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
My impression is that there are many more serious people in both tris and OW swimming, by an order of magnitude, than a 2% that wants to cross off a bucket list (there are those as well, as there are in every sport).
My 2% figure was hyperbole but not by much. If you read the beginner tri forums they are chock full of "just want to finish" comments, which I cannot understand. Just finishing implies defeat. Even if you finish DFL you should give it your all and not just be satisfied you crossed the finish line. The vast majority of triathlons are not IMs, HIMs or Olys. They are sprints, or, worse yet, super sprints. If your goal is to simply finish one of those, time for some new goals, like developing the next great Taco Bell entre.
My impression is that there are many more serious people in both tris and OW swimming, by an order of magnitude, than a 2% that wants to cross off a bucket list (there are those as well, as there are in every sport).
My 2% figure was hyperbole but not by much. If you read the beginner tri forums they are chock full of "just want to finish" comments, which I cannot understand. Just finishing implies defeat. Even if you finish DFL you should give it your all and not just be satisfied you crossed the finish line. The vast majority of triathlons are not IMs, HIMs or Olys. They are sprints, or, worse yet, super sprints. If your goal is to simply finish one of those, time for some new goals, like developing the next great Taco Bell entre.
