Youll be struggling to find people with experience....the swim has been canceled two of the last four years. However, I swam the course a few days before the race so at least know what its like. Is temperature a consideration of yours? The water was plenty warm race weekend this year (despite the swim cancellation) so that wouldnt be anything to worry about

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http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18295
Gustav Larsson supporter

Yes, temperature is a concern. I'm thinking of buying a sleeveless with full legs, to keep my core warm.

i did it 2010. the swim was fine. more than warm enough. i wore a full sleeve b/c it's what i have. i think i saw some swim with no wetsuit.

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Fruit snacks are for winners

Probably would be fine either way, full legs for sure. Depending on your swimming ability, it might be worth it from a time perspective to have extra flotation too. More time can be saved in a long swim than youll lose in transition taking off the sleeves/legs.

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http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18295
Gustav Larsson supporter

I have both...I swim with long sleeves for colder water temps. Steelhead in 2010 was plenty warm for no sleeves. As others said, it was cancelled this year but water was warm.

I saw a guy come out of the water at 2010 with a Speedo on. *shrugs* The water I think was in the mid 70s a few days before the race if I remember correctly. I want to say that it was creeping up to the cutoff but was off a few degrees.

If you are thinking about doing other races in colder waters like Cour d'Alene and whatnot, maybe think about investing in a full? I know a friend who wished he had gotten a full for a triathlon he did in early June here in NE Indiana. He was pretty cold.

~trevor

I would recommend picking a different 70.3 if you are going to be disappointed when the swim is cancelled. Go a few weeks earlier down to Muncie 70.3 where you will most likely experience a triathlon rather than a duathlon.

jamie

If you are looking for a wetsuit for Steelhead and want to save some cash then get a sleeveless.

If you are looking for a wetsuit for everything then get a full. An Xterra Vortex full wetsuit can be had for less than $200 if you aren't in a hurry to find one. You can find a sleeveless for less than $170 most of the time too.

jaretj

+1, in 2010 I did it with sleevless. Temp was not an issue. Not a bad swim. It is a long walk.

Josh

Lake Michigan surface temps in August can range from the high 50's to low 70's and make big swings in a couple hours when the wind shifts so you can't really tell what the temp will be more than a couple days in advance. However, its not likely you'll have to swim in anything below the mid to low 60's since getting below that usually takes high winds and that's when they cancel the swim.

FWIW I did Steelhead 7 or 8 years ago. I went without a wetsuit as the water was in the low 70's on raceday. It was swimming pool flat and rather nice actually. But, I had been monitoring the water temp on line for a week or so before that race and there were a couple days when it was in the high 50's but those days were also super windy.

Get a DeSoto 2 piece, then you can have both a sleeveless top and full-sleeve top, to go along with the bibs..

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Colorado Triathlon Company, CO2UT 2021, Crooked Gravel 2022, Steamboat Gravel 2022

I did it last year with an incredible swim time of 0:00, I recommend no wetsuit haha jk hopefully they don't cancel the swim next year it's a really fast course

I have done Steelhead the past 3 years so I've had two swims there. I only have a full suit and it is has worked out just fine for me. I just went back and looked at some of the pictures my wife took of the swim start for my wave and I would say that the ratio was 2:1 full sleeve to sleeveless in 2010 and 2:1 sleeveless to full in 2009, so it can easily go both ways. I'd look at the other races you are planning on doing and base your decision on that. I sort of wish I had gone with a sleeveless suit as a lot of my swims have been in inland lakes which tend to get a bit warmer than the big lake.

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Full length. Being cold aint cool...

Desoto 2 piece is the way to go. Swim with just the bottoms if it is warm, or add the top if you want the bouyancy. With some practice you can have the top off almost as soon as you stand up, the bottoms below your waist as you run to transition, and then just pull your legs out.

The Whirlpool IM 70.3 Steelhead Triathlon is one of the BEST races in the Midwest. The 2012 race will be our 10th Anniversary. In nine years we have had to cancel the swim only twice because of rough water. Most years the lake has been flat or had small 1-2 ft waves.

The swim course is unique in that we ALWAYS swim with the current/wind. The swim finish is on a beautiful white sand beach at Jean Klock Park and the swim start is either 1.2 miles south at Tiscornia Park or 1.2 miles north at Rocky Gap Park.

Water temps these past nine years have been in the high 60's or low 70's. Water temp has NEVER been above 76 degrees. We have been lucky that we have not seen a "turnover" of the lake just before the race. In the early 90's at the Shue's International Triathlon in St. Joseph, the late "Turned over" and the water temp went down to 52 degrees on race day!

Hope to see you at Steelhead next summer. Z

I agree with Tom. It's a beautiful finish. This year it was an awful weekend for a race. High winds, rain, overcast and gloom. But I was there in 2010 and after the skies cleared up, it was beautiful. Kids were playing on the beach, people flying kites, mothers/wives sunbathing or reading books. It's really a good race as far as stuff for the family to do. Walking down to the pier is nice and then strolling by all of the expensive lake shore houses is always a treat, but it is a long walk. Bring comfy sandals or comfy shoes for walking in the sand.

With that said, I wasn't there the night before the race this year, but I heard that the wind really tore apart the finish chute and parts of the transition area. The next day apparently the staff was up on their toes and by the time I got there, around 7:00am-ish, it was all setup and they were on their toes again to get the duathlon up and running with a PA system setup quickly to help with communications. Props to that crew.

~trevor

You probably shouldn't buy a wetsuit just for that race. Chances are that you won't be swimming there. Lake Michigan is big and it can get waves. Waves are dangerous.

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John Kenny, Pro Triathlete, USAT Certified Coach - http://www.frenchcreekracing.com
Philly Masters and Open Water
Swim and Multisport Events

imsore, are you a michigan native? Not to steal IM money but the GR Grand Rapids HIM is earlier in the year and unless you're shooting for 70.3 champs. It's a cheaper race and has a good bunch of athletes.

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Lifelong Endurance Coach
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I lived a few miles from the start of the swim during the summer of 2010. I swam in lake Michigan during all of July and August with no wetsuit. By August the water temp is fine, especially when racing. I also did the race sans wetsuit and had no problems

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http://www.ironmanglib.com

I disagree - chances are that you WILL be swimming at Steelhead. We have ONLY cancelled the swim portion of the race 2 out of 9 years. So there is a 78% chance we will be swimming next year. Z

FWIW, I've done the race twice and the swim was fine both times. I used a sleeveless wetsuit and was absolutely fine - no issues at all. Good luck.

Being wreckless is dangerous, hence wreckless endangerment.

Anyone know where you can find the current water temperature at this event? I've searched the web but have come up empty.

I've also read that the swim has been cancelled a few times. Is that due to water currents/wind/waves?

Thanks for your help!