The return of the top ten list. But before we get to the top list there are some things that you need to know about the transition and transition area. Probably the first being that if your goal is to finish you don't have to worry about many of these tips to much except being aware of your surroundings. Please read the ettiquete section, it is important to everyone's sanity.

At the same time if you get to the cake first and you know there is only so much you don't take a huge slice. A spot at most should take up the shorter part of your towel (about two feet) and your bike should go over your towel, meaning the space your bikes take up is part of this space.

Okay enough of my lecture, on to the tips:

10. If possible rack your bicycle by the seat. Be careful that it is one the rack securely. This will allow you get the bike of the rack quicker

9. Push your bike from the seat and not from the handle bars , especially if you are running with it. This is also a skill worth practicing.

8. Have two towels in the transition area. One beach towel to put everything else on and an additional smaller towel to try yourself of with if you need it. Also it can be helpful to either have a waterbottle or a tub of water to wash of sand or other debris from your feet.

7. Always be aware of your surroundings in the transition area. Watch out for people running diagnally to you or such, especially if its a large race with many heats

6. If you are in a sprint don't worry about eating in the transition area unless you have medical reasons or plan to take over 2 hours to finish. In an Olympic distance or even if you plan to take longer than 2 hours I would not reccommend it either, instead I would recommend using gel packs while you are biking

5. Start taking your swim stuff before you hit the transition area. Remove your goggles and swim cap. Unzip your wetsuit and pull the top part down.

4. Skip the non-essentials. Non-essentials are not the same for everyone. Some people can go without socks and some cannot. Whether you go with or without socks depends on the distance as well. Other non-essentials can also include shirts and shorts (but those also depend on your comfort, distance, and how warm or cold it is).

3. Particularly if you have a long run to the transition, try not to come out of the swim out of breath. You can save more time by jogging into the transition area if you have enough left to do so(don't sprint,just don't walk)Now if swimming is not your thing this may not be possible.

2. Just like everything else practice.

1. Spend some time before the race focusing on your transition area. Make sure it is as efficiently set up as possible. How you organize (specifically) is not so important as using a system that works well for you. After you get it organized take a walk from the swim exit to your transition area and note landmarks. Then take a walk to the bike exit and then find the transitions area again. Same deal with the run.