Jodi wrote:
I would be all for this. If you aren't prepared to race without a floatation device you shouldn't be racing.
Jodi - with all due respect, STFU already. You weren't there, you didn't experience it.
You have no fucking clue. This thread is for athletes who have *EXPERIENCED* this phenomenon in an M.dot race to post about it, not Monday morning quarterbacks sitting at home pontificating about what they think.
I made it thru the Kona swim just fine, thank you very much. It was pleasant and civil, since we all were in the same level playing field.
Granted my swim was uber-slow, but that's cuz I was a worse swimmer then, and I took it super easy and just got thru it.
I never once felt threatened for fearful for my life, or that I was going to be drowned. I really enjoyed the experience.
LP was completely different. As was said, even treading water before the start was scary and dangerous, as the wetsuit-clad folks crowded in, and I had no room.
I have never felt in fear for my life like I did for the first 2-300m yesterday - I was *thiiiis* close to heading for a kayak and punting.
Getting bumped and dunked and grabbed is really no big deal when everyone has a wetsuit on. I don't mind it at all, since the contact is minimized, and you bob right back up to the surface w/ zero effort.
When somebody swims over you and you are not in a wetsuit, you go under.
When somebody grabs your ankle and you are not in a wetsuit, you slow dramatically or even stop.
When somebody pushes your leg down and you are not in a wetsuit, you need to kick extra-hard to get back up again, and/or to fend them off.
Doing that repeatedly caused my calves, thighs, and even feet to cramp, which slowed me down more, which subjected me to more of the same.
It was a horrible negative recursive cycle from Hell. I have never experienced anything remotely like that before; I never will again.
I don't know of anybody who didn't wear a wetsuit who had anything positive to say about the experience. Zero. None. I'd be a fan of either no wetsuits for ANYBODY above a certain temperature, or better yet, the 2-wave start idea, with the wetsuit folks 15 mins back.
They don't even need a time penalty, give them until 12:15 to finish, whatever.
float ,
hammer , and
jog