Triathlon clothing for size 26 plus

Hi I am new to this forum and as my forum name suggests I am no longer a newbie to triathlon but am now a triathlete having completed my first spring distance on Mother's Day this year in 2hours 35mins and 34 secs. I am in training currently to do another sprint distance tri, The Leicester Flashman, on the 18th May followed by an Aquathlon on the 22nd June.

Having been bitten by the Tri bug I am finding it disheartening to find no suitable tri clothing for size 26 plus - in fact it annoys me that the manufacturers assume everyone who does this type of sport is skinny the largest possible size being 16-18 if I am wrong please enlighten me.

We larger people are constantly being encouraged to exercise yet when we find something we enjoy we cannot find the gear to fit. I am trying to lose weight - trying being the operative - yet still want to feel comfortable in the right clothing while I am trying.

Sorry for the rant but its a big bug bear of mine at the moment.

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Comments

  • http://www.teamestrogen.com/product/plus-size/triathlon/c0-atspecialty_03-atsport_04.html

    They do up to 3 or 4xl - I have assumed you are a female - sorry if I was wrong!  

  • Hi SuckitupButtercup yes you are correct in assuming I am female,

    Thanks for the link you posted- are they uk based? 

     

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    No!  See this page

    http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/shipping#international

    US companies are usually OK to deal with... but just do some checking out to see if you can find some (genuine) reviews. To be sure it's not one of the few that are a scam.

  • Team Estrogen is legit image but if you know someone in the states you could get it sent to them and it forwarded on.  I will check to see if there are some UK companies around image

  • Thanks much appreciated.unfortunately i dont know anyone in the us.
  • TBH the only companies I can see that do bigger sizes are American ones - have you considered looking at men's sizing if you can't get hold of girls ones?

  • I can vouch for Team Estrogen - get loads of stuff from there, but do have the advantage of Mr Frag being in the states regularly with work, otherwise you may get stung with import tax.

     

    and as KK said - well done for your first Tri image

  • and I should add - I like the Shebeest and Terry stuff image

  • There is a bit of a campaign going on in Twitter land today about running gear for the bigger people...under the #kitthatfits.

  • This is something I have always struggled with. Spent most of my time originally in men's sports clothing. Triathlon is even worse. It seems that anyone over a 16 can certainly not do sport. Many years ago it was a size 14 cut off. That was an XXL! 

    I manage to find bottoms now but still struggle with tops. My main problem is wetsuits. I have skinny arms and legs but big boobs. They cut off my breathing but hang off my legs and arms! Much fun image

     

  • MrsD - when you say ' they cut off my breathing but hang off my legs and arms', are you talking about wetsuits or your boobs. image
  • Probably a bit of both image 

  • Which is a point, you at 32 any time soon? 

  • Mrs Digger - the best wetsuit to cope with boobage is a made to measure one from Snugg image

  • It sucks for you, but look at it from the sports equipment producers. You rarely see someone size 26+ doing triathlon, so they won't sell many clothes, so it is unprofitable, so why would they do it?

    The leicester flashman seems to be a pool swim, so you don't really need any tri specific clothing. Do the swim in a normal swim suit, then throw shorts and t-shirt over the top at T1. Sorted.

    You can then buy Tri specific clothing when you've lost the weight you want to lose. That way you don't have to buy kit twice as well.

  • Ok, so you don't seem to realise that part of the joy of losing weight IS buying new kit... It's like a reward! 

    Perhaps people need to think outside of the 'Daily Mail' box. At my last triathlon there were ladies and gents of all shapes and sizes. Surely availability might actually encourage and make acceptable. 

  • Oo, thanks Fraggle. Will have a gander image

  • the point Try to athlon was making is that if a company made up to size 26 the company would have to make x amount of all the sizes in between, and the stores would have to stock them, reallistically a store isnt going to risk buying in stock that it probably wont shift or even if it sold half it would still lose money. its a simple supply and demand and economies of scale problem. I doubt anyone here goes to work and expects to lose money from doing it. Its possible to lose a stone a month so its not as though you need to be in make do kit for years

  • I was not criticising Try to Athlon's point. I understand entirely what was being said and on a business level agree completely. Just saying that my perspective is that I like buying new kit as a reward and that I wish there was less scrutiny of the 'SIZE' of women in sport. Then maybe more would participate. 

  • you cant walk into many mainstream clothes shops and pick up size 26 so trying to pick up clothing made for quite a niche market is pretty futile.its like the reason why they dont make 30 inch pizzas - not many takers, but i wouldnt mind one image

     when i was fat i just made do with what i could find, its not as though lycra did anything for my fat arse anyway. 

  • you got me thinking now of a 2 foot kebab - now they should be made 

     

  • No kebabs in Middle Earth have a lot less meat and a lot more salad in them image 

    OP I hope we haven't scared you off or offended you or anything like that - the last tri I did there was a lady athlete who was easily a size 22-24 I had complete respect for her - when I was squishing myself into a size 18 and desperately trying to ignore the fact that I really should've been wearing size 20 I could not have done a sprint tri.  I didn't believe I could do that sort of thing - and yet here I am image a wee bit smaller than I was and I love doing triathlons and I have met the best people in doing them.  So dont let the clothing thing put you off - seriously check out the men's kit - in tri I dont think there is that much difference between the shorts the pad is so thin anyway.  Get a decent sports bra and you're away! Invest in the kit anyway - I love buying new kit when I'm allowed to image husband should own shares in Wiggle!

    PS East Leake Tri in September is a lot of fun if you are keen for another tri close to home - I'll be there!

  • Thanks to everyone who has responded to this post. I understand it is not cost effective for companies to provide these sizes but it is these sizes I have noticed that disappear quicker than the smaller sizes which surely should say that there is a requirement for them. Obviously I dont want to wear that size for ever but why should I look like a frump until I can get in smaller sized stuff. I have bought men's thermal base layer tops in black so will look at the men's gear which nowadays looks more unisex so near fear of someone saying why are you wearing a men's shirt/shorts etc.

    SuckitupButtercup I did East Leak on Mother's Day this year as my first tri but dont fancy it again due to the three lap run! My next one is the Leicester Flashman on 18th May at Lutterworth Leisure Centre followed by Nuneaton Aquathlon so plenty to keep me busy.

  • I understand Try to Athlon's point but that the problem is that although you dont see many 26+ size people doing triathlon that doesnt mean they shouldnt if they are capable, 

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