If you're looking to KQ and the guy in front of you is in your age group with a mile to go, I'm sure it would affect you strategy.

Ok. I see what your saying. Fair enough.

My strategy has always been, race my own race in an Ironman. But I'm biased as I don't really care about KQ.

Hey you can swim in high 40's up here. Cda sounds tropical.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

The next poster is going to say they swim in the high 30's. ;)

You must have a nice wetsuit. The coldest I've swam is the mid-50's and I had a wetsuit-type swim cap and I'll never do it again. I can still feel that shocking cold water on my head.

Having done IMAZ in '11 I will agree with you on your swim comments. That was brutal. I will say I raced IMSG six months later and lined up on the outside and wasn't touched by another human. Unfortunately the wind did more damage to me than any Ironman swim mob could have done. Realistically, the difference was 1500 vs 3000 swimmers.

Actually my wetsuit is cut on the calves and forearms for quicker exits and better feel for the water. I do wear a neoprene cap in colder lakes. I rarely train OW and when I do I skip the wetsuit if I can usually 18C+ (65ish +) I ve swam in pools that were sub 70 F at meets.

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

I've swam a half-iron in 54 degree temps.. and jellyfish.
Was probably the most unpleasant swim of my life.
I was numb for the first 90min on the bike.
I can't imagine 2.4 miles of that without booties, cap.. maybe some sort of embrocation?

Except this is about $$, not safety. The herd has spoken.... The swim is scary, it puts people off, and as we all know, most IMs are 70% full of first timers.

It's a branding and lifestyle thing, not a competition or safety thing

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If you are going for a KQ spot or an AG win/placing knowing where you are at in your Ag can make a big difference. If you are 5k from the finish and some dude pulls onto your shoulder you know what you have to do. but if it's a TT style start you don't know if he's 5 behind or 5 ahead. Part of racing is making those tactical decisions. If you don't know where anyone is, why call it a race. You might as well call it a charity ride.


As a matter of fact I do recommend that athletes be aware of where they are at if being competitive/racing for an AG spot is what they are there to do.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

this is exactly right. this makes it much tougher to figure out where you are in relation to the field. last year at CDA i knew where i was placed in the AG and i new what i need to do(or not do) for a slot.
having any sort of spotter on course is not going to be helpful at all unless WTC somehow has instant updates on splits online.

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Fruit snacks are for winners

They could have score boards after the timing mats.

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

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....and we have a winner!!


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Here's an idea:
What if the idea of stopping mass starts is so they can increase the number of entries?
They had pretty much maxed out the swim start area.

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A possibility.Maybe they think they can have 5,000 people in each Nth American M-Dot like they have in Roth.Just wait for the announcement of teams in Ironman for 2014..........just before they announce that WTC is for sale.

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That would be a logical conclusion .... certainly there is no evidence that a time trial start is any safer than a mass start in preventing swim fatalities. Invoking "swim safety" as a ploy to increase numbers of participants through a different start system would be clever and profitable while playing to peoples fears. We probably need to avoid conspiracy theories as that becomes counterproductive .... but we ought to have some solid facts to guide us before we make fundamental changes to a popular event.

Dave

Oh no, I hadn't thought of teams for IM. I can let mass starts go without losing the magic of the race, but the idea of anything less than an individual effort, I can't.

I don't come to slowtwitch for a few days, and this is what I'm greeted with?

I'm going to go kick the shit out of a treadmill so I feel better.

Anything new come out on this?

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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

There are some articles in the CDA press from late February about it

I think they could make a mass start safer by seeding people correctly. Like have a 1km race on the Thursday and you get a different "starting pen" based on your time. Or you submit a time from a qualifying 70.3 or sanctioned open water race. Half the reason for panic at mass starts are the half wits who line up at the front and then swim 1.5 hours. If everyone starts among people with similar speeds, it will be a lot smoother.
And for IMCdA specifically they should also make it one lap.

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Not sure what announcement is being referred to but according to this e-mail response the flow start is a done deal for IMCDA.


Thanks for reaching out. My apologies about the delay, I wanted to make sure we had all the facts before responding to your inquiry. As you may have seen, we announced a new SwimSmart initiative focused on improving athlete satisfaction and reducing anxiety during the swim portion of the race.

The 2013 IRONMAN Coeur d�Alene will feature a rolling start. Athletes will enter the water in a continuous stream through a controlled access point, similar to how running road races are started. An athlete�s times will start when they cross timing mats under the swim arch.

Athletes will be directed to self-seed on race morning based on their projected swim time. Volunteers and staff will be in the staging area with signs and will assist with this process. Self-seeding will not be mandatory but will be encouraged. All athletes will have access to a dedicated warm-up area in the water located adjacent to the swim start.

Age-group athletes will begin entering the water at 6:35 a.m. for IRONMAN Coeur d�Alene and will have the 2 hours and 20 minutes from the time the last athlete enters the water to complete the swim. An athlete�s time does not begin until he or she crosses the timing mat located below the swim arch. All athletes are expected to start by 7:00 a.m., thus keeping all other timelines and cutoffs the same. This will ensure that all participants have at least the full 17 hours (subject to intermediate cutoffs) to complete the event.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions, have a great day!
Best,

April Dickerson
Coordinator, Athlete Services
World Triathlon Corporation
2701 N. Rocky Point Dr. Suite 1250, Tampa FL 33615

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Wow, that is really unfortunate in my opinion. I'm now really thinking Ironman has jumped the shark. This is no longer a race, but an event. They still have a major communication problem as a Google search and an Ironman.com search yields no results for SwimSmart and the FAQ's on IMCDA's site still says there is a mass start.
Edit: I stand corrected, the FAQ no longer mentions the mass start. Last week it did.

What a joke. The "self seeding" is undoubtedly going to be an mess. People going to the front who belong in the back, causing people to be swimming over each other. Things self-select perfectly fine in a mass start.

I never would have registered for CDA if I knew they were going to make this change and wouldn't sign up for another WTC event if they make it universal. At least go to wave starts based on past times if they don't want a mass start

I support this completely. The mass start is an absolute mess. The Time Trial start at Ironman Louisville, and I imagine this will be like that but with people seeded based on projected time and not how early they get in line, is what is best for competitors.

You can view this much like US public education system, water it down to the lowest common denominator for all those that sign up for ironman distance race and cannot swim, let alone do a mass start. It is only here where we change the sport to accommodate that. Sad.