Has anyone ever participated in a triathlon? (biking/running/swimming) I have high anxiety with driving to unfamiliar places, being in crowds and basically anything new. But I really want to do one sometime because all those sports are ME!! And there's one in Cincinnati where you swim in the river!! How cool is that? I hope I will be less intimidated if I know more.

What's it like?
Do you get to choose the order? I'd prefer to swim last. I wouldn't run in my bathing suit!
Do you go from one to the other like in the olympics or is there a scheduled break in between?
Is there generally a crowd?
Most of all...did you enjoy it?

One more thing...if you've done the swimming portion in a pool, how important is it to know how to flip at the end of the lap lane? I do not know how to do that and have to turn myself around.

there is a tri thread and a few folks who have done and are doing around. it was a little nerve racking the first time out, but soooooooooooo worth it.

I've never done one because in my town you swim in the river and I just can't get over that fear.... Yes, there usually is a crowd, that are extremely supportive and will cheer everyone on ... The order of things is swim, bike, run... You do not stop, it is a timed event. No need to bike or run in your bathing suit, most women I see usually slip on a pair of shorts after the swim and head out on their bike...

Anywho, they do look like loads of fun, go for it!!

Yep, I've done a small handful and have 2 longer ones lined up this summer.

1) I HIGHLY recommend the book the slow fat triathlete. It will answer a lot of your questions but I'll try to answer the ones you've tossed out here.

2) I haven't seen one where you choose the order. The order DOES change sometimes depending on the race but MOST of them are Swim, then Bike, then Run. There are all different distances you can do too!

3) You don't have to run in your swimsuit... nor do most people swim in swimsuits in general, but you can! People wear all kinds of things but the most common are Trisuits (like a swimsuit w/ shorts) or Tritops and shorts. Sometimes wetsuits on top if it's cold. People tend not to wear swimsuits because they can irritate the leg area on the bike.

4) You go from one to the other right away but there are what they call "Transitions" In between where you switch out your equipment how long or short of a time you take there is up to you.

5) crowd size depends on the race but in general yes! Lots of cheering, volunteers, etc.

6) I LOVED it!

7) I don't know how to flip-turn (or kinda do but I suck at it and don't do them) and you don't need to know. Tris more often then not are in open water not pools but there are some in pools. When in a pool you can turn however you need to.