We have thought of reasons not to have the run first; yet, there could be ways to lessen the swim risk and have a triathlon that isn't the same old same old. Perhaps we can flip them with one year being a swim first triathlon and the next year being a run first triathlon.
Imagine a run spreading out the field while the runners can show off their stuff. No more complaining about those massive swim starts that are a nightmare to patrol while looking for one swimmer in distress amongst a dense group of hundreds. By the time a marathon is done, there will be a nice long line heading into the bike transition and few groups. Maybe a 4 hour cutoff is reasonable. And in this way, maybe the runners can lead for over half the race rather than the swimmers and get more recognition.
The bike might not change that much. Runners might start spending even more money on the bike, given that they are now out ahead. Good for the industry. A longer field more spread out by a marathon, might also mean less drafting making that easier to enforce too.
The swim needs to be wetsuit legal. C'mon, the bike carried the swimmers' double digit body fat so why not have a wetsuit carry the runners' single digit body fat. That swim will be so spread out that the swim patrol will be able to watch a long line instead of a large group, making rescue easier if need be. The wetsuit, of course, lessens the risk too.
It will be a great finish! Will the runner get caught by the swimmer or will the runner prevail. Pass out numbered swim caps as they enter the water so the announcers will know who is who. Maybe even ten different swim cap colors with #1, 11, 21 etc being the same color so triathletes can get an idea of who they are passing in the water. Wow, this could make the swim a highly viewable and meaningful event.
Pretty pumped. How would this work for Mirinda, would they catch her with the swim last? How would this work for ITU, would the Brownlee Brothers still dominate (yeah, probably).
Yes, they will have to patrol the swim longer than we do now as we moved the patrol time from the run to the swim.
If we can't do this for IM due to nightfall, how about HIM? If they are Ironmen, doesn't that imply they could do it either way? Some what serious post here for fun too. Could this be an interesting change to the same old same old?
Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.
Imagine a run spreading out the field while the runners can show off their stuff. No more complaining about those massive swim starts that are a nightmare to patrol while looking for one swimmer in distress amongst a dense group of hundreds. By the time a marathon is done, there will be a nice long line heading into the bike transition and few groups. Maybe a 4 hour cutoff is reasonable. And in this way, maybe the runners can lead for over half the race rather than the swimmers and get more recognition.
The bike might not change that much. Runners might start spending even more money on the bike, given that they are now out ahead. Good for the industry. A longer field more spread out by a marathon, might also mean less drafting making that easier to enforce too.
The swim needs to be wetsuit legal. C'mon, the bike carried the swimmers' double digit body fat so why not have a wetsuit carry the runners' single digit body fat. That swim will be so spread out that the swim patrol will be able to watch a long line instead of a large group, making rescue easier if need be. The wetsuit, of course, lessens the risk too.
It will be a great finish! Will the runner get caught by the swimmer or will the runner prevail. Pass out numbered swim caps as they enter the water so the announcers will know who is who. Maybe even ten different swim cap colors with #1, 11, 21 etc being the same color so triathletes can get an idea of who they are passing in the water. Wow, this could make the swim a highly viewable and meaningful event.
Pretty pumped. How would this work for Mirinda, would they catch her with the swim last? How would this work for ITU, would the Brownlee Brothers still dominate (yeah, probably).
Yes, they will have to patrol the swim longer than we do now as we moved the patrol time from the run to the swim.
If we can't do this for IM due to nightfall, how about HIM? If they are Ironmen, doesn't that imply they could do it either way? Some what serious post here for fun too. Could this be an interesting change to the same old same old?
Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.