devashish_paul wrote:
Fleck wrote:
Why did WTC choose to adopt a new rule (76.1 degrees) that differs from USAT's 78 degree rule? I know the official line was to place further emphasis on performance and not technology but I don't see that working out at all for them or anyone else. That is the key question. Dev seems to think that my contributions here, my own ideas and the extensive consultations with the WTC and USAT don't matter. However, I'll continue to "pontificate", FWIW! ;-)
I'll tell you why they are different, for now, and also tell you that there are ongoing discussions going on behind the scenes. Stay tuned.
One of the WTC's concerns was regarding "over-heating" during the swim. I hear and encounter this a lot in the business of selling wetsuits - athletes worried about over-heating in 1/2 and full IM distance swims in warmer water on warm days. It's a valid concern, but hang in there for a bit. USAT stands on the ground I believe of one study that was done a long time ago on the effects of core temperature while swimming with a wetsuit in warmer water. What it found was that core temperature (the key metric here) varied little in warmer waters while wearing a wetsuit up to about that 78F mark. However, swimmers felt warmer. There is a perception that they are getting hotter. That's understood, as that thin film of water between the skin and the inside of the wetsuit is getting warmer - so you feel warmer, but even that warmer layer of water is still pulling heat away from the body, thus the core temperatures remain unchanged up to a certain point, which USAT seems to think is around 78F.
I have heard that USAT is looking into this and is looking at re-visiting the research to see if these numbers still stack up. Obviously, the WTC has moved forward on their own and applied for a dispensation, as they have in other areas that apply to their events.
Despite what Dev, says, I thought a bit of back-ground information would be helpful.
My personal opinion remains that same, but is influenced by the above. Mixing wetsuit and non-wetsuits is not optimal. Pick a number, whatever that is, and stick to it! No grey area. Either wetsuits are allowed or not allowed!
Hope this helps!
Hi Fleck. If you want to battle for an all or nothing solution, you are welcome to. Just do more about it than posting for the sake of posting and create uneccessary noise in here. Get on the phone with WTC and start your battle. Collect your data and influence change. Don't just come on ST and whine about everything being confusing. You're not being proactive nor constructive in doing so. If you want to get the wetsuit temp rule change, fine, please start a thread with that as the explicit goal. Rally consumers, officials and race directors please and proactively affect change.
I'm just trying to come up with data here and provide WTC with feedback for a better solution GIVEN the current rule set that results in a mixed start based on the actual feedback of real customers who experienced the drawbacks. As Chris G said, it is very rare on ST that there is a universal consensus about a topic by THOSE WHO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED IT.
To the others debating what the difference between having a wetsuit on vs not in a mixed start, save that discussion for another thread please. No need for Monday morning quarterback. This thread is for those who had no wetsuit in a mixed start to post their experiences.
To those who have posted your experiences, many thanks. 112 lb 61 year old women competiting for Kona slots should not feel their lives threatened in a mass start from men twice their size clad in rubber.
Dev
In my opinion, you're way out of line here...there are many solutions to the problem, Dev. Not just the one's the
"The Great and Powerful Dev" deems appropriate.
"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz