OK, I admit that I'm not that tough when it comes to cold water, but would love some advice. I'm doing a splash 'n dash this weekend in Tempe -- 1500M swim and a 3KM run. The current water temp is 71 and the air temp during the time of the swim will likely be around 65. Most of the people in the race will be triathletes, so I'm assuming they'll be wearing wetsuits. I'm mainly doing the race as a warmup for a 2.4 mile swim in the same lake the following week.
It seems a waste of time to put on a wetsuit only to have to strip it off for a 3KM run ... especially as I'm not a triathlete and therefore not experienced in transitions. Two questions:
Am I being a wimp to think that 71 degrees is too cold to swim without one?
Am I putting myself at a significant disadvantage vs. the wetsuit-clad triathletes to not wear one?
Former Member
Swimtrek offers a tour for winter swimming - a swim meet in Finland.
www.swimtrek.com/.../finnish-winter-swimming-championships
People show up in costumes - last year's was held in London at Tooting Bec Lido, and a team of very large Russian men in bubble wrap "Swan Lake" tutus were among the participants. Sounds like fun!
While doing a Jaspar-Banff bike tour some years ago, the group I was with stopped at a hostel that had a wood-fired sauna along with an old claw-foot bathtub filled with icy stream water. It was quite a sensation to run out of the sauna and into the tub - pins and needles all over and very refreshing.
