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Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up?
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Tryda33
Jul 11, 12 15:05
Post #1 of 40
(1952 views)
Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up?
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So I got word that you are able to start lining up for the swim start at 5am before the start of IM Louisville. From those of you who have done the race in the past, is it going to be something where you get there at 10 minutes after 5 and their is already a line a mile long?
It says line up at 5, is 5 too late to get a good spot?
obviously a first timer here, any advice on where to start would help. Expecting to finish the swim in 1:05ish
Thanks
Eric Doehrman
Jul 11, 12 15:11
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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Why would you want to stand in line for 2 hours..
I walk down and jump in at last minute. This allows me extra sleep and relaxation
I plan on swimming a 1:00 and coming out of the water with before the masses hit the road anyway
I have done this race 4 times and this is what works for me
Eric Doehrman
E3 Multisport
triscooteremu
Jul 11, 12 15:13
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [Eric Doehrman]
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Fills up quick. I got down there with an hour to go and there were plenty of people ahead of me. You can always chill in line and talk to everyone
Scooter
Long Beach, IN
I've gone crazy, couldn't you tell.
Tryda33
Jul 11, 12 15:14
Post #4 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [Eric Doehrman]
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Never said I did, just trying to figure out how people go about this. Is it mostly the weaker swimmers lining up early to allow for more time?
Eric Doehrman
Jul 11, 12 15:30
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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If you get there at 5 you will not get a good spot
Eric Doehrman
E3 Multisport
triscooteremu
Jul 11, 12 15:32
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [Eric Doehrman]
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Bring a pillow and sleeping pad at that hour.
Scooter
Long Beach, IN
I've gone crazy, couldn't you tell.
japarker24
Jul 11, 12 15:43
Post #7 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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Don't sweat the start line. People will start lining up at some crazy time, like 3am or so. Just get there when you get there. With a 1:05 swim, you are going to be FOP for sure.
I raced last year and will race again this year. I will sleep in.
------------------------------------------------------------
2x IM Finisher. Only 10 more to go!
TriHard Indiana
Jul 11, 12 16:12
Post #8 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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I've done IM Lou 3 times and never waited in the swim line. Show up at the last minute with my friend while the swim line is rolling and we just blend in. Next thing you know, you're jumping off the dock. Lining up early just adds an uneccessary element to an already long ass day. Good luck and enjoy...
Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."
Kilo Juliett
Jul 11, 12 16:34
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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Don't bother getting in line early. I would show up as late as possible and wait at the front for the end of the line to come to you.
The swim is with the current for the majority of the course so your swim time should be a little faster. Mine was faster than double my best HIM swim time and I did very little swim training leading up to lousiville.
2013 Schedule
IM 70.3 Muncie | Ironman Lake Tahoe
(This post was
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Tryda33
Jul 11, 12 16:53
Post #10 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [ktj]
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Great advice, thanks everyone
NashinAK
Jul 11, 12 17:01
Post #11 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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Read up on when they close T1 in the morning as I assume you plan on checking tire pressure, etc. Also, keep in mind that there is a 15ish minute walk from T1 to the swim start. The last person in line usually jumps into the river about 35 minutes after the age group start.
bluemonkeytri
Jul 11, 12 17:33
Post #12 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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I am the swim start captain. I know IM wants to avoid the early lining up, but I missed the captain's meeting last night to see what they wanted to do with it this year. Fact of the matter is, it only takes us about 40 minutes to get everyone in the water, give or take a couple minutes. I did the race in the first year, and I bet there weren't 50 people behind me in line. We started way back. All I did was pass people on the bike all afternoon and it was a great mental boost. Then I fell apart on the run, but that was because of a lack of training not because I was out there 40 minutes later as if I had started in front.
Tri-Banter
Jul 11, 12 17:43
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [TriHard Indiana]
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TriHard Indiana wrote:
I've done IM Lou 3 times and never waited in the swim line.
Show up at the last minute
with my friend while the swim line is rolling and we just blend in. Next thing you know, you're jumping off the dock. Lining up early just adds an uneccessary element to an already long ass day. Good luck and enjoy...
Could you be a bit more specific as to what "last minute" means? Thanks in advance.
____________________________________
Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
tjtryon
Jul 11, 12 18:40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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I'm usually a swim course marshal for the race. Last year I was at Tumbleweed at 3:45, and saw the first athlete start the line a little after 4. In 2010, it was about 4:25. Both years, the lines were at least 300-500 deep by 5:00. Once the race gets started, you'll get in fairly quickly, as everyone said. If it were me, I'd plan on either being in line by 4am, with a sleeping bag, or I'd show up after the race starts... Since I'm, a strong swimmer, I'd personally try to be at the front of the line...
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pacco
Jul 11, 12 18:43
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [bluemonkeytri]
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can you have a friend or someone hold your place in line?
alvah_b
Jul 11, 12 18:49
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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I stayed in bed last year and got the extra sleep showed up just before the swim start and waited until the end of the line came to me. I'm happy I did rather than spend 2+ hours waiting to walk an extra mile. The line starts filling early and it didn't bother me to be passing people all day. Every pass was for a position since I knew no one started behind me.
Tryda33
Jul 11, 12 19:09
Post #17 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [pacco]
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pacco wrote:
can you have a friend or someone hold your place in line?
I asked on the Facebook page and it sounds like they don't allow that.
GhiaGirl
Jul 11, 12 20:45
Post #18 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [alvah_b]
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That was my thought last year. I was the last one in the water (a guy in a pink speedo went off the other dock at the same time as me). I slept in, had NO crowd in transition, no wait for bathrooms, no wait for a tire pump, wandered down to the start to watch the pros go off, then at 7:44 I was in the water (and that was with a 10 minute or so delay because of the medical emergency in the water).
I don't know if they close transition at any time, but if I did it again and they didn't close transition I'd sleep in even longer. I didn't really need to see the pros go off and then wait around for the end of the line.
I think they were shooting for 30-35 minutes to get everyone in the water and it would have happened if they hadn't had to pull a guy from the water and stop the line for 10 minutes.
brown_dog_us
Jul 12, 12 3:28
Post #19 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [KNezwek3]
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KNezwek3 wrote:
.... Is it mostly the weaker swimmers lining up early to allow for more time?
A friend held us a spot and we were in the water maybe 4 mins after the start. While we were in line I noticed a lot of the people around us were there specifically because they were worried about making the swim cut off. Remember, you only need to average less than 3:19 per hundred yards to make the cut off. The girl next to us had missed the cutoff at CDA for example. We jump off the dock and a couple hundred yards later we get stuck in traffic jam after traffic jam all the way up to the turn. The problem was there was some crazy slow swimmers and breast strokers all around us. If you get caught in this remember that breast strokers can see the turn around bouy, and head straight at it. Move out to the right and over shoot the corner.
Some other friends got in the water in less than 1 minute and they had smooth swimming. I'm guessing there were some slow swimmers up there, but the traffic jams hadn't started.
Finally, some other friends waited to almost the end. They had awesome swims. All the slow swimmers were up with me.
bluemonkeytri
Jul 12, 12 4:29
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [pacco]
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No. And we were told last year that if we see it to yank the athlete out and put them in back. But it is going to happen. Triathlon is unfortunately now populated by a bunch of type A anal retentive dipshits.
toughie96
Jul 12, 12 7:11
Post #21 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [bluemonkeytri]
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bluemonkeytri wrote:
No. And we were told last year that if we see it to yank the athlete out and put them in back. But it is going to happen.
Triathlon is unfortunately now populated by a bunch of type A anal retentive dipshits
.
Who pooped in your Wheaties this morning?
lesage918
Jul 12, 12 7:24
Post #22 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [toughie96]
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Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this. I am not a great swimmer, but I do prefer sleeping! I think i'll wait. :)
bluemonkeytri
Jul 12, 12 7:29
Post #23 of 40
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [toughie96]
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You'd change your tune if you had to deal with this crap every year. By and large, triathletes are great but you should see how some treat volunteers and officials. Despite being told time and time again of one rule or another, there are many who just don't think those rules apply to them and they are going to do whatever they want. My wife worked the swim start the first year I volunteered, and she vowed to never work it again after hearing some of the things directed toward her. Every year we ask that only athletes get in the swim line, and every year we have to walk through constantly and ask family members and friends to get out of the line. It may seem like it isn't a big deal, but when you have limited space for 3,000 athletes to line up, every spot counts. Last year we had athletes out in River Road, which is not closed. Every year we have big gaps in the line once it starts moving and the vast majority of the time it is because someone has their entire family stadning around with them and can't tell the line has moved on in front of them. That's not fair to all those behind you in line.
It's amazing how many people think this race of 3,000 people is really just their own personal catered day. They have no respect for any other athlete in the race. They are going to do what they want to do and screw everyone else. Then they will come here and bitch about how some asshole told them that their mom, dad, 5 sisters, and 37 nieces and nephews couldn't stand in the swim line and keep them company.
cured125
Jul 12, 12 7:32
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [bluemonkeytri]
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bluemonkeytri wrote:
You'd change your tune if you had to deal with this crap every year. By and large, triathletes are great but you should see how some treat volunteers and officials. Despite being told time and time again of one rule or another, there are many who just don't think those rules apply to them and they are going to do whatever they want. My wife worked the swim start the first year I volunteered, and she vowed to never work it again after hearing some of the things directed toward her. Every year we ask that only athletes get in the swim line, and every year we have to walk through constantly and ask family members and friends to get out of the line. It may seem like it isn't a big deal, but when you have limited space for 3,000 athletes to line up, every spot counts. Last year we had athletes out in River Road, which is not closed. Every year we have big gaps in the line once it starts moving and the vast majority of the time it is because someone has their entire family stadning around with them and can't tell the line has moved on in front of them. That's not fair to all those behind you in line.
It's amazing how many people think this race of 3,000 people is really just their own personal catered day. They have no respect for any other athlete in the race. They are going to do what they want to do and screw everyone else. Then they will come here and bitch about how some asshole told them that their mom, dad, 5 sisters, and 37 nieces and nephews couldn't stand in the swim line and keep them company.
+1
Tryda33
Jul 12, 12 7:41
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Re: Louisville swim start, when does the line fill up? [bluemonkeytri]
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I completely understand where you are coming from, I am sure we have all seen the A holes at races who act like they are owed everything under the sun because they paid the entry fee and they are entitled to it, its absolultely pathetic to see from a racers standpoint as I am sure it is from your eyes as well. I speak for what I think is the majority of racers when I say thank you for all of your help and support, the race can absolutely not go on without the volunteer support.
I think you should start carrying scissors around, someone gives you lip, cut their goggle straps, then watch the panic! haha
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