Open water swim – race day tips

the NYC tri video - was there a single 'skin' among all those 'shirts?'... wasn't water temperature in the mid-70s? God bless the two families and friends that lost loved ones.

You made a smart choice to start wide. I'd argue that you can get a clean and a fast start almost always by starting at one extreme (right or left) of the field. I consider myself a pretty fast starter and, whenever I can, I try to be the last person on one side of the starting field. Doing this guarantees me that I've only got one side to watch out for, both in terms of not getting kicked and in terms of getting ahead to clean water. Finally, pwb and I don't agree on something, to a certain extent. As a general rule I do not like the notion of starting far outside. I prefer to start dead in the middle but up front. I see way too many swimmers start at the outside due to paralyzing fear of the pack. I've never seen any evidence this works. However, if you are an experienced OW swimmer, as pwb is, this strategy could certainly work. The basic math says you will swim farther but that could be balanced against other factors, like getting kicked. I really just think pwb is scared of combat swimming. In OW races, swimmers tend to be more courteous and self-policing. In triathlons it's a big free for all with jacked up tri-dorks thinking they know how to swim. Triathlons get interesting on the starts.

Looking back on past swims that I have done, my best results have been when I started out in the very front, hammered the first 100, and then fell in with whatever pack happened to be near me at the time. It's a painful way to race, but I think it is the most effective. Much like you, this has been where I have ended up also. I tried the build swim approach once and ended up spending so much time trying to catch the next pack that I wore myself out and had a rotten time. The one absolute truth I have determined is never be anywhere near anyone wearing goofles (Aquasphere goggles). 100% of the time they have no idea what they are doing, where to line up, or where to go.

Finally, pwb and I don't agree on something, to a certain extent. As a general rule I do not like the notion of starting far outside. I prefer to start dead in the middle but up front. I see way too many swimmers start at the outside due to paralyzing fear of the pack. I've never seen any evidence this works. However, if you are an experienced OW swimmer, as pwb is, this strategy could certainly work. The basic math says you will swim farther but that could be balanced against other factors, like getting kicked. I really just think pwb is scared of combat swimming. In OW races, swimmers tend to be more courteous and self-policing. In triathlons it's a big free for all with jacked up tri-dorks thinking they know how to swim. Triathlons get interesting on the starts. See, I think your approach to this question depends on your swim speed and the race. In my first couple of open water races, I started on the outside, and it worked well. In a swim like the Big Shoulders (800 swimmers starting in 5 or 6 waves), I'm a top half to top third swimmer, and starting on the outside keeps me clear of the congestion. A couple hundred adrenaline-hyped swimmers can swim really fast and hard for 200 yards which is enough to wear you out if you're trying to get out front of them to clear water. In a smaller swim (100 swimmers or less), I can often be a top 10% in speed. In this case, I know who the top 4 or 5 finishers are likely to be. They start in the middle. I start on their heels. They clear the path for me, and I don't have to swim the extra distance.

Before the race starts, ask if others have done the race before, and if they have any tips. In my experience, people are very willing to be helpful. Usually the most important piece of advice to get is what to "sight" on -- this may *not* be the finish line for most of the race, as the finish line may not be visible from the start. It could be a building or a mountain or some other landmarkVery good point. In many races the buoys aren't visible until you're close enough to them. Draft off of someone a little faster than you who seems to be swimming a good line. But be careful, because if you pick the wrong person, you may swim off course if they do or swim slower than you could be. Someone once told me that you've got to get into a Zen-like state and trust the pack. I've found this generally works well. For the Gatorman at LaJolla, this has worked beautifully for me and allowed me to hang with stronger/faster swimmers on the outbound portion of the race and to waste less energy sighting. In local races where I know the competitors, I generally know that Kurt Dickson sights way better than me so I just try to hang with him :) I really just think pwb is scared of combat swimming.Hit the nail on the head! However, I still don't think the extra 'width' of going wide in a field matters much in terms of the overall distance swum. Most OW races I do are at least a mile and I probably add more distance due to mis-sighting during the race than I do from starting a bit widely. I just don't think the benefits of starting center outweigh the potential costs of getting whacked in the head or kicked in the gut. The other positive of starting wide is that, when I sprint, I tend to breathe to only one side: starting on one side of the field allows me to keep my eye on everyone else while maximizing my speed (such as it is).

I'll add: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate....before race day. Drinking on the morning of the race isn't going to cut it.

I'm still trying to figure out the best place to start in an open water or tri swim. The problem is, each event is different because different people show up. I've had great luck with starting right up front in the middle and off to one side, but I've also had bad experiences with both. I did a one mile OW swim in June and I lined up behind some swimmer-looking people without wetsuits in the front. The problem was, they went out slow and the people behind me decided to climb over me, them, and everyone else. Then to make matters worse the climbers didn't know how to sight and started zig-zagging everywhere once I began drafting them. For the Fat Salmon 5K I took the opposite approach, hung in the back messing around with my GPS, and just took my time. That resulted in a relaxing, conflict-free, but slow swim. I moved from pack to pack, drafting for a little while each time. Looking back on past swims that I have done, my best results have been when I started out in the very front, hammered the first 100, and then fell in with whatever pack happened to be near me at the time. It's a painful way to race, but I think it is the most effective.

In OW races, swimmers tend to be more courteous and self-policing. In triathlons it's a big free for all with jacked up tri-dorks thinking they know how to swim. Triathlons get interesting on the starts. This is definitely true, although I think the shorter OW races can be just as bad as triathlon starts. Sometimes it seems like people are not doing it on purpose - they just can't help themselves from spazzing out and swimming all over the place. Other times it is clearly intentional, like the guy who wrapped his hand around my ankle and pulled. (triathlon start, 10-beat kick, problem solved)

Noodler video: I was most impressed with the person doing backstroke with their head completely out of the water in the last second or two. Reminds me that I failed to flip over onto my back and sing "Row, row, row your boat" in my last OW race. One commenter suggested that the cap color for the noodler is that of the Para triathletes. Puts a different spin on it. I'm guessing they don't let regular triathletes use flotation devices other than wet suits. Otherwise, I might take my kayak.