Congratulations. The cattle call to bail out of the launch boat looks intense. But no wet suit in sub 60 degree water! Beyond impressive. That's ice cream headache water for sure. (Hypothermia can occur very quickly in 60 degree water if you're not moving around hard enough to work up the body temperature.)
As a swimmer I think most of us would take the plunge without giving it a second thought. But cold grey water with wave chop had to bring a slight level of apprehension to the non-swimmers regardless of their fitness level. In my humble opinion most triathletes are bikers and runners first, and then swimmers.
Over the years there's been speculation that the cause of cardiac arrests and pulmonary edema is somehow related to the wetsuits and lack of blood flow. This is really sad. Hopefully they'll find a way to prevent this from happening in the future.
The cattle call is intense. But if you watch the video, you'll notice that things kind of slow down after awhile. If you're afraid of getting shoved, you hang back a bit, same as with any open water start.
The cold water does hit you very hard, and yes, I kept moving to keep warm. I've got a pretty good internal heater.
Let me be clear, though, I don't mean to say "look how tough I am." I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done what I did in 51 degree water (at least not without acclimation training), and I question whether they should have held the race under those conditions. I just meant to say that the start, while a bit shocking, isn't too bad if you don't try to be the first person off the boat (and if you don't have a heart attack. :( ). Then again, I did grow up swimming in the ocean, so my sense of what is scary might be a bit skewed. You're right that someone who's not really a swimmer, or without much experience outside a pool, might be intimidated.
Congratulations. The cattle call to bail out of the launch boat looks intense. But no wet suit in sub 60 degree water! Beyond impressive. That's ice cream headache water for sure. (Hypothermia can occur very quickly in 60 degree water if you're not moving around hard enough to work up the body temperature.)
As a swimmer I think most of us would take the plunge without giving it a second thought. But cold grey water with wave chop had to bring a slight level of apprehension to the non-swimmers regardless of their fitness level. In my humble opinion most triathletes are bikers and runners first, and then swimmers.
Over the years there's been speculation that the cause of cardiac arrests and pulmonary edema is somehow related to the wetsuits and lack of blood flow. This is really sad. Hopefully they'll find a way to prevent this from happening in the future.
The cattle call is intense. But if you watch the video, you'll notice that things kind of slow down after awhile. If you're afraid of getting shoved, you hang back a bit, same as with any open water start.
The cold water does hit you very hard, and yes, I kept moving to keep warm. I've got a pretty good internal heater.
Let me be clear, though, I don't mean to say "look how tough I am." I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done what I did in 51 degree water (at least not without acclimation training), and I question whether they should have held the race under those conditions. I just meant to say that the start, while a bit shocking, isn't too bad if you don't try to be the first person off the boat (and if you don't have a heart attack. :( ). Then again, I did grow up swimming in the ocean, so my sense of what is scary might be a bit skewed. You're right that someone who's not really a swimmer, or without much experience outside a pool, might be intimidated.
