Long time pool racer, getting ready to swim my first open water race in a few weeks. I'm curious about whether people typically converse and try to self-sort by pace before the start, letting the faster swimmers line up towards the front, or whether it's usually just a "first come, first served" situation with things getting sorted out in a scrum after the gun.
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.
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.
