Triathlon Wear
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HardcoreP0rk
Posts: 936 Member
Would it be completely ridiculous to wear a surfing spring suit for the swim portion of my tri? Practically speaking. And also, would I look like a complete tool?
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Replies
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Yes and yes...
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Practically speaking also it isn't a great idea as those are not designed for the proper arm movements you would do when swimming freestyle. They would hinder more than help.0
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Is it something you already own, know is comfortable for swimming, and will be comfy for the ride and run? If the answer is yes, then it is not ridiculous.
You see all kind of things at triathlons...as long as you can do the distance in it, you should be fine.
What distance is this for? Is it your first tri?!
Oh, and as far as ridiculous...I did one where a gal jumped into the pool swim in white undies and a white sports bra. I'm not sure what she thought was going to happen, but she clung to the side while a kind volunteer tossed her a spare towel. She went on to put on some kind of windbreaker for the rest of the event, and was seriously smoking it on the bike!0 -
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FrownWellington wrote: »Is it something you already own, know is comfortable for swimming, and will be comfy for the ride and run? If the answer is yes, then it is not ridiculous.
You see all kind of things at triathlons...as long as you can do the distance in it, you should be fine.
What distance is this for? Is it your first tri?!
Oh, and as far as ridiculous...I did one where a gal jumped into the pool swim in white undies and a white sports bra. I'm not sure what she thought was going to happen, but she clung to the side while a kind volunteer tossed her a spare towel. She went on to put on some kind of windbreaker for the rest of the event, and was seriously smoking it on the bike!
That's the thing. Trying to use what I have rather than buy new stuff. It's a sprint tri. It's my first one. And if I look like a tool, it could always be worse.
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HardcoreP0rk wrote: »
I'm not familiar with these, will you wear something under it? My first thought is changing after the swim.
If you decide to I would definitely give it a try first. And for the full distance. My first tri I made the mistake of wearing a wetsuit that wasn't designed for swimming. I tried it out and it seemed fine. It was the worst swim of my life. I couldn't freestyle by the end and had huge areas of chafing, including behind my knees which hurt for the bike.
You can look into renting a wetsuit. Or you can go without one. It is always really cold here and there are people who go without wetsuits.
Other than that you shouldn't need to buy a ton of gear. I've run sprints in a regular running top and tight shorts. A tri suit is nice, but not a necessity at that point.0 -
So I'm conflicted here. I hear "don't wear a wetsuit" and I hear "rent a wetsuit"
Anyhow it will be cold. But as a card carrying member of the storied Itty Bitty Titty Committee, I can probably get away with wearing a black sports bra and tiny black spandex shorts for the entire race. Which is likely what I'll do.0 -
HardcoreP0rk wrote: »So I'm conflicted here. I hear "don't wear a wetsuit" and I hear "rent a wetsuit"
Anyhow it will be cold. But as a card carrying member of the storied Itty Bitty Titty Committee, I can probably get away with wearing a black sports bra and tiny black spandex shorts for the entire race. Which is likely what I'll do.
I don't think anyone said don't wear a wetsuit. It was don't wear a wetsuit that isn't specifically designed for swimming. And depending on how cold the water is, you may not need a wetsuit, but I don't know how cold is cold to you. I live in Eastern Canada so "cold" water is pretty cold. I've been in races where it is so cold there almost isn't a swim and another where wetsuits are mandatory.
I also just did a race in Florida where it was warm enough that it almost was not "wetsuit legal" yet people described the water as cold.
Plus I don't know if renting a suit is an option. It isn't where I am.
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HardcoreP0rk wrote: »
It isn't necessarily the thickness - but the movement. You are likely to be chafed in all kinds of weird and uncomfortable places. Renting a wetsuit is a good option, which is what I would do if I didn't own one but was going to be in a race with cold water.0 -
HardcoreP0rk wrote: »
It isn't necessarily the thickness - but the movement. You are likely to be chafed in all kinds of weird and uncomfortable places. Renting a wetsuit is a good option, which is what I would do if I didn't own one but was going to be in a race with cold water.
It just kind of sounds like renting underwear to me...
Anyhow, I have other suits. Like this one...
Any better?0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »HardcoreP0rk wrote: »So I'm conflicted here. I hear "don't wear a wetsuit" and I hear "rent a wetsuit"
Anyhow it will be cold. But as a card carrying member of the storied Itty Bitty Titty Committee, I can probably get away with wearing a black sports bra and tiny black spandex shorts for the entire race. Which is likely what I'll do.
I don't think anyone said don't wear a wetsuit. It was don't wear a wetsuit that isn't specifically designed for swimming. And depending on how cold the water is, you may not need a wetsuit, but I don't know how cold is cold to you. I live in Eastern Canada so "cold" water is pretty cold. I've been in races where it is so cold there almost isn't a swim and another where wetsuits are mandatory.
I also just did a race in Florida where it was warm enough that it almost was not "wetsuit legal" yet people described the water as cold.
Plus I don't know if renting a suit is an option. It isn't where I am.
It's Hopkinton, which is in MA and is the start of the Boston marathon route, if that helps...geographically. We've had an extremely cold spring preceded by a winter that everyone has already heard about. May 10th is the race. I can't imagine water being acceptable by then. As a surfer, I can't get in the water without a wetsuit until August usually... but that is coastal waters. I'm not sure how the water temp would differ up in Hopkinton.0 -
HardcoreP0rk wrote: »HardcoreP0rk wrote: »
It isn't necessarily the thickness - but the movement. You are likely to be chafed in all kinds of weird and uncomfortable places. Renting a wetsuit is a good option, which is what I would do if I didn't own one but was going to be in a race with cold water.
It just kind of sounds like renting underwear to me...
Anyhow, I have other suits. Like this one...
Any better?
If it were me, I would say no, but that is because I don't know much about these kinds of suits and I wouldn't know how well they "swim" without chafing or arm/leg restriction.
Re renting: It really isn't renting "underwear" since you should be wearing your tri clothes underneath it anyway.
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If it were me, I would say no, but that is because I don't know much about these kinds of suits and I wouldn't know how well they "swim" without chafing or arm/leg restriction.
Re renting: It really isn't renting "underwear" since you should be wearing your tri clothes underneath it anyway.
Yea, I just keep leaning towards wearing nothing but my sports bra and shorts. If the swim is short enough, and the adrenaline is high, I should be able to stomach the cold. But I am a little concerned about it, since I don't handle the cold well at all. Ever. Mentally I do...I live in New England after all. But physically, my circulation is terrible and my body doesn't deal well at all.0 -
I live in Worcester and used to work in Milford, so I know Hopkinton well. I agree that it will be cold in the water on May 10th.
Here's the deal. You should wear something that will get you through the whole race. You really don't want to waste a lot of time having to change in between legs.
As for the suits that you already have, why don't you try them out in the water. It's good to practice doing open water swimming anyway before your race. Try them out and see how it works for you.
Also, my DH did his first sprint triathlon in a tri suit and he said it was the best decision ever (he swam at the Cape in October btw, so it was cold then too). He found his on clearance at the REI store in Natick. It's worth a shot.0 -
The swim is 1/4 mile followed by 10 mile bike and a 5k. A quarter of a mile? That seems like nothing.0
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How long is the swim? How fast do you swim?
I find that when I am racing a sprint tri, even if the water is wetsuit-legal I have to take into account the fact that 1) with a very short swim I might lose any time gained from the wetsuit in trying to strip it, and 2) I am swimming fast enough that I will overheat in a wetsuit unless the water temp is actually quite cold (closer to 60).
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SingRunTing wrote: »I live in Worcester and used to work in Milford, so I know Hopkinton well. I agree that it will be cold in the water on May 10th.
Here's the deal. You should wear something that will get you through the whole race. You really don't want to waste a lot of time having to change in between legs.
As for the suits that you already have, why don't you try them out in the water. It's good to practice doing open water swimming anyway before your race. Try them out and see how it works for you.
Also, my DH did his first sprint triathlon in a tri suit and he said it was the best decision ever (he swam at the Cape in October btw, so it was cold then too). He found his on clearance at the REI store in Natick. It's worth a shot.
Good tip. I almost feel, however, that it isnt even worth the money or the effort changing between legs. A quarter of a mile is so SHORT! Can't imagine it's long enough to start chafing in ANY of my current suits, and I can't imagine it's long enough to struggle with the cold either.0 -
HardcoreP0rk wrote: »The swim is 1/4 mile followed by 10 mile bike and a 5k. A quarter of a mile? That seems like nothing.
Aren't sprints usually ~1/2 mile swims?0 -
SingRunTing wrote: »HardcoreP0rk wrote: »The swim is 1/4 mile followed by 10 mile bike and a 5k. A quarter of a mile? That seems like nothing.
Aren't sprints usually ~1/2 mile swims?
Maybe? But not according to the website for this one...maybe it isnt even open water. I'll look into it.
https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Hopkinton/NewEnglandSeasonOpener0 -
Looks like it is open water. It's a straight shot and usually 62F. At that temp, I would wear a 3/2 wetsuit surfing. Says wetsuits are highly recommended, but idk... so short a distance.0
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