I frequently find myself having to make a quick decision in open water races - draft off the person in front of me who is drifting slightly off course or give up and go on my own without the draft benefit on the straighter line.
Often I figure that the slight extra distance is worth the draft and just silently hope the lead person in the pack straightens out.
It's very hard to decide which is best in the heat of the swim. It depends on how off course the lead person is, but it's not easy to know that at water level in the middle of the race.
Which would you pick?
I tried to draft once intentionally. I was trying to hang with the top 3 swimmers and died after about 1K of the 3K race. Wow, did that last 2K hurt.
So mostly I swim alone. During last year's Great Ohio River Swim, I drafted only when the opportunity presented itself with a guy moving my pace right in front of me. It was great on the way across. On the way back he ditched me and took off.
I tried to draft once intentionally. I was trying to hang with the top 3 swimmers and died after about 1K of the 3K race. Wow, did that last 2K hurt.
So mostly I swim alone. During last year's Great Ohio River Swim, I drafted only when the opportunity presented itself with a guy moving my pace right in front of me. It was great on the way across. On the way back he ditched me and took off.
