How much do triathlete need to learn about swimming?
Former Member
I do not mean this as a heartless criticism of triathletes. I actually enjoy the sport. But many of them start doing triathlons with almost no knowledge or experience in swimming. Here are a couple of choice comments to the thread I linked below. Thank goodness I knew how to ride a bike and run before I started doing tris - but not well. Give them credit for taking it on, but I do think they should learn to swim before entering one.
"The swim is short ( 150 yards ), and I can make it..not without stopping a couple of times at the end of the pool."
"A lot of pool sprints are so newbie friendly that they let you get through the water any way you can. I have seen people water walk the 300 meters in a pool swim in my area."
"My wife did an indoor tri a few months ago and I think 1/4 of the people walked the swim."
I recommended that the person do breaststroke.
www.beginnertriathlete.com/.../thread-view.asp
Per Wikipedia an IM is 2.4-mi swim, 112-mi bike, 26.2-mi run in that order. Start at 7am, cut-off for swim at 9:20am, cut-off for bike at 5:50pm, cut-off for run at midnight.
My skill level would be more:
- 2.4-mi swim
- 112-yard bike (walking your bike is permitted and even encouraged)
- 26.2-yard run (well, not really run like you see on the jogging trail, more like it's raining and I'm trying to find my car, but faster than a walk).
The same IM cut-offs would be enforced as well.
Per Wikipedia an IM is 2.4-mi swim, 112-mi bike, 26.2-mi run in that order. Start at 7am, cut-off for swim at 9:20am, cut-off for bike at 5:50pm, cut-off for run at midnight.
My skill level would be more:
- 2.4-mi swim
- 112-yard bike (walking your bike is permitted and even encouraged)
- 26.2-yard run (well, not really run like you see on the jogging trail, more like it's raining and I'm trying to find my car, but faster than a walk).
The same IM cut-offs would be enforced as well.
