If it's a not wet suit legal race would I be able to wear my Skin Cooler long sleeve shirt under my tri-suit?

I need it to keep the sun off me, I much prefer wearing that then worrying about keeping enough sun screen on my arms & shoulders. I could certainly swim without it but trying to put the shirt on in transition when I'm soaked could be an issue.

Ron W.

I hope it is a wetsuit swim as the swim is my weakest event. I don't think it will change much on the bike, as the majority of people will be slower in the water, thus delaying everyone getting out on the bike. So the MOP area would simply just be pushed back a few minutes. If we have the option of wetsuit vs non wetsuit, I will always go w/o wetsuit.

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Barry Dmitruk
2017: Florida 70.3 (done); Mont Tremblant 70.3 & Ironman

Where they take the temps is everything! If they actually took temperatures in Kona and took them at the pier ... everyone would be in wetsuits!

Best of luck guys.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Sorry, no. Can not cover arms.

Thanks for the info.

Ron W.

Ron,

It will "seem like and eternity" when you're wet but really in the grand scheme of things it should only be a very few seconds. Practice a few times before hand. Perhaps you can have them scrunched up like a doughnut held with very thing rubber bands.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

I did the same in 2011. Roll the sleeves into themselves. Put them on the night before and roll them down. When you get out of the water, put the donuts on and grab your bike. Over the next few miles, your arms will dry. Roll them up then.

I wonder if we could get a grassroots movement started to implore the WTC to have separate starts for wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers.

If tweets can lead to the overthrow an Egyptian dictator, surely we can get a safer swim start at placid, no?

Those techniques would work for arm coolers but not for the full long sleeve skin cooler shirt.

Another thought I had was to use just regular arm coolers and an old Desoto tri-suit that had short sleeves, in transition I could roll on the arm coolers as suggested.

Would the short sleeve tri-suit be against the rules?

Ron W.

I had a broken collar bone going into 2011 IMLP. I'm a pretty good swimmer for a triathlete and very confident in big surf swimming. I love storm swims.

2011 was the most scared for my life I have ever been in the water, and I have been drowned to the point of being rescued when getting certified for open water life guarding. I had wetsuit people egg beating me just at the swim start in the water. They crowded around me and made it really hard to wade. Then when the cannon went off, the first 0.25 miles was just a constant gasp for air as wetsuits were climbing on top of me. I spent most of my energy just to get air. Very scary.

I had a very disappointing swim with 1:04. I should have been sub 1 hour even without wetsuit. The fight to survive took too much energy out of me to lock into a good pace on the first loop.

Had a good bike split though. And got to run a few miles with Chris Gleason before he took off on me. Collar bone played havoc on me for the second loop of the run.

Wtc has to let non-wetsuits go first with at least a 5 minute head start. The initial 1000 yards is where the drama is.

[quote prattzc.

Wtc has to let non-wetsuits go first with at least a 5 minute head start. The initial 1000 yards is where the drama is.[/quote]
But aren't they doing a rolling start at LP this year? Don't you think if they add a 5 minute gap in there too that it may really put a lot more slow folks in the way of the fast swimmers on their second loop.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

No. They let pro men, then pro women, then non-wetsuits all 5 minutes apart. Fast non-wetsuits are going to catch the pro women on the bike anyways, so there really shouldn't be any harm. Then let all else start rolling in at normal start time. Second loop shouldn't matter much as long as the last swimmer in gets going 5 min before pro men start their second loop.

I'm not even remotely a fish, but I gotta say -

Pansies, HTFU!

No excuses for being so reliant on the wetsuit that you're scared of the swim without it. Or at least bust out that ankle band in the pool - after using that, I'm the same speed with and without the wetsuit. I actually LOVE nonwetsuit swims for that reason - the wetsuit is nothing but another piece to get in the way of my fitness.

Well that's what they use to do but this year their doing a rolling start for age groupers just like Coeur d'Alene

"Both IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene and IRONMAN Lake Placid will feature rolling starts in 2013. 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.

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...e.aspx#ixzz2Y7amJnT2

So I wonder if they still will have a 5 minute gap or just keep rolling the floaties in after all the other folks are away.

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

This exemplifies ignorance.

Ok please clarify

Pay someone to fall right before the wetsuit clad cross the line forcing a bottle neck!!

So....you always go w/o a wetsuit then? Pretty sure you have that option at the vast majority of events.

I wish I could have a lot of do-overs in that 2011 race and would start with not wearing a wetsuit. That water was too warm.

Any opinions here on the time advantage to a swim skin over tri shorts in an IM swim? (assume a 1:05 swimmer w/wetsuit). Thanks. Peter

About 2-3 minutes

WTC should just announce no wetsuits now. weather in the high peaks has never been known to drastically change. i mean...it's not like there was 3 feet of snow dumped on whiteface about a month ago. ;)

Tupper wasn't close last weekend. I swam in an adk lake 1 hour south of LP today (not close to no wetsuit).

Its really only been hot and humid for about a week in clifton park (2 hours south).
I'm having a hard time believing this rumor. even if its true...some 50 degree nights will change things quickly.

Yeah, lake George is a little bigger and deeper than mirror lake though.

I'll be up there next week, if you're up, email me for a ride and swim (Bolton landing).

I would still be interested to hear if wtc has a plan to separate wetties versus skins at IMLP if the temps are above legal.

I just don't see how Mirror Lake is already at 76. It's not like we have had hot, dry weather in these parts (unless someone is bs'ing us).

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Barry Dmitruk
2017: Florida 70.3 (done); Mont Tremblant 70.3 & Ironman

true about lake george...but I'm in speculator in lake pleasant. It is bigger than mirror lake...but its not a huge lake.

I won't be surprised either way. I'd rather wear the wetsuit....just because it's easier. but my placing probably won't really change with or without it. wtc does need to have a plan though.

I'm not sure what we have going on next weekend...I'll email you later in the week.

I'd be willing to be money that Mirror Lake will be a couple of degrees below the wetsuit cutoff temp on IMLP day. With the up-and-coming forecast for the region (temps slightly below average with lows in the 50s), even assuming that the reported 76 was accurate, the tiny lake will come down.

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