This is an excellent point and its come up a few times with elites looking primarily at Kona.

A suit like the Tri Octane might save 4 minutes over an athlete's normal clothing setup, but taking the time to change into it in T1 will eat up some of that advantage, lets say half. Okay, well, you're still two minutes faster overall, right? Not really. While you're spending the extra time in transition, your fellow competitors are rolling up the road ahead of you, so now you're playing catch up.

An elite would prefer to skip all of that because, for them, they don't see this as a means to get ahead of everyone by two minutes, they see it as a way to use less energy to stay with the group. Mentally, coming out of transition a few minutes later than everyone else is defeating and not worth the extra energy they'd use catching up early on in the bike leg.

Does "staying with the group" equate to staying in the draft, even at legal distances? Of course it does. That's the reality - especially at Kona. It's all about economy of effort 'cause we all know you win it on the run.

Poor swimmer? That's a different story. Now it might be worth the extra time because it will be easier, over the entire course, to reel in the group ahead. So, for instance, if Heather Jackson switches to Ironman distance she and I are having this discussion because she gives up significant time in the swim. For someone like her, the benefit is important.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports