Triathlete Gift Guide 2024

 

Ah, Christmas! A time for joy, laughter, and, if you have a triathlete in your life, sheer confusion over what to buy them. You might think, “Oh, they do three sports. That’s three times the gift options!” Wrong. It’s three times the specificity, snobbery, and budget annihilation.

But fear not—I’m here to help you navigate the minefield of neoprene, carbon fiber, and oddly specific nutritional preferences. Here are the top 10 gifts guaranteed to make the triathlete in your life both love you and question their life choices.

1. Socks, But Make Them Cool

Triathletes love socks. Not boring black ones, though. They want flashy, borderline obnoxious designs that scream, “I spend too much time on my bike.” Compression socks? Even better. But the Holy Grail is Aero Socks, which is the also the gift of time, something a triathlete cannot put a value on.

Try these velotec ones which add a little national pride in and have a pseudo national champs vibe to them!

 

2. Gels, Bars, and Electrolytes 

You need only look at the most recent pro race to see that Race Nutrition is the on trend topic for Triathletes. If you're not taking more than 100 grams of carbs an hour, you're basically fasted!.Get that wannabe Magnus Ditlev in your life a mixed pack of energy gels and bars, but be sure to ask about their favorite brand. Nothing ruins Christmas like gifting the wrong flavor of carbs.

3. Aero Helmet

If they already own one, congratulations—you’ve just entered the “one-helmet-isn’t-enough” phase of triathlon. Aero helmets are like old men in sports cars. The person in it thinks they're cool, but everyone else just thinks they look ridiculous. Just don’t ask them how much faster it actually makes them. They’ll quote very questionable science.

This is a risky one though, so I'll let you in on a secret, buy the Specialized Swork Evade, its well vented, tests the best across a wide range of heads and can also be used on their coffee ride, somewhere where speed is valued even more than it is in races!

 

4. Custom Name Stickers

Triathletes love to put their name on everything. Bike? Sticker. Helmet? Sticker. Water bottle? Sticker. A custom set with their name and national flag will send their ego straight to Kona. They may be in the mid 40's, but don't think for a second that they've given up on their dream of turning pro. Custom stickers on their bike, is essentially the next best thing. 

These guys based in Kilkenny: 

Stuck On

 

5. A Training Journal

Triathletes are data-obsessed, and there’s nothing they love more than writing down every training detail: watts, splits, and how much they cried on the turbo trainer. A sleek training journal will let them relive their suffering with pride. And most importantly let them pour over that data they recorded this year in what was their "best year yet" and struggle to replicate for the next 10 years!!

 

6. Massage Gun

Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a machine that vibrates so aggressively it scares the dog. Massage guns are essential for soothing sore muscles and giving their calves a beating after long rides. Just remember though, that this is one present that will be used for Christmas, and then put in a drawer and forgotten about for most of the year until those phantom taper injuries rear their heads days before the "big race". I recommend the Theragun, mainly because its the only one I've ever used.

 

7. Race Entry Gift Card

This is the Holy Grail of triathlete gifts. Races are expensive, and a gift card toward their next Ironman or 70.3 will put you firmly in the “Best Christmas Ever” category. Just prepare for weeks of discussions about tapering, carb loading, and why the race photographer caught them mid-blink. Better still, you pick the race, somewhere preferably near a beach with lots of bars, to make the whole weekend more bareable.

 8. Bike Cleaning Kit

Triathletes treat their bikes better than their cars. A fancy cleaning kit with degreaser, brushes, and polish is basically like giving them a spa day for their beloved steed. Just don’t get involved when they arrive home from the following spin complaining about how their chain is no longer shifting properly. This gift also works well in combination with vouchers for their local bike mechanic.

9. Aero

Pretty much anything with "Aero" in the name is a guaranteed hit. See points 1 and 3 above. Don’t just buy a water bottle—get them an Aero Water Bottle. Regular cycling gloves? Pass. Aero Cycling Gloves are the real deal. Believe it or not, there's even an Aero Tyre out there! For a triathlete, nothing beats the allure of going faster without putting in extra training hours.

10. Comeragh Coaching Vouchers

You knew it was coming, also known as the gift of time, and at €50, an absolute steal!! Comeragh Coaching will make them faster, resulting in less time standing on the side of some godforsaken river watching a group of lunatics in rubber and lycra suits running around. They'll thank you when they get all those new PB's!!

The Gift of Speed

And remember, whatever you go for, this golden rule: anything that makes them faster, more comfortable, or slightly smugger will always be a hit. 

And if all else fails, just ask them, “What’s your FTP right now?” and watch them forget you didn’t buy them anything while they try explain it for 20 minutes.

Happy shopping—and Merry Christmas!