I am doing a triathlon with a 500 M swim. Water temp this weekend is going to be 68 which is chilly but certainly something I can handle for 500M. I think I am just going to wear jammers because I will save 30 seconds (atleast) not having to change out of a wet suit. Thoughts?
(I'll hold 1:15 /100m in jammers I figure).
Former Member
In Colorado 68 degree water temp is down right tropical. I don't think the time advantage of a wet suit can make up for the longer transition time in just 500 meters. Ditch the wet suit.
With practice you should be able to get a wetsuit off in 10 secs or less. With that being said I'd still do the swim without a wetsuit. 68 degrees is a very good open water temperature. For a 500 m swim you won't even notice.
Depends. At 1:15/100 you're at the pointy end of the swim. The better swimmer you are, the less advantage you'll get from the suit.
I'd agree that it shouldn't take longer than 10 seconds in T1 to get the suit off. Seriously, count out 30 seconds. That's a looong time.
So.... if you think you can gain a decent amount over 10 seconds with the suit (or a couple seconds per hundred), then wear it. This is where swimmers and triathletes differ, triathletes say if it's wetsuit legal wear it. You will gain an advantage. Question is how much
There wouldn't be much thermal benefits for a 6 minute swim in 68 degree water.
In Colorado 68 degree water temp is down right tropical. I don't think the time advantage of a wet suit can make up for the longer transition time in just 500 meters. Ditch the wet suit.
Do you know what the temp is like at Horsetooth Resevoir? Is it freezing all summer? I used to live in Ft. Collins and thought I saw some swims there and that looks like a great excuse to go back.
Do you know what the temp is like at Horsetooth Resevoir? Is it freezing all summer? I used to live in Ft. Collins and thought I saw some swims there and that looks like a great excuse to go back.
I'm signed up for that race. Their website says the water temp is
62 to 70° F (16 to 21°C)
Do you know what the temp is like at Horsetooth Resevoir? Is it freezing all summer? I used to live in Ft. Collins and thought I saw some swims there and that looks like a great excuse to go back.
It’s highly likely to be 67 to 70 on race day. However I swam the infamous cold 10K back in 2002, where some areas of the lake that were below 60. This was due to very low lake levels from dam reconstruction and high turn over of the water direct from the high regions of the Rocky Mountains. That year about a third of the field DNF'd and several were treated for hypothermia by paramedics. Not trying to scare ya, as the dam has been fixed for many years now.
In hindsite I should have gone with a wetsuit. There was a storm coming in that morning and the conditions were brutal. 500M swim took 8:30. YUCK. I got sea-sick on the ride home...
Curious, do they give swim splits? In many tris (depending on size of field, conditions, where the timing mates are etc) that's a smoking time. Curious as to where you came in with an 8:30 time.
Congrats. And better to get sea sick after the race, I guess :)
In hindsite I should have gone with a wetsuit. There was a storm coming in that morning and the conditions were brutal. 500M swim took 8:30. YUCK. I got sea-sick on the ride home...
