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Accidentally drinking too much water during an ocean swim
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Is there anything that can be done or taken before or after a saltwater swim to deal with the side effects of swallowing too much salt water?
Obviously no one aims to drink the water when swimming, but it happens, and it seems like it's a big reason for bad races.
I've been looking online and talking to other triathletes and marathon swimmers, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete, just some anecdotal advice. Are there any products out there that are meant to help with this? Would love to hear anything that others have done to help with the stomach issues caused by this.
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Re: Accidentally drinking too much water during an ocean swim [thisisquitedumb] [ In reply to ]
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No. There are no specific products.
For long swims (4+ hours):
If it’s an issue I suggest drinking water and bland food (oatmeal, bread, rice, sweet potato) before the swim, your plan during the swim and water after. Be aware of how much sodium and electrolytes you are taking in during your swim. Aim for high sugar, low salt… I drink Gatorade powder mix (premixed so I get the exact calories I want per feed), water and Coca Cola and food (apples, unsalted honey wheat pretzels, marshmallows) and I drink Coke only well after the halfway point.
If you throw up during a swim usually it’s because of either too much salt/electrolytes or too much volume (calories or liquids)… It’s very normal to throw up after a very long swim - more from the switch in motion than anything else. Lay off the salt for a few days.
If you are having issues on swims less than two hours then get a good coach to look at your breathing. It shouldn’t be an issue and it’s technical.
The more you practice the more you can figure things out!
Good luck!
Last edited by: Mere: Oct 24, 23 12:00
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Re: Accidentally drinking too much water during an ocean swim [thisisquitedumb] [ In reply to ]
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I had GI problems in many Ironman races, and one of the reasons would be swallowing ocean water during the swim.
One thing I do, is take a stomach protector some 3 days leading into race, and on race day. They are (in Europe at least) OTC and same pills you get, if your are on a strong antibiotics treatment or similar.

Overall they did a great deal to help on my GI issues on long races, and I have not experienced any negative effects of them.
Omeprazole is one of the names we can get here. Hope this helps


thisisquitedumb wrote:
Is there anything that can be done or taken before or after a saltwater swim to deal with the side effects of swallowing too much salt water?
Obviously no one aims to drink the water when swimming, but it happens, and it seems like it's a big reason for bad races.
I've been looking online and talking to other triathletes and marathon swimmers, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete, just some anecdotal advice. Are there any products out there that are meant to help with this? Would love to hear anything that others have done to help with the stomach issues caused by this.
Quote Reply
Re: Accidentally drinking too much water during an ocean swim [thisisquitedumb] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
thisisquitedumb wrote:
Is there anything that can be done or taken before or after a saltwater swim to deal with the side effects of swallowing too much salt water?
Obviously no one aims to drink the water when swimming, but it happens, and it seems like it's a big reason for bad races.
I've been looking online and talking to other triathletes and marathon swimmers, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete, just some anecdotal advice. Are there any products out there that are meant to help with this? Would love to hear anything that others have done to help with the stomach issues caused by this.

You shouldn't be ingesting a bunch of water. You're doing something wrong. I've had very rough swims and I actually took in some water into my upper respiratory tract and was coughing it up post swim.

Very rarely will I gulp and ingest water into my stomach. Since I'm breathing in this water is more likely to get into the airways and not the stomach.

It just doesn't sound normal to swallow a ton of water into your stomach, even in the roughest conditions.
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