What are your pre-race superstitions, strange traditions, quirks and kinks?

Dave Tallo

Put it out there - the more arcane and bizarre, the better. 

Good Example:
"I have to turn the lights on and off in the hotel room for each mile of race distance. Or I won't finish."
Not Good Example:
"I eat oatmeal on race morning."  

Patti Thompson

Funny that I find this question as I just finished putting finishing touches on TT bike, which includes packing three tiny little figurines, a unicorn and a pig from my grand niece and an owl from a team mate. They are always somewhere on my bike. Also, I do not make the bed the morning of a race! 

scott dinhofer

the first thing that comes to mind isn't a quirk. I pop a half a xanax at 8pm the night before, lay down go to sleep.. always get a full night's sleep that way.

the other is that I think i have worn the same hat for all of my Ironman's and I am loathe to go with anything else out of tradition. 

Scott Alexander

I eat a 4-pack of Twix the night before.

For most of my travel, especially bigger sports events, I pack an old stuffed tiger that I got from my college bookstore. It's been my good luck charm since I started triathlon ~14 years ago.

Al Truscott

I once saw Tim Cronk take his saddle off and throw it away after an IM - "I pee'd on it one too many times." And I saw Dave Tallo line up all his race gear neatly in piles on the floor of his hotel room - FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE IM!

I couldn't think of anything equally weird, so I asked my wife. She notes I have my mandatory restaurants on the day before the race, depending on the venue: the Greek place on Sherman @ CDA (R.I.P.), Jamba Juice in Kona, CDA, Tempe, Madison, wherever I can find it. I freak out if I don't get there at the EXACT right time. She says I "twitch" a lot the day before the race. "Just move around incessantly" is how she describes it. And I make a fetish of getting just the right songs in my ear as I lie down @ 8:48PM the night before an IM. I've generated nearly a dozen kinda cool Boomer playlists that way. Every race seems to require it's on specific soundtrack. Like the time I opened with the Rolling Stones' "This Could Be The Last time". It wasn't.

Francis Picard

I throw the left over eggs we havent eat on our car wheels.

Dave Tallo

These are all impressive. 

Josh Church

During race week I always shower with Dr. Teals. It's like the magic scent of Ironman for me. Prepping all the senses for raceday. Started this in Texas at my first full IM.

Satish Punna

I got nothing.  I actually consider it bad luck to be superstitious...

DAVID RICHMOND

I use to drink 4 beers the night before every big race...

Dave Tallo

Satish Punna said:

I got nothing.  I actually consider it bad luck to be superstitious...

As you're a Man of Science, I can respect that.  But think of all of free speed you're leaving on the table!  

Jacklyn Moore

Haven't been around long enough to have any. These are pretty good though. I like Al  bed time the best. 8:48.

tim cronk

It's true I threw away a saddle after KONA ....Also when Heather went to retrieve my bike from that same race as I lay on the grass with my world spinning round I asked her to unclip my shoes and leave them on the ground in transition....  Same reason - I had enough races/pee on that saddle and shoes and it was time to retire them... (Now that is Love:-))

I like to get a haircut a couple weeks out and make sure my fingernails and toenails get clipped a few days out....  Heather likes to apply fast polish to all nail digits!

Robert Sabo

@tim cronk  Is the nail polish to her nails or yours?

Trish Marshall

Its a thing I have no control over, but I really like it when my bib number has a 3 (my favorite number) in it.  If that fails, I like a multiple of 3 or a 5 ( my husbands favorite number).  It makes no sense.  IMLP bib?  633.  Nice. 

Michele Cellai

I try to get all conversation over with before bed prep. Once I start bed prep on the night before a race, I don't like to talk. When asked a question, it can't have more than yes or no as a response or I generally don't answer, unless it is about what time I'm getting up.

ironmarianne

I have to wear (inexpensive) stud earrings, one Ironman (CHATT), I had to drive around town looking for some as I had forgotten them..I also need a (cheap) necklace --not my Mdot one as one time that got pulled off my neck (WISCONSIN!  I also have to get my nails done, in a coordinating race singlet color (IMLP, I had patriotic flags on nails).  I write on my bathroom mirror, something uplifting.  I write on my forearms in permanent marker, some key mantra words.  I always take brown sugar pop tarts with me race morning and a cheap bed sheet to use as a disposable blanket and warm up while standing waiting on the swim.  I always get a race themed headsweats visor to wear race day. When I go locate my bike in transition pre-race, I come up with a pneumonic device to remember where it is:  Example:  if it is on the 5th row, I remind myself I have five kids so that is where my bike is, I go through the race tent pre race and find the spot where the closest chair will be to the exit so I know where I will go race day, I always find the Bike SAG people and say hello!, ... I enjoy race week as much as a vacation and race mornings always feel like I am about to induced into labor!  Each Ironman, I normally come up with a theme song while in training. I also listen to previous Ironman songs that they played on race day...Example:  at IMLP= "Back in Black", "Forever Young", "She's a Brickhouse", I also wear a Razorback t-shirt race packet pick up day! Race Week=vacation!  

Brian Terwilliger

I get speech slurring drunk on vodka the night before a race.  And no, I'm not kidding.  Hasn't failed me yet.

Dino Sarti

I always evict my wife and kids from the room for a minimum of two hours while I pack my transition and special needs bags on the bed in the hotel.  I must be alone with TV on and I pace around a lot. The whole thing is super stressful and I have a ritual on how I duct tape and mark the bags. I also have a rather complex checklist system.  Once the bags are tied, calm returns and generally, so does my family.  

Vicki McKinnon

My pre-race meal is salmon, sweet potato and green veggies.