The open water discussion has been a little boring lately so time to add some controversy. The above quote was affixed to a plaque my swimmers gave me when I retired as Head Coach of the University of Denver Masters Swim Team. Yes, they knew where I stood on the subject. Others share my view. In my day job as a stock broker I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal “Wimp or Triathlete, You Probably Like That New Wetsuit" by Kevin Helliker, published on September 24, 1999. In it were several memorable quotes on the subject. "How pathetic, says Betsy Brennan a Lake Michigan swimmer" "When I see people in wetsuits, I think: wimp." Another Chicagoan Ted Erikson, who did a double crossing of the English Channel without a wetsuit, said on the increasingly use of wetsuit by swimmers in Lake Michigan. "I ask them, 'Why don't you just get a boat? Boats have heaters.”:D
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Sorry, I didn’t catch that episode of 60-minutes. I was probably watching Tony Soprano force some poor soul to swim with the fishes without a wetsuit. I don’t have any problem with wetsuit divisions as long as the premier race is no wetsuits. In 1999, I did my fourth Gatorman (3-mile race) at the LaJolla Rough Water Swim. That year the water temperature was around 62 degrees. For a large and popular open water race that does not allow wetsuits that was a little on the cold side for many swimmers. What I noticed was several of the top placers did not necessarily carry any extra weight on there bodies. In fact they were rather lean. Asking them if they were cold? Most responded no, or only at the start of the race. Training is key. 1. Training swims in colder water helps the body adapt. 2. On a 3-mile or shorter event, the ability to swim right at your anaerobic threshold, and maintain that speed throughout the race. This is one of the reasons I don’t like wetsuits as it allows you race without having to do the all the training. By the way Wall Street Journal “Wimp or Triathlete, You Probably Like That New Wetsuit” was actually published on September 27, 1999. Ok, how bout some strong pro wetsuit responders, I know your out there!
Sorry, I didn’t catch that episode of 60-minutes. I was probably watching Tony Soprano force some poor soul to swim with the fishes without a wetsuit. I don’t have any problem with wetsuit divisions as long as the premier race is no wetsuits. In 1999, I did my fourth Gatorman (3-mile race) at the LaJolla Rough Water Swim. That year the water temperature was around 62 degrees. For a large and popular open water race that does not allow wetsuits that was a little on the cold side for many swimmers. What I noticed was several of the top placers did not necessarily carry any extra weight on there bodies. In fact they were rather lean. Asking them if they were cold? Most responded no, or only at the start of the race. Training is key. 1. Training swims in colder water helps the body adapt. 2. On a 3-mile or shorter event, the ability to swim right at your anaerobic threshold, and maintain that speed throughout the race. This is one of the reasons I don’t like wetsuits as it allows you race without having to do the all the training. By the way Wall Street Journal “Wimp or Triathlete, You Probably Like That New Wetsuit” was actually published on September 27, 1999. Ok, how bout some strong pro wetsuit responders, I know your out there!
