Which Race to Do - Part 2 (The Swim)

Note: This is part 2 in my many, many part series about how I chose the race with which to pop my iron-distance triathlon cherry.  Part 1 talks all about race logistics, but if you'd like to go all the way back to the beginning, click here.

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Now let's break down the possibilities by the individual events.  Up first, we'll look at the swim, which can have multiple formats and slightly different rules.  One thing is constant, though - all "Ultra" distance events have a swim that's 2.4 miles.


The swim is the first leg of the race, the shortest leg by both distance and time, and it's also my weakest, so I'm looking for a course that will give me the least amount of trouble.

Remember from Part 1 of my race selection series that there are five contenders:

• Ironman Wisconsin (IMMoo)
• Ironman Louisville (IMLou)
• Ironman Chattanooga (IMChoo)
• Ironman Lake Placid (IMLP)
• and the home race, Rev 3 Cedar Point

Here's how the swims break down:

 

 

 

IMMoo

Body of Water: Lake Monona in downtown Madison.

Format: Mass start. Roughly 2500 bodies bobbing in the lake before the gun goes off.

Course: One big 2.4 mile loop

Wetsuit: Usually. Water temps average 70° F

 

 

IMLou

Body of Water: The Ohio River

Format: Time trial start... first come, first served. One huge line of skinny people jumping in one at a time every few seconds

Course: You jump in between a small offshore island and the riverbank, swim upstream in the eddy, then turn out into the main channel and swim downstream. The further out into the main channel you go the more help you get from the current, or so they say.

Wetsuit: Nope. Water temps average in the mid-80s.

 

 

IMChoo

Body of Water: The Tennessee River

Format: Rolling start - everyone in one right after the other in one huge line

Course: Point-to-point swim downstream with the current

Wetsuit: Probably. Water temps average in the mid-70s

 

 

IMLP

Body of Water: Um, not Lake Placid. It's actually in a smaller lake - Mirror Lake

Format: Rolling start - everyone in one right after the other in one huge line

Course: 2 laps, with a short beach run over a timing mat between lap 1 and 2

Wetsuit: Yes. Water temps are high-60s to low-70s

 

Rev3 Cedar Point

Body of Water: Lake Erie

Format: Mass start, but only about 2-300 people do the full, so it's not that "mass"

Course: 2 laps in a weird triangular sort of format. Unless the lake is acting up, in which case they have in the past moved the swim to the other side of Cedar Point, into a more protected harbor and set the course there.

Wetsuit: Yes. Water temps low to mid-70s max.

 

So how do we feel about all this? As a weak swimmer, I'm definitely drawn to the river swims and their rolling starts. Having the current and avoiding the mass of bodies feels much more comfortable to me.

 

Consider:



Mass Start aka "The Washing Machine"

 

 

Or:



Time Trial start... a little more orderly

Some would say that the mass start is the epitome of what makes an IRONMAN race so special. I think it will be special enough without the chaos, at least for my first go round. Of the swims, IMMoo looks the worst.