I don't have a beard but it seems like one would make you warmer, especially on the run.

My beard has been on and off for years. Doesn't really hold in heat that much heat. I found that shaving my head made a bigger difference.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Probably make you slightly faster if you shave, but he seemed to do alright...



And so did he; never missed a front pack...



Him too...

I'm aware of that. I know that guys with epic beards have won races. I also know that shaving will almost surely be faster than not shaving. The question is it it akin to leg shaving where you're gifted a theoretical five minutes for what takes 30 seconds. Or am I only going to earn 3 seconds over the course of an IM race and might as well keep my girlfreind happy crossing the finish line sporting my manliness with pride. I mean Spitz didn't use goggles either so if I said "Should I grow long hair and wear no goggles" I don't think anyone is going to argue for that one.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

While I'm only doing 70.3s, i pred this year with a big beard and tons of leg hair, neither of which i had in the past. A silly anecdote but true nonetheless.

You'd be wrong about that. You don't really need googles in Ironman (or triathlon swims). Chris McCormack, for example, very often chose to forgo his goggles. He did quite well. Mola became ITU World Champion last year after racing without goggles.

You'll be fine whether you shave or not. I'd advocate doing whatever makes your girlfriend happy.

25 years of beard, and it won't come off. I trim my beard shorter (maybe 1 or 1.5 inch) for races.

Sure it'll slow me down just a touch during the swim, but probably not too bad because when I have my head in the water it will sit in the "neck cavity".

During the bike it's in the inside plane, so no drag, and maybe an advantage because it helps fill the empty space between body and bike.

Running, I have yet to experience the moment where I feel like I need the extra heat dissipation. Actually, sweat caught within the beard might act like a cooling blanket.

Overall: the only downside is that you will collect a large amount of gel and slime, so wash twice.

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NO

I've noticed when I have a longer beard (>1/2") I sometimes get some water in my breath when swimming.
When I start getting serious about swim training, the beard comes off.
It'll grow back in the off season.

Question really wasn't about who did fine and who didn't. It's about the amount of savings you generally get. I'm sure "I'd be fine" on a round tube road bike with downtube shifters and a Walmart helmet. This is a sport where people spend thousands of dollars to shave off 30 seconds over an 8 hour race. The question is is it worth it. I'm sure all of the above mentioned could smoke me and half the field, and even half the pro field if they were in sneakers and a t-shirt. There is no legitment argument though that a skin suit is going to be much faster than a t-shirt on the same person putting out the same effort, and that anyone who races in a t-shirt is leaving gobs of speed on the table. Am I leaving 3 minutes in the water by having a short beard or is it negligible and the week it takes to grow it back wasted time I'll never get back.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

with all due respect, this topic sounds to me to be getting into a sub-atomic level below that of bug dust. if you're looking into something that innocuous that might affect 1-2 seconds, i might suggest losing a pound. that ought to do it.

personally, a beard would make me hot as hell. i already sweat like a whore in church, i don't need the extra layer.

You might be right about that one. I am interested either way if anyone has seen any experiments or has any comparison data. I can't be the first, and won't be the last to wonder.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Let me dumb it down for you. All 5 guys I mentioned were world champions, whether they had a beard, a mustache, a full head of hair, or no goggles. I'll mention a 6th for you for fun: Andy Potts became Ironman 70.3 World Champion without shaving his legs (and no wetsuit). Whether you shave your beard or not will not change your result. If you are concerned that it will, then shave.

There's no reason to be rude... Andy Potts also raced on Gatorskins with butyle tubes but I don't think many people are going to argue there's faster combos. I certainly wouldn't race on Gatorskins. I know without a doubt that's lost time. Some guys still win in sleeveless but it's pretty well accepted that sleeves in both tri suits and wet suits are measurably faster. Just because someone was a world champion doesn't mean that any new tech or strategies are worthless. They just may have been stronger. I guess it boils down to do what you want. But the 30 seconds it takes to shave my legs is worth the 5 minutes I'll earn. I was wondering if it's similar with a beard in the water. Not looking to have an argument on who won which race.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

This may help you

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/beard-swimming-cap-launched-after-5809318

Michael Phelps one time set a (then) WORLD RECORD while sporting a beard. You would think if anyone would be concerned with something slowing a guy down tenths of a second in water, it would be a world-class swimmer at a meet. Based solely on this N=1 sample, I would say don't worry about the beard.

But you seem to be awfully worried about it. So just shave it off. Or don't.

I had to grow a beard for my job, not a 2 inch trimmed beard, the thing that sucked was swimming, not matter what I was getting water in my mouth. It acts like a huge sponge. Personally I think think the whole beard movement is pretty lame now, but to each is own.

More important is do you really think its possible to grow a full epic beard in under 5 weeks?!?!

I have had a beard for years and have fast growing facial hair but even with a head start of the "jaw line" beard you say you have I don't know how you would get to epic status in such a short time. Seems to me the only way you could accomplish that is with some sort of facial hair PED.

Big beard is after IMMT. I've grown longer and shorter before. I know how long it takes to grow a beard. You'd maybe get 3/4 inch in 5 weeks.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Seems this thread has jumped the shark a bit. I was looking for either some type of data or a good laugh at some funny comments like the TYR speed stache video. Can we reset to those types of comments please? I've been looking to see if anyone has done the work but I can't seem to find any information. Now I know obviously sharp dressed as they may be ZZ Top would be slower in the water than a freshly shaved person. My wonder is is the beard going to save less than 30 seconds over the course of 2.4 miles? Or is it like shaved legs and going to earn time saved in minutes. It it's under a minute probably not worth the complaining from my girlfriend. If it's 2-3 minutes I'll put up with a couple days of "baaaaaabbbbyyy I miss the beard"

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Sounds like you're more worried about the stupid pointless beard than your time.

No beard is faster than a beard. You know that. If time is important shave the silly beard. If not keep it.

On the other hand, like another poster said, go have a BM and lose a pound. It's pretty irrelevant unless Swimming short course in the pool. Then you shave.

I frequently wear a full beard but shave it off about a month before a race. Not because it's any faster (maybe it is, I don't know), but because I recall reading somewhere that the US Army did a small study where they found that soldiers who had facial hair were much more likely to get sick than those who were clean shaven.

I don't have a link, and I'm sure if I did the study wouldn't hold water with most around here, but I always figured if it would the reduce the chance of me getting the flu or a cold a month out from a race, why not.

Question is: are you going to take a couple seconds to put sunscreen where your beard was?

As the man with the best bread on the forums I will say now to grow the beard.

Had to grow a beard for a job?
Lumberjack? Or, blending in to not be seen as an infidel?

Jokes?
How about that in '72 Spitz was asked about the stache by the Soviets and told them it reduced turbulence over the lips.
Supposedly, Soviet swimmers didn't shave for the rest of the Oly's.
Good story, even if not tue.