Triathlon - first triathlon (sprint) this weekend, some questions

Hey, im racing the ironbruin triathlon this weekend, 400m swim, 13m ride and 5k run.
so heres the deal, im racing a two of my friends, all of us each have different strengths. Im the fastest in the water, one is fastest on bike and the third fastest on the run. in a trial this week i gained 3.5min on the swim on them and i know i can pace a little faster to maybe get to 4 min. Another bonus is my two friends are incredibly tired after the swim and i wont be, 400m is very short compared to how much i regularly swim.
Im not as fast one on the bike but equal on the run , and equal on the bike but slower on the run with my other friend, but on our last run, he only gained 2 min on a 3.5 mile run so i dont think ill be that far behind. I want to maximize my transition time the best i can. The bike course is on campus and pretty hilly. Is it worth wearing cycling shoes or should i just quickly put my running shoes on for the ride? Im afraid ill loose a lot of time in transition putting on my cycling shoes and then changed to running shoes (have stretch laces so no tying). what should i do?

1. Swimmers never win. (I have to deal with this problem myself)
2. Do not pace faster during the swim.
3. Whatever you do, do not try to put on any form of shirt after you get out of the water.
4. Cycling shoes have clipless in them. That will make the bike faster.
5. If you use running shoes make sure you have toe clips.
6. The loss of power during the bike will be much worse than the seconds in transition.
7. Organize your transition perfectly and it should be fine.

Keep in mind - you will probably have to put something on your torso. Here the rules clearly state that you cannot race with a bare torso, so I'd put on some kind of shirt/tank top/something.

I'd go for the cycling shoes & then switch. It won't take as much time as you think (practice in your living room) and the advantage on the bike will be worth it.

ok, one more question, do i bring spare tube and pump w irons or save the weight?

Do you want to finish? Or do you want to sit at the side of the road, frustrated that you have a flat, and either need to walk in the 4 miles in your bike shoes, or give up and get a DNF?

Honestly, the weight of the pump and tube is not going to matter, but if you don't bring them, you'll get a flat and hate yourself for not bringing them.

UCLA ride is all inside the campus grounds which are very well maintained. Even the construction areas are insulated and construction debris won't be an issue. Also, there will be many volunteers throughout the bike course, so you won't feel abandoned. If I were concerned about a flat, this is where I would get a CO2 system rather than a pump.

So how did it go??

Swim 7:02
TI 2:09
Bike 51:00
T2 1:04
Run 26:25
Total 1:27:39

So it went pretty well, i did not beat my friends, but i can live with that. I got screwed on the swim by starting late in the heat, there was way too much traffic and i got cought behind a wallof people in the pool at times, so my swim time should have been better. Also, for the run, i started cramping in my calves within the first 100 feet, normally i can pace between a 7-7:30 mile, so i was not thrilled with my run time, something i should work on. Im doing an olympic triathlon at the end of the month and cant wait, this one was sooo much fun

Glad to hear you had a good time.

I would suggest a few "brick" workouts. Go for a bike ride, come home, put on your running shoes & go for a little 10-20 min jog. The bike-run transition sucks for everyone, but you can train your body to make it a little less painful. Also, try easing up at the end of the bike to let your muscles relax a little before you transition to the run.