First Open Water Race, How's the Start?

I've experienced different kinds of starts (in water and from land)--not as many as srcoyote, and just about all my swims were smallish. As a not-so-speedy swimmer, I've been fine w/ starting at the back. But as suggested, check results from previous races and compare with your pace. Also be careful about starting out too fast. I did that on one swim--everyone started sprinting toward the first buoy and not wanting to get off course, I started sprinting also. Then I was so winded I needed to stop and do breaststroke for a few minutes to regroup (and btw, it's perfectly okay to do that!). After taking that little bit of time, I felt better and could continue at my normal pace. Good luck and enjoy!

It depends on the event and the type of start (on-land, in water, mass, wave, time trial etc). Unless the event lines people up by seed time, there is typically some degree of self sorting, but this is usually just the people who are more interested in finishing lining up near the back of the start. And there will frequently be a few slower swimmers on the front line. My suggestion to first time open water swimmers is to stay away from a bunched start and move to the far left (right side breathers) or far right (left side breathers). This way you have clear water and you can sight off the pack during a normal breath.

I've experienced both water and land starts. It depends on how many experienced OWS are in the event as to how the start goes. I've been at large events that start in waves in which people sort themselves out and in small 30 swimmer deals in which the start is a scrum. In addition to the advice above of starting on far left or right, I would the following: -- Check results from previous years and determine if you think you'd be more of a front runner, a pack swimmer, or are out for the cruise and sort yourself accordingly. -- I often find someone whom I know is a stronger swimmer than I, and then I tuck behind them at the start. That person will clear out the traffic, and I get a draft even if it's only for a few seconds. -- I do find (without wanting to open an age-old argument) that if the event is more heavily weighted with triathletes rather than swimmers (often a large number of wetsuits is a tell), the starts are rougher and not sorted out by speed at all. In these cases, I start as wide as I can no matter how far off-line I might be for the first buoy. -- In a longer swim, unless you're a front runner, there is value in hesitating a few seconds at the start though I don't have the discipline to do it. More importantly, have fun. Open water is addictive.

Also be careful about starting out too fast. I did that on one swim--everyone started sprinting toward the first buoy and not wanting to get off course, I started sprinting also. Then I was so winded I needed to stop and do breaststroke for a few minutes to regroup (and btw, it's perfectly okay to do that!). After taking that little bit of time, I felt better and could continue at my normal pace. Good luck and enjoy! Haha. I know that one. It takes everything I have not to take off with those sprinting towards that first buoy when everyone else is. I'm not always successful at restraint and find myself kicking myself the rest of the swim.

Also be careful about starting out too fast. I did that on one swim--everyone started sprinting toward the first buoy and not wanting to get off course, I started sprinting also. I somewhat agree. However, remember that one of the beautiful things about open water swimming is that you can get into a pack to draft and conserve energy. In addition, if you can find the right pack that is just a smidge faster than you are, you can have that pack pull you faster. There are times during an OW race when it is absolutely the right thing to do to sprint so you can find a pack like that. For your first race or a race where you don't know the other competitors, this might be hard, but I have found this to be a very significant advantage in races where I know who to follow.

I somewhat agree. However, remember that one of the beautiful things about open water swimming is that you can get into a pack to draft and conserve energy. In addition, if you can find the right pack that is just a smidge faster than you are, you can have that pack pull you faster. There are times during an OW race when it is absolutely the right thing to do to sprint so you can find a pack like that. For your first race or a race where you don't know the other competitors, this might be hard, but I have found this to be a very significant advantage in races where I know who to follow. Point taken--I typically am a back of the pack swimmer, and earlier in my o.w. swimming days, I would start out at 50 freestyle pace and then suffer. Sometimes if I see someone not too far ahead of me, especially toward the end of a race, I might go into 50 freestyle mode but not for too long, just enough to close in. (Of course, by then, my 50 freestyle mode can sometimes be a bit tattered by the preceding effort.) ;)

Thanks for all the tips. The start was in-water and turned out to be no big deal. There were only 30 in our wave, and we were pretty well sorted out after the first 150 yards. Drafting was a near impossibility. The warter was so murky, I couldn't even see my own hand out in front of me, much less follow somebody in front. I invented a new sport on the back straight of the 1.2 mile course: The swim slalom. I was inside one buoy, outside the next, etc. I probably added at least a hundred extra yards of distance. I always went outside the corner buoys, though, so I wasn't disqualified. My calf was starting to cramp a little past the half-way mark, so I did break into breaststroke on a couple of occasions to try to work it out. I ended up 3rd overall, 2nd overall mens non-wetsuit, @ 31:33. If I hadn't cramped and was better at sighting, I think I could have done it in under 30 minutes. Looking forward to going back next year and trying for the overall win.

Congratulations on your swim! Great placing and time! I have trouble swimming straight--though I'd have had my "swim slalom" well behind you, as I'm also not very fast!

Congratulations. Sounds like you're hooked.