Sun Screen

Don't know of a sunscreen that would last that long, but I work DeSoto Coolwings during the bike portion of my HIM on Sunday and came away burn-free.  I had Bullfrog gel on underneath the coolwings and took them off to run.

A couple of fast options are the sunscreen wipes or spray-on sunscreen. 

Good luck!

I do not know of any sunscreen that can survive more than 30-45 minutes of activity. You just sweat it off.

Cool wings are getting popular but I don't have any. The wipes you can do on the bike and run, but I'm guessing you don't want to have to carry it all with you?

I use Bullfrog Marathon Mist down at the beach and it lasts me all day, but I'm also not doing a HIM...

But, it is a spray on, which makes it SO much easier to get on - might make the T2 reapplication not so bad.  For whatever reason I have a hard time finding it in stores around here, so I get it online at walgreens.com

if I don't have a good base tan, I use the spray stuff in T1.  The alcohol will take your numbers off, but it's a fast solution.

no sunscreen i have used lasted through the swim.  (especially if you are wearing a top or wetsuit)

A good waterproof/sweatproof SPF50 suncreen should see you through a HIM just fine.  I like Coppertone Sport, especially for my face.  But all summer I've been using just basic, No-Ad 50 for the rest of me.  I've had no problems (including last weekend's 7-hour workout), and I'm still one of the less-tanned, longer-distance triathletes I know.

The trick is to put it on with plenty of time for it to absorb into your skin.  Don't be skimpy.  For me, this means the suncreen is one of the first things I do (after I put in contacts).  I use enough that I'm usually still a little pasty looking when I'm done; however, by the time I leave the house 30 min later, it's usually fine.  Don't forget to get the backs of your hands and, if you're going sockless on the bike, the tops of your feet. (Most tri shoes have decent-sized vents or open areas where the tongue would normally be.)

With time to be absorbed, you shouldn't have any problem with body marking. (Though it could smear a little easier until the marker dries.) Just be careful of pulling a shirt over your markings until they are dry. 

The times I've gotten burned at races have been when I've stayed around after the race, talking with people, for the awards, etc. without putting on any additional sunscreen.  Remembering to protect yourself then is probably more important that worrying about it in T2.

In the past I always burn my shoulders when I race regardless of what sunscreen I use. At Steelhead I used a sunscreen made by ROC with an spf of 60, and I had no sun burning in 6 hours of racing. I checked the reviews in the previous post and I don't see any ROC products listed with an spf over 15, so perhaps the product that I used is not available in the US.

Both Coppertone and Banana Boat spray-on sports sunblock (I get the highest SPF the store has, not sure that makes much of a difference though) has worked great for me. I get asked all the time what sunblock I wear since I spend so much time sweating in the sun during the summer and am still very pale .

For the face, just spray some on the back of your hand and run on your cheeks, nose, forehead, etc.

Everything in the ad copy is true. I've gone all day at a waterpark with the kids, one application in the morning and another at lunch, and no one had even the hint of a sunburn.

Any waterproof sunscreen has to maintain its SPF for a minimum of 80 minutes.  In practice most last longer from my experience (or perhaps the SPF degrades but not at a rapid rate).  Blue Lizard (an Australian brand) is supposed to last at least 4 hours in wet conditions.

I put on sunscreen before donning my wetsuit for a HIM and never reapply.  The only problems I have ever had so far were from missing spots, not from the protection wearing off.  I've used lots of different brands, from the Bull Frog noted above to generic store brands.