I was in the last wave at St. George last year and am in the next to last wave this year. I had no problems getting around others on the bike. Not any different than a mass start Ironman. If you are confident on the bike, you'll be fine.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Oh the pleasure of being a later wave. It was very exciting navigating all the turns at Hyvee last year working through the the earlier waves of the "championship" divisions.

I wonder if WTC would consider having "elite" waves like Hyvee has. Use a qualifying time of maybe a 4:40 for a 70.3 or 2:15 for an Olympic as a cut-off for men. Then you have the top 10% or so racing head to head across the age groups. Then it will thin out the other waves and eliminate the fast guys having to work their way forward. Hell, throw just a little prize money in there too. Why not.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

I was in one of the last waves at the Austin 70.3 a few years ago. I swam a 32-33 and rode a 2:30 so I passed probably 1500+ people during the swim and bike. It sucked navigating through all the slower cyclists, especially on those godawful Austin 70.3 shit roads.

The first year of the Syracuse 70.3 they put the two M40-44 waves right behind the W50+ wave... with only three minutes between each wave start. Sometimes I don't get how the RD's stagger their wave starts.

I've always held the opinion that the statistically largest and fastest AG's should be the first waves after the pros/elites. That would be the four groups within M30-49. After those four AG's you can mix 'em up however you want but get the largest and fastest groups on the course first.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Even moderate swimmers starting in later waves and murky waters crash into those floundering from earlier waves. Galveston and NOLA can be terrifying for slow swimmers being chewed up from behind.

Biking fast from behind is unsafe for everyone. There's no way for fast riders to clear out off the front, so they are whizzing past challenged riders the whole bike leg. Wave starts, which reduce drafting, make the race more dangerous.

This seems to come up soooo often! What ever your AG wave is, it is the same race conditions for everybody in your AG! I guess race directors have to juggle with local authorities about road closure, safety and trying to satisfy as many AG preferences. If people can't swim in a crowded open water setting, they should sign up for duathlons...

If you start late, and you can ride carefully and wisely use "legal draft" while passing and save significant energy...

Interesting enough, at the two Rev3 halfs I did last year the 40+ men were the first AG wave. It was great!

jaretj

I was in the last wave at St. George last year and am in the next to last wave this year. I had no problems getting around others on the bike. Not any different than a mass start Ironman. If you are confident on the bike, you'll be fine.
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I was in the last wave too, which was M 60 and over. On the bike I kinda liked not being passed by the younger/faster racers. SG bike course is good for passing since most of it has a lane for the race.

As for the swim I'm a MOP guy, 70.3 (35-40min) IM (1:20) and I always run into slower swimmers in the earlier waves. You just gotta deal. Races like Vineman and Oceanside with a Narrow course just do your best, at SG there is room to get on the outside if you don't like the bump and grind.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

Sorry to hijack the OP, but what is the thought process with the arrangement of waves? I am in the 35-39 group and have been one of the first AG's to go off and then recently at Oside was the 18th wave to go off. I have gone through a number of scenarios in my head trying to guess what their thinking is, but can't because it doesn't appear to be consistent.

Any clue? I am sure there is a specific strategy.

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"i’m the one guy who says don’t force the stupid people to be quiet — i want to know who the morons are." -- mark cuban

Some race directors prioritize providing a good race experience and make an effort to space out faster and slower waves. Others prioritize maximizing the current year's profits and attempt to clear the course 30 minutes faster by placing the age groups in order of slowest to fastest. For the latter type, I never do the race again. Do you hear that RDs?


edit: Austin and Muncie 70.3 are two examples.

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Oh yeah!

If you move 10 feet to the outside of the lane of congestion, you'll hardly be adding any distance to your swim and will encounter much less people. Take the turn buoys a couple body lengths wide and you won't have much of a problem. At least this is my experience.

Your start time is what it is. Figure out how to make the best of it.

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Steve Johnson
DARK HORSE TRIATHLON |

I remember in my first triathlon a fast swimmer that started in a wave behind me just came right on my heels. Then he put his hand on my shoulder, pushed off, and was gone. I was a little pissed at first considering there was no one around me, but whatever. Like someone else said, everyone in your wave has to deal with the same conditions. Stay positive, and just go for it!

I did Galveston this year and was in the back of the bus. Second from last wave 55+ then the last wave was 25-29 and relays. Yes there was a few people that I collided with but you just put your head down and go and try and avoid the slower swimmers. No real strategy it's the same for everyone else in your wave. I passed a lot of people on the bike and a few times I had to yell on your left, all part of being in the last waves - it is what it is.

I feel really bad for the slow swimmers. Seeing people holding onto the buoys, doing breast stroke, floating on their backs, etc, makes me question their training and safety in open water. Galveston had to be scary for some of the slower swimmers this year. Thank god they had wetsuits on, probably saved a few.

As a side note, there were no lines for the port-o-johns when your in the back of the bus.

+1 simple geometry shows you won't go much further if you stay a few yards outside. When you get through the first or second turn unscathed then get into the mix.

Note* I'm a terrible swimmer but I am way more relaxed if I do things this way.

It sucks but its just the way it is. In the end it depends on the course & conditions & how you react on race day. Open Water skills & experience help greatly.
I swim about 30 minutes in most races, so above average ... A few years ago in Boise for me it was a total mess, choppy, lots of dog paddlers to get around.
In Lake Stevens it was a breeze, I cruised and nearly broke 28. Calgary was in between. In all those races I was about Wave 8-9 out of 12-14 total I think.
... In the end it shakes out realtively fairly, at least among age groups.

thanks for the suggestion. I plan to follow the fellows out and see what we run into. if it becomes too painful, I'll take a line outboard. Is what it is. What I can control (mostly) is my prep, my gear, my attitude and the smile/grimace on my face while racing.

thanks for the replies. back to zone II /III in my kinda pain cave...