So I was looking for a possible swim to do in October and came across this one distanceswimchallenge.com/ , however I read the FAQ's and saw the following:
Are wetsuits allowed?
Yes.
Are there separate wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions?
No. Swim in whatever you like.
Personally this put me off a little, true I could still swim with out a wetsuit, however based on the race fee plus having to come up with my own kayak support, I want a little recognition that I did it without one. Additionally with the growth of open water marathon and ultra marathon (English & Catalina Channel) swims that follow channel rules of no wetsuits you'd think a swim like this would offer a non wetsuit category.
Parents
Former Member
I have made various estimates on the differences in speed depending on whether one wears a wetsuit or not based on the www.swimetrics.com technology, but the differences are highly dependent upon the natural swimming technique and speed of the swimmer as well as the conditions and length of the course and salinity of the water. Other factors that would intuitively impact differences in wetsuit speed vs. non-wetsuit speed include water temperature, the appearance of marine life, specifically stinging jellyfish or Portuguese Man-o-War, one's body shape, thickness of the neoprene, altitude of the venue and configuration of the wetsuit. In other words, in every case, there would be differences in the data points.
Around the world at different open water events, different time penalties (or advantages) are used to compare wetsuit vs. non-wetsuit swims. These range from a low of 8% to a high of 15%.
So would you be satisfied if the Distance Swim Challenge (or any race in America that does not distinguish between wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions) have a 10% time advantage for the non-wetsuit swimmer (or a 10% time penalty for the wetsuit swimmer)?
Just wondering for those in the community.
I have made various estimates on the differences in speed depending on whether one wears a wetsuit or not based on the www.swimetrics.com technology, but the differences are highly dependent upon the natural swimming technique and speed of the swimmer as well as the conditions and length of the course and salinity of the water. Other factors that would intuitively impact differences in wetsuit speed vs. non-wetsuit speed include water temperature, the appearance of marine life, specifically stinging jellyfish or Portuguese Man-o-War, one's body shape, thickness of the neoprene, altitude of the venue and configuration of the wetsuit. In other words, in every case, there would be differences in the data points.
Around the world at different open water events, different time penalties (or advantages) are used to compare wetsuit vs. non-wetsuit swims. These range from a low of 8% to a high of 15%.
So would you be satisfied if the Distance Swim Challenge (or any race in America that does not distinguish between wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions) have a 10% time advantage for the non-wetsuit swimmer (or a 10% time penalty for the wetsuit swimmer)?
Just wondering for those in the community.
