What to do with car keys

1.  Wear tri shorts.  They have a pocket.

2.  On the bike, you should have a bento box or saddle bag to put it in.

3.  You can purchase a small key pouch that attaches to shoe laces or goes on your wrist.

4.  The only place you should have an issue is for OWS.  I put my keys in my gas cap.  Ok, this may not be the safest thing to do, but I do it.

5.  Memorize your code.

I just leave 'em in my transition bag during races and in my shorts/jersey when I'm out training.  No big issue.

Anything is possible, but it seems unlikely that someone would root around in YOUR bag to find keys and then walk all around the parking lot(s) pushing the button to find YOUR car.  In my eyes I'm more apt to lose the keys on the course.

I would just learn the code.  Easy...

I have a few strategic hiding places on my car.  Cant give them away :-)  But just use your imagination and you should be able to come up with a few places to hide the key.

Bring a single key or the valet key.

Stuff it in an old sock or empty water bottle in the bottom of your gear bag.

I would never hide it on the car.  Way too easy for a crook to match the key and car.  Valet keys are nice because they could get your key, but they would have to walk around and try every lock in the place to find the car.  I always leave the beeper key at home because its so easy to match it to the car in an unobtrusive way.  They cost like $300 dollars to replace if you lose them too.

During training I just take my car key off the ring, and put the house keys in the glove box.  All my running shorts have a tiny key pocket usually inside the waistband, or a small zipper pocket.  It goes in there.

When riding its in the jersey pocket, or in the bento box if I have one on the bike that day.

During a race, its just in my transition bag.  I expect nobody to touch my stuff.

My tube carrying case under my bike seat has a little zippered compartment for a key, or I thread my shorts' drawstring through the key's hole and tie the drawstring.  The key doesn't rub my stomach/waistline at all.

I've carried a car key in my saddlebag/patch kit, I've hidden a key under a rock at the trail head, and carried a spare key in a neoprene spy belt during long run training.  During a race I usually leave my keys in my transition bag.

I've never lost a key.  After a spectacular 20 mile run. I once spent 30 minutes looking for my keys. At the time I was standing in the parking lot with the car unlocked, doors open trying to remember where I put my keys.   Turns out I was still wearing my spy belt under my jeans. 

Amazing what happens when you get dehydrated, seriously low on blood sugar and deeply fatigued. 

Cheers.

Shorts pocket or saddle bag.  I simply don't buy shorts that don't have some sort of pocket for my key.  And I only take my car key. 

I thought about this a bit and realized I forgot to add this:

My VW has one of those 'switchblade" keys.  When the key is folded in, it makes a nice neat little package.  When I ran the Philly Marathon back in the fall, I put this key fob into the tiny "key pocket" in the back of my shorts.

After 26.2 miles, that key had bounced against the top of my butt so many times I had a nasty bruise back there.  I dont think I would change my key-carrying strategy because of that.  Mostly I consider it a curiosity, and one of the more unusual injuries one might suffer when doing a marathon...