to train for, and quite often multiple sessions per day to fit around work, you end up with an awful lot of kit to carry around. And come race day, having one bag that you can easily fit all your race kit in makes setting up transition a lot less stressful.
Look for a transition bag with multiple compartments to keep things organised. Ideally you want a dry bag for soggy swim kit (or sweaty kit/muddy shoes so they don’t contaminate everything else). A large central compartment, plus a few smaller zipped pockets so they can easily find some of those smaller essentials (like their keys or their bike computer!) without having to empty the entire bag. TRI-FIT (pictured) and Zone 3 both have great options.
Medal framingClutter free way to celebrate every event.
And finally, for the triathlete in your life who got a bit carried away in the Black Friday sales and now has absolutely everything. Why not get their medal and bib number from this year’s race season framed? Personally, it’s one of those things I always mean to get around to doing but never quite manage. Meaning as it stands, all my hard-earned medals are unceremoniously stuffed in random drawers and shoeboxes all over the house. Hint-hint, any would-be Secret Santas!
A framed medal is a lovely memento of their achievements this season. They can pop it on the wall in front of their turbo trainer to help them stay motivated through the winter months! There are a few different options out there, including Sportsframe and Marathon Framing.
