one foot with sock and one foot without

Socks vs No Socks: The Question In Every Triathlete’s Head

Although I am nowhere near the race podium, I am always thinking about which part of my race I could have saved some time on.

In races, triathletes have three options:

  • no sock on the bike and the run (option used by all elite short-distance triathletes)
  • no sock on the bike, but then socks on the run course (mainly podium contestants on long-distance courses)
  • socks on the bike and run (majority of amateur triathletes)

HOW MUCH SLOWER AM I WEARING SOCKS

I really wanted to test it for myself, hence a little experiment with my wife, Anna.

We tried to replicate a portion of a swim-bike transition and timed how long it took to put socks on compared to no socks. We needed between 14 and 16 seconds more! This was at home after several trials but without the stress of a race.

I would not be surprised if a beginner lost 25-30 seconds during a race by putting on socks.

Check it for yourself. Try to see how much time you will save by doing this small test. You will learn something, and at the same time, your family and neighbors will have fun watching you!

WOULD 15 SECONDS CHANGE SOMETHING?

Most pro triathletes don’t wear socks for sprint and Olympic distance events but wear some for longer events.

15 seconds on a sprint can be pretty big. However, over a full Ironman distance, it is relatively insignificant. The comfort of socks over such a big distance is, for most people, well worth those couple of seconds.

I checked two of the biggest races I made. I finished 503rd & 506th while wearing socks. By saving those 15s in transition, I would have been placed 500th & 503rd. Not a significant change for me 🙂

Check your races and see if it would make a big difference for you!

TIPS FOR THE SOCKS TRIATHLETES

  • Try to get your feet as dry as possible before putting your socks on.
  • Put your socks inside out and use baby powder on them. Then, turn them again and put them on the correct shoes (for socks with a specific foot side). The powder will absorb the drops of water left on your feet.
  • Invest in special sports socks and train with them before a race

TIPS FOR THE NO-SOCKS TRIATHLETES

  • Check the size of your shoes. If you bought them while wearing socks, they might be too big.
  • Lubricate your feet with vaseline, anti-chafe balm, or put baby powder in your shoes.

In a couple of situations, you might be better off wearing socks after all:

  • Cold weather
  • Gravel or trail course

TIP FOR ALL TRIATHLETES

  • To avoid the obvious blister pitfalls, remove any stone you feel in your shoes immediately, avoid running in the water holes on the street, and be careful with the showers that are sometimes offered on the running course. Use them for refreshment but not for getting your feet completely wet.

No matter which of the two approaches you are taking, you should definitely train it a couple of weeks before a race and stick with it. Having a blister a couple of days before a race because you wanted to try something new is way more painful than getting one at the end of the race! 😉

Socks are one of the 20 essential triathlon gear on our list for race day, have a look at this article to find out more about the 19 others.