I got a bit of a boost under the bridge last year from what I remember.

After you make the turn some folks think that moving towards the middle is helpful, but I was told by a multi-finisher of IMKY to stay on the bouy line as its actually faster (he had done both approaches). Finished in 1:02 after starting at 7:35. Lots of traffic in the channel to start. Not exactly FOP but good for me I guess.

That said there was a bit of congestion at the stairs, took me all of about 4 minutes from when I finished the swim to actually get to the timing mat. I wasn't about to get in a fistfight over it as some people were climbing over folks to get up to the steps.

Two time IMLou finisher here. I think there is definitely a favorable current once you make the turn. And ATL's advice is accurate, I think. My first year I stayed on line with the buoys and had a fairly fast time for me. The next time, thinking it would be faster, I went out more into the river. Instead, I had a considerably slower swim time.

Was your time considerable to you wetsuit legal races?

Not sure if I can compare it. I've not done a wetsuit legal IM. I think you will definitely notice a difference in your time, though

I'm a 1:02-1:05 IM wetsuit swimmer. And I'm a 1:09-1:11 without it. I'm just wondering if I will be closer to the 1:02 or 1:11?

If I were to make a prediction I'd say closer to 1:02

For what it's worth, I am a BOP swimmer. I routinely turn in 2:10 - 2:20 / 100 meter times in my 70.3s that are held in lakes, wearing a wetsuit, with no current. Last year I swam 1:21:XX at Louisville for the 2.4 staying right on the buoy line. I'm pretty sure that the current helped me by at 5 to 10 minutes, maybe more. I was going at a really easy pace and felt like I stayed in zone 2 the entire way. By far my best long course swim. They said that they had a lot of rain last year and that help clear out a lot of debris and increased the current.

I'm not sure how much a fast swimmer will be, but I would guess at least 5 min faster than a lake swim with a wetsuit.

Have a great race and post back your swim time for comparison.

I just took another look at the swim times and the times are pretty much the same as IM Mont Tremblant which is a wetsuit swim and calm waters. I figure a speed suit and good positioning along the buoy lines will get me my 1:02 time.

The current will be variable from year to year. The speed of the current will be dependent on the amount of rain in the days leading up to the race. If there is significant rainfall, the Army Corps of Engineers will have to allow increased water flow through the dam upstream, thus increasing the current and lowering your swim time. Less rain = less flow and less current and thus, slower swim time.

I've finished IM Louisville twice and there was a 9 minute differential in my swim times. Faster year (2011) was my first time and should have been slower but we had a significant current. The second year I did it (2012), I was in much better swim shape but had a slower time based, in part, on a less favorable current.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.