51F is around 10C. Honestly, I don't think I would be able to swim in those temperatures with a normal wetsuit. Lowest I tried was 14C (57.2F) and that already stopped my breathing due to the thermal shock for a little while.

---

Paulo Matos

Raced the ITU Champs in Cape Town earlier this year.

So. Freaking. Cold. (11C) And because of this cold they shortened the swim... I cannot imagine doing 1.9km in that water (and to you Norsemen gods, 3.8km for that matter).

I know it sucks. But the RDs are thinking about their weakest competitors from a risk minimisation perspective and not the FOPs like everyone on slowtwitch.

Cheers.

This is WTC's rule since 2013:

Swim Temperature

• Water temperature below 52 degrees Fahrenheit or above 88 degrees Fahrenheit will result in cancellation or shortening of the swim portion of the race

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...e.aspx#ixzz4n5VChAIn

---

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

I was under the impression that they adopted USAT water temperature guidelines that went into effect in 2014:

"These recommendations are targeted at race directors, local officials, and athletes. They apply to age group events but not to professional races. Satisfactory, or so-called neutral, water temperature ranges for races of various distances are defined as:

• <750 meters, 55-89 F
• 750-1500 meters, 56-87 F
• >1500 meters, 57-86 F.

http://www.athletesheart.org/...e-safety-guidelines/

Nope. It's part of their SwimStart Initiative.

---

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

I would gladly skip a swim at 51* or anything below 60 for that matter.... that's dicey.

---

USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

that's cold. but we used to swim in those temps in the pre-wetsuit days. with wetsuits, cold, yes, but not really a problem.

but it's the difference in clientele that requires the swim be canceled. it's a bit of a different sport now than it was in the mid 80s. i'm not against it being canceled.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I agree Dan with the changed clientele. What I think is that they should at least be prepared for such an event and have a true duathlon ready to go in such cases. Why they didn't have a 5k or another substitute for the cancelled swim is a bit silly. It's not that difficult to be prepared.

I posted in the other Racine thread about water temp according to the buoy in Lake Michigan. At about 6am, the water was 56 degrees according to the markers.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

They cancelled because of the temp for sure but I bet they would have shortened/cancelled the swim yesterday based on the small craft advisory and beach hazard yesterday too. The lake was not awful looking but it was windy and the weather service was basically saying close beaches from Milwaukee to Chicago.

I was disappointed there was no swim but 51 degrees would have been brutal because it wasn't the normal 80 and sunny either so the bike would have been freezing for a while too.

---

Twitter - Instagram

Also...Door County Triathlon cut their swim down to 1/4 mile.
Copy of FB post:
"Race Director update: Swim abbreviated to 1/4 mile due to small craft advisory. (swells of 2-4 feet). Start delay until 8:30am to ensure staffing along the course route."

that make it two years in a row with no swim for Racine.
granted, the water was pretty damn choppy last year after the storm passed through.
the cool part was a lot of racers went to the local Starbucks during the wait, and had a coffee and chatted with Taylor Reid...

Came here to make this point.

Half the field are one and done weekend warriors. Most of them would end up in trouble swimming in 51F water and need fishing out of the water by rescue craft.

I'm not questioning the cancellation, but given the temps are actually about average then why hold a race on the lake at all? Seems like, on average, the swim portion will be cancelled just about every year.


http://www.mlive.com/..._temperatures_7.html

If I'm reading that chart correctly, average temps in mid July are at least 17 C. If the water temp were 17 C we wouldn't have a cancellation.

100% agree

Out of curiousity, I get there is a lower limit temp wise, but why an upper limit? Too cold makes sense, but is there a risk as well if the water is TOO warm?

---

💀 Fxck Cancer Endurance Team 💀
⚡️⚡️ PLUSH Global ⚡️⚡️

google Fran Crippen

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I used to swim in northern Michigan in Lake Michigan. Currents and storms can wildly change water tempetatures from day to day - like swings from 50 degrees to 65 in a 24 hour period.

You have a wetsuit for your face?

I raced Muncie 70.3 the year they shortened it to not much more than an oly. The dialed the swim back to 1 mile and it was just miserable. Sort of like exercising in a sauna. Not healthy and dangerous too. It's even worse when the air is warm and humid as well. That combination can be deadly ... aka Crippen.

You regularly swam in +/- 50 degree water without a wetsuit? It's like climbing in sub-zero temps without a parka. Sure you can do it for a spell but the ambient temperature is going to win and sap your body heat very, very fast. You clearly cheated death.

This is a standard hypothermia chart:

Hypothermia ChartWater Temp (degrees)Hypothermia IndexExhaustion or UnconsciousnessExpected Survival Time20 to 32 degreesEXTREMEUnder 7 minutesUnder 7-22 minutes32.5 degreesEXTREMEUnder 15 minutesUnder 15-45 minutes32.5 to 40 degreesSEVERE15 to 30 minutes30 to 90 minutes40 to 50 degreesHIGH30 to 60 minutes1 to 3 hours50 to 60 degreesCAUTION1 to 2 hours1 to 6 hours60 to 70 degreesMEDIUM2 to 7 hours2 to 40 hours70 to 80 degreesLOW3 to 12 hours3 hours to indefiniteOver 80 degreesNONEIndefiniteIndefinite

You're clearly not replying to me, as I had a better solution..... although I have done a 2.4 race in mid 50's before (obviously with wetsuit). My gripe is the seeming lack of prep for a substitute when it is not very uncommon. Wave start r/b/r would be better than their solution....

In the mid 80's San Diego St's team would swim off of La Jolla each Friday afternoon. Spring temps were high 50's to low 60's. None of us had wetsuits. Was pretty damned cold but there were girls on the team so none of us guys were going to show weakness. There was no warm up. Once you hit the water, you had to start working pretty hard because you needed to generate heat. Therefore, no warm up.

Until the temps hit 60deg, I was always "busy" so couldn't attend. High 50's. Brrrrrrr.

---

Books @ Amazon
"If only he had used his genius for niceness, instead of Evil." M. Smart

Indeed - meant to reply to Dan.
And I agree: with the likelihood of a cancellation more common than not, why not just change the date of the race? Or delete it from the calendar. Or warn the hell out of everyone who enters - the disclaimers and waivers are endless as it is - what's one more of each?

wetsuits now are 5mm chest and 3mm back, I surf in 356 degree water for hours in the winter in a 4mm suit.

Slowman is correct, Its a different clientele

---

Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3

Apparently they measured all over the place on the actual swim course at 5am. Most readings were in the high 40's, the 51* was the warmest they found. No choice but to cancel

---

Professional Triathlete
Owner of Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC / Team BBMC
blakebeck@gmail.com
http://www.teambbmc.com

The Door County triathlon is held about 200 miles north on the same day and in Lake Michigan. However, on the Green Bay side (west) of Door County. The water temperature dropped 10f over night (58) two days before the event. It rose to the mid 60s on Sunday but there was 4 foot waves and and a strong current that a full swim impossible. I never heard from any of the participants that a shorten swim was the wrong call.

I get the upper limit restriction, but for the lower limit, doesn't always make sense to me.

It would be nice to see them, when it was too cold, make it optional, but the people who elect to not swim can't compete for age groupawards or something like that. Just a thought..

so this year has been horrible, is IM softening? Isn't the whole idea of Ironman that conditions get tough? they also cancelled IM 70.3 Gulf Coast due to strong currents and riptides and shortened IM 70.3 Chattanooga due to a strong current (this one was absurd, they actually let the pros swim the whole course but shortened it for the AG)...

i was asking a friend who's been around for a while about swim cancellations at IMFL (since im doing it in November) and he told me "back in those days (2003-2004) they didn't cancelled swims.. a lot of people have talked about RD concerned on safety of weaker competitors, but what will happen if IM keeps seeing weaker and weaker people coming into it precisely because they are more and more lenient and willing to relax the rules and make it easier for the average unprepared "athlete"? i think IM should man up, its supposed to be tough!