Tried my new wetsuit out at the Y. Water temp around 80. Works very well, but too
warm to do much of a workout. Question: What water temp would be the line for wetsuit
or no wetsuit? Is there a temp set by the event?
The swim leg of a triathlon is not the same thing as an OW swim. The whole sport seems to favor making the swim as easy and short as possible. Reason: To encourage mass participation (read $$$$$), even to the point where really poor swimmers are likely to enter. There is a company now marketing wetsuits with EXTRA floatation built in. Yes, I think the training wheel analogy is appropriate.
Sadly, can't disagree there, and the industry has to deal with calls for legislation every year when the inevitable death occurs, even if it's the result of something completely irrelevant to fitness level.
Triathletes as a general rule are poor swimmers. I am certainly not fast when compared to true swimmers and was well within the top 10% OA at Oceanside 70.3 last weekend at :30. Some people will actually not do a race if they can't wear their wetsuits. That's sad. Then there are the 25 minute 1.2 mile half ironman guys and girls. The huge majority are somewhere in the middle.
The De Soto 5mm suit, if that is what you are referring to, is specifically banned at WTC events, by the way
I don't care that a RD sets rules to increase participation. At the end of the day, the more people that participate in my sport means that more events will be put on, which means that I get to race more. Races that don't get support die. In my naive and ideal world, people will not enter races for which they are not prepared.
The swim leg of a triathlon is not the same thing as an OW swim. The whole sport seems to favor making the swim as easy and short as possible. Reason: To encourage mass participation (read $$$$$), even to the point where really poor swimmers are likely to enter. There is a company now marketing wetsuits with EXTRA floatation built in. Yes, I think the training wheel analogy is appropriate.
Sadly, can't disagree there, and the industry has to deal with calls for legislation every year when the inevitable death occurs, even if it's the result of something completely irrelevant to fitness level.
Triathletes as a general rule are poor swimmers. I am certainly not fast when compared to true swimmers and was well within the top 10% OA at Oceanside 70.3 last weekend at :30. Some people will actually not do a race if they can't wear their wetsuits. That's sad. Then there are the 25 minute 1.2 mile half ironman guys and girls. The huge majority are somewhere in the middle.
The De Soto 5mm suit, if that is what you are referring to, is specifically banned at WTC events, by the way
I don't care that a RD sets rules to increase participation. At the end of the day, the more people that participate in my sport means that more events will be put on, which means that I get to race more. Races that don't get support die. In my naive and ideal world, people will not enter races for which they are not prepared.
