Anyone with experience in races above 10K- is it comfortable for a female to swim a 9mile race in a tech suit (knee-skin) or a training regular swim suit would be more comfortable? Thanks.
I guess it'd depend on where you're doing it, too. If it's someplace warm, like down in FL or the Caribbean, you might overheat if it's black - more surface area to absorb the sun. They're so tight, would it constrict you or hurt after 3+ hours? Something to consider.
I can only dream of swimming a 10k but I've kept a tech suit on several hours straight at a meet (worn while warming up, racing 50 events, warming down, rinsing off, taking a nap, cheering others, etc), probably similar. Wasn't exactly comfortable but it's not too bad.
I would at least experiment with an old tech suit first to see how it goes, and maybe size up one if you're borderline in size (I always size up one anyway so I don't destroy the suit while changing)
You may experience chafing. I've definitely spent hours sitting around at meets in a tech suit with no harm done, but have also experienced chafing from doing 3 concurrent races 5k-3k-1k open water swim in same tech suit where it became an issue. Body Glide may help. You may want to try swimming through a workout and see what that's like, if you have an old suit you don't plan to race in.
Also TN River in Chattanooga is usually mid 70s in early June so I wouldn't worry too much about overheating.
