Triathlon - Transitions in Relay Tris

A group of us will be doing the Sprint Relay in Philadelphia in June. None of us has ever done a triathlon before. We're all solid in our events, but the transitions are a mystery to us.

How exactly does a relay transition work in general? There is a little information on the the Philly Tri website, but I'm looking for a some idiot proof guidance on what will happen.

Transitions times are included in the overall time so it's very important to be well prepared and fast to exit. There are timing mats at the entrance/exit of the transition as you enter and come out of T1 (swim/bike) and T2 (bike/run). I've never done a relay but I imagine that you all are using the same timing chip so you need to pass the chip (w/ strap) to each other.

Be careful and know where to mount and dismount the bike. You cannot ride the bike in the transition area and can be penalized. Some people prefer not to run with bike shoes and so they have the shoes already clipped in and ran with the bike barefeet out of transition to the mount line.

Good luck w/ the race and have fun.

If it's a relay, it's waaaaaay simpler than a solo effort. :) The moment you come into the transition area you simply pass the timing chip (usually attached to an ankle strap) to the next person, they put it on and take off. You don't have to worry about wasting time to take off your wetsuit or to change clothes/shoes.