Part of the joy of triathlon, like any endurance discipline, is wearing fabrics that would otherwise not fly in day-to-day public appearances — preferably in neon (or “hi-viz”, in 2014 parlance). The apparel you choose in a race is important from a performance and comfort standpoint, too: while you can change clothes at each transition, a tri suit can take you from swim to bike to run to post-race pizza and beer. In a wetsuit-legal race, put it on over your tri suit. Burning up on the marathon run at Ironman Louisville? Unzip the front and put some cold sponges inside. These five tri suits are among the best for a single-garment race day.
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Zoot Ultra Tri Racesuit
Zoot’s tri suits are comfortable enough to wear as PJs, with the added benefit of being race-ready. The Ultra Tri Racesuit is made using Schoeller’s coldblack textile finish, which provides UVA and UVB protection of UPF 30 while reducing heat build-up on the surface. The suit also has strategically-placed compression (what they call ULTRAcarbon BIOwrap) for added support and a minimal chamois that dries quickly and doesn’t feel like a diaper when you come off the bike and head out for the run. As a rule, we generally prefer front-zip tri suits like this one.
2XU LD Core Support Trisuit
Like Zoot’s Ultra suit, 2XU uses strategically-placed compression to encourage alignment and provide support in long races, plus Ice X fabrics that provide UPF 50+ protection and, according to 2XU, can lower skin temperature by up to five degrees fahrenheit. While we can’t vouch for the latter claim, we’re on board with the benefits of compression for long races where every bit of help makes a difference. As an added bonus, the antibacterial chamois in this suit is made from memory foam — so your lower regions will get Tempur-Pedic-quality treatment even while you hammer away on the bike leg.
