Because you're down in the water, it 'feels' more crowded than it is. This is a photo of the waterway right by the finish at the busiest time...

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Badig| Strava

How did you manage to get that picture when you are always one of the first out of the water TJ?

jake

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Get outside!

Dev-

wondering how they handle pre-swim warmup on the rolling start. I'm one of those old guys that need to warm up before I start to race...

Good to see WTC is erasing the psychological effect of being chased/ chasing down a competitor. Does this mean there's no drafting in the swim either, since everyone's racing their own race (pink)

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Swim. Overbike. Walk.

Then the answer to him is simple - the same way as you have been doing it at other IM events the past 2 years.

In 2015 theyre also introducing a rolling start at IM Switzerland. According to the website it will be:

What is a rolling start?
Athletes will line up according to their realistic (!) predicted swim time (self-seeding) and every five seconds, we will send out ten athletes. It will take approximately 20 minutes to get the entire field across the swim start line.
In effect, this will create a “time trial” dynamic for the race and for the determination of the final results.

Please notice: The predicted swim time does not have to be communicated to the race officials in advance.


Originally from: http://m.ironman.com/...t.aspx#ixzz3UxoZSpOe

At IMLP a few years ago, they had a warm up zone that was actually just beside the departure point. It was actually the chute for the swim finish which was doubling as the warm up zone. After your warmup, you can came back and you walked through the "swim finish" and across to the "swim start" corrals. For some reason that year I did not read the athlete guide (It was my 11th time at IMLP, and only showed up at the start at 6:27 (had only woken up at 5 am). Was at the start 3 min before the gun went off (normal swim start was at 7 am, so I just planned my day based on that). As it turned out, I was able to start at a relaxed warmup pace anyway and did not need my normal "anti freak out' warmup.

I did Ironman Chattanooga -- had rolling start. It is indeed a race. I would even call it more of a race but its a race against time not against your fellow AGer running next to you. It adds to the race in my mind, not knowing much about what your position is. All you can do is to try to max out without blowing up. No tactics, just give it all you got and see where the cards fall. Isnt that racing?

On the positive side, it adds a lot of safety. I had basically zero contact during the swim. I have never had anxciety but I cannot see how it can be a bad thing that WTC focuses on safety. Ironman is supposed to be damn hard but not unsafe in my view.

IMMD was a rolling start on a boat ramp. It was self-seeding with it only being a bit cramped at start since they were letting 8-10 wide enter the water at once. I liked it because it helped space out the people in T1 and on the bike. You also had no issues seeding yourself wherever you wanted to start and you did not need to lineup early. It seemed like most people took their time getting into the water.

I did Chattanooga last year and IMLou as well in 2013 with a TT start. The issue I have with rolling starts is waiting in line for so long before the start. I also did Texas last year and it was my first mass start IM. I am slow swimmer (1:30 at Texas) and I didn't have much of a problem with the mass start because I stayed out of the way. I stayed on the edge on the right side and by doing this I was only around a handful of swimmers. If you're a strong swimmer then by all means go in the middle or near the front if you want. Trust me if you are a sub 1:15 I won't get in your way. :).

Here is my opinion on a TT/ rolling start.You have your pros the way they do it and then you create an elite field for ALL age groupers.You have to 'qualify' (I don't mean Kona) to get into this elite field. Meaning you have to have completed another full or half distance and been in say the top 5% (I open to idea's on the %) of your age group. So even if you're 70 years old and you are in the top '5%' you are entitled to this elite field. You then have the choice if you want to start after the pros or go into a seeding the way Lake Placid does it.

The Hartford Marathon does something called preferred seeding. I had to run sub 1:40ish for a 1/2 marathon or a sub 3:30 based on my age group.

So maybe we call this preferred seeding and not elite field.

Full disclosure: I am NOT in this top 5%. I just don't think it's fair for someone who is say a sub 11:00 IM has to pass potentially over a 1,000 people or more. So I know it means I am waiting in line which I am okay with until I earn it.

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14X Ironman. Still slow but working on it.

I've long been a proponent of a slightly modified version of this. I think it'd be a great idea if there was a "Kona" start and then a rolling start 10 minutes later. The Kona wave would be self selecting and no qualification necessary to get in it. But, if you want a shot at Kona you've got to start in this wave. Everyone else does a rolling start 10 minutes later.

This preserves the "race" aspect for the pointy end of the field and also creates a friendlier and safer environment for everyone else.

Even better - You get seeded by previous Ironman or Half Ironman SWIM times. (People can be a fast overall Ironman finisher and still be slow in the swim). If you don't have a previous time, you start in the back. Ironman can hold openwater swim tests for a fee to get you an official time. A way for them to make extra bucks, which they do seem to be in love with.

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Wow, some just make too much of this. I assume the rolling start at IMLT is the same as others. They have folks standing around with signs and times. But you can go anywhere you want at any time
you want. No rush to get their early. I decided to start towards the front and tried to stay at the side.

As far as a swim warm up, since so many races I do are so cold that no way will I ever do a pre swim again, one just needs to do some running, jumping jacks, etc. that gets the heart rate going.
I see no reason to need a pre swim for a IM distance anyways.
.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

There are many good reasons for a warm up swim.

could not agree more.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

My point is for some races you cannot get a warm up swim, so one better have a process ready just in case.

.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I believe the warmup swim is mandatory at all WTC races per their SwimSmart initiative.

Mandatory is in it's available and not that you'd have to do it.

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Dev, to me, the simplest way to fix this is to make it the same way running races do it:

Your "official time" is chip time, and cutoffs are based on your chip time. For overall and age group awards (Kona slots), it's based on gun time. Just puts some of the head-to-head dynamic back in the race while also giving people the seeding in the swim start. Considering that, for most AGs, Kona slots will wind up out of the water in 1:10-1:15…how long does it take for that group to hit the water?

I just would like to see head-to-head continue. I think it adds an element of simplicity and elegance to the proceedings: the person who gets to the finish line first wins.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I think the simplest way is to have age group waves. That way you are still racing head to head for a Kona spot and you spread the field out.

One problem with that solution is that it's unfair to the fast swimmers in the waves that start later on. They have to swim around a ton of "bobs" that went in earlier waves so they are put at disadvantage to the slower swimmers in their age group who won't have to swim around any or many others.

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Of course they should learn to swim faster:)

I would agree that a "Kona wave" makes good sense but can just imagine 90% of the field would chose that group thinking the magic sh*t might just happen for them on that day.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Nola70.3 doesn't do it. They should, but can't as far as I can tell (logistically). They are a WTC branded race, but it is not run by WTC.

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Ironman Certified Coach

Currently accepting limited number of new athletes

And this again is my point. For whatever reasons, at some races one might not be able to do a swim warm up. So one better have a plan and process
to get warmed up before the swim start. After getting hypothermia from doing a swim warmup early in the season in 52 degree water, I will never ever do that again.
So I just keep the warm clothes, wetsuit on right before the swim start, doing some running, jumping jacks, etc. Whatever it takes to get my heart rate up before
I start the swim. Have read a number of articles on pros doing the same, Andy Potts was the lasted video I watched with him talking about it.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I am not sure that is true. I think it is true about a lot of people on slowtwitch, but it isn't true in general. In general people do not like to embarrass themselves. Even the Type As.

The Kona wave will happen, but it will likely be sold not earned...