Just had to share: Last nite went to a local lake that I swim in occassionally. Smaller lake, 730 yards from one end to the other (GPS is great). As I was getting ready to go, a local Tri-guy was finishing his swim. I noticed that he was wearing a wet suit. Water temperature was about 81 degrees! I say," isn't it a little warm for a wet suit?" (I would be smothering), he says "Well, there are a couple of cold patches out there!" (probably gets down all the way to 80 degrees for 30 seconds) LOL.
I raced triathlon for many years, and while I loved the personal sense of achievement, as a swimmer, I always felt that it was not really about that particular portion of the event. If it were, the Ironman swim distance would be at least five miles--much more equitable given the distances of the bike and run.
It's funny that someone mentions the barbs thrown by swimmers, and how triathletes are very welcoming. I've found the world of open water swimming much more welcoming, much more about sharing the incredible experiences we have out there. I do a race in St. Croix every year where the emphasis is much more on what we've all seen and how incredible it has been, rather than who came in when. Turtles, sea rays, starfish--that's what ends up being important.
Personally, and I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I didn't find that to be the case in the same way in triathlon, especially as it grew over the years. I'm speaking big picture of course, not specific people because of course i met some great ones. I recall a lot of machismo and gear comparison that is definitely not there when it's just us, on a beach, in our speedos.
I'm not saying I wouldn't do triathlon again, because there is a big part of me that still misses it. But I find the community of swimmers particularly welcoming in a way I had not experienced before. This is especially true with open water swimmers, since there are so few of us and our races are so far between.
But perhaps it's also because everyone knows I am absolutely no threat to anyone when I take to the water...They can all afford to be nice to me!
I raced triathlon for many years, and while I loved the personal sense of achievement, as a swimmer, I always felt that it was not really about that particular portion of the event. If it were, the Ironman swim distance would be at least five miles--much more equitable given the distances of the bike and run.
It's funny that someone mentions the barbs thrown by swimmers, and how triathletes are very welcoming. I've found the world of open water swimming much more welcoming, much more about sharing the incredible experiences we have out there. I do a race in St. Croix every year where the emphasis is much more on what we've all seen and how incredible it has been, rather than who came in when. Turtles, sea rays, starfish--that's what ends up being important.
Personally, and I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I didn't find that to be the case in the same way in triathlon, especially as it grew over the years. I'm speaking big picture of course, not specific people because of course i met some great ones. I recall a lot of machismo and gear comparison that is definitely not there when it's just us, on a beach, in our speedos.
I'm not saying I wouldn't do triathlon again, because there is a big part of me that still misses it. But I find the community of swimmers particularly welcoming in a way I had not experienced before. This is especially true with open water swimmers, since there are so few of us and our races are so far between.
But perhaps it's also because everyone knows I am absolutely no threat to anyone when I take to the water...They can all afford to be nice to me!
