Wet feet safe for barefoot run in triathlon?

happysongbird

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Jul 1, 2011
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I just finished my first sprint triathlon (had done a very short beginners tri previously), but although I did a lot of my training barefoot, chose to wear Soft Star Moc3s since I haven't worked up to the race distance of 5K yet. However, since I AM up to a comfortable 2 miles barefoot, I'm already beginning to think of doing it next year barefoot. My concern is that going from wet swimming to the bike in shoes, then to running, that my feet might be soft. I am very hesitant to ride the bike barefoot, due to both spikes on the pedals or the possibility of needing to put feet down quickly. I have tried riding the stationary bike in flip flops, but find they have a tendency to slide sideways and catch on parts of the bike. I'm afraid that might cause me to crash in a race. I do hope to do a completely bare running race this fall, so should have that experience. Can anyone with experience in triathlons give me input?
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You can always put some foot

You can always put some foot powder in your shoes, hopefully it will help keep your feet from sweating and the moisture from the swim will get absorbed.
 
Good call, Abide, though I

Good call, Abide, though I personally don't want to spend the time in T1 dealing with power. I guess if you did it prior to the race it would still be ok.

Also, in the time you are on the bike your feet really don't get all that wet, so I don't think softness will be an issue. And I'd strongly suggest proper cycling footwear. Safer.

The best way to find out is to practice your race plan during the brick training days. Do your ride (seriously, your feet will not still be wet from the swim 30-45 minutes later) in shoes (proper cycling shoes are comfortable enough you don't need socks), then get off the bike, take off the shoes, and go for a short run. A few bricks will A) be good for you anyway and B) help you plan your race strategy.
 
So, Dirtbag, you have done at

So, Dirtbag, you have done at least one triathlon where you went from shoes during biking to running barefoot? I know my feet won't be dripping wet still, from the swim, but I'm still concerned they might be "soft" from going into the shoes right after the swim, not being able to really get dry. Maybe I can also look into finding a shoe suitable for biking that is breathable. I will experiment with it during my bricks when I start another training cycle. Thanks for the input.
 
I have not done the run of a

I have not done the run of a tri barefoot. But I have done a few triathlons and my feet never feet all that damp, or soft, after the ride. SayPay just did a BF duathlon, so he might have something good to say too. Here's his race report.
 
You know it really isn't that

You know it really isn't that big of a deal to run with wet soft feet. they will dry out pretty quickly once you get going. I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have a pair of vff's or other closed toe shoe wear them sockless for half a run then take them off to experiment.
 
I've run three triathlons in

I've run three triathlons in VFF sprints. Because they are open on top, they are very easy to get on quickly (unlike my Bakilas which take me forever). At some point, I hope to progress in my barefooting to the point where I can just get off the bike, throw off the shoes and run, but I'm not there yet. One tri I do has the run over mostly chipseal (little razor sharp rocks of death embedded in tar) and another has a big woodchip hill. Someday.
 
I've done several Sprint

I've done several Sprint tri's barefoot on the run with mountain bike shoes on the bike....I go sockless with the bike shoes and have no soggy wet feet issues at all. I think wearing socks on the bike would be the biggest reason for your feet to stay wet and not dry out before the run.

Make sure and check the run course ahead of time if you can.
 
Ive only done one sprint tri,

Ive only done one sprint tri, and I did the entire thing BF. I put some duct tape on the pedals and it worked out pretty good! I wouldnt "reccomend" that you do the entire event BF as I usually dont advise people to follow what I do. I generally have little to no concern for my own personal safety...
 
Be aware that if it's an ITU

Be aware that if it's an ITU sanctioned race, the ITU competition rules specifically state that you must run with shoes.

F RUNNING CONDUCT

F.1 General Rules

The competitor:

a) May run or walk;

b) May not crawl;

c) May not run with a bare torso;

d) May not run without shoes on any part of the course.

http://www.triathlon.org/docs/competition-rules-20080601-vf.pdf



Of course, it doesn't say that you have to wear the shoes. Just that you may not run without shoes. ;)



But I doubt that carrying a pair in your hands while you run BF would prevent you from being disqualified if the officials wanted to push the issue. If you're serious about competing and expect you might be a top finisher you'll want to take this into account. If you're just going for a PR and don't care about the official results, don't ask permission, just run BF and enjoy the race. Chances are they won't make a big deal about it.



Peace,

Karen
 
I actually emailed the race

I actually emailed the race director on mine, a USAT sanctioned event. they had me email USAT, who sent me back to the race director, who had me sign my waiver saying I was choosing to run barefoot against their advice, and then they were ok with me running barefoot.
 
I did an olympic tri and a

I did an olympic tri and a half ironman this year. I wasn't barefoot for either of them however. I have tri-specific biking shoes with cleats so I usually just leave the shoes attached to the pedals. After the swim, I start pedaling with my feet on top of my shoes and slip into them while I'm cruising. When I'm back I slip my feet out of the shoes and hop off before the transition area. Saves me lot's of T1 and T2 time. Hope this helps. Here's how it looks.

 
I haven't done any Tri's, but

I haven't done any Tri's, but I've run a 10k and a half in the wet, both times after standing around in water long enough for my feet to prune up pretty good. If your form is good and your feet are ready, you should be fine.

I want to start doing some Tri's next year after my full in June. Someone has to make a barefoot friendly bike pedal with a strap. My only concern with putting on a smooth pedal is not being able to pull up on hills.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes when the time comes!

-Jonny