I have done IM 70.3 St. George 4 times and I have never seen a warm-up area offered at the race. The race is one of my favorites but this has always baffled me. It is a bit difficult logistically to offer a warm-up area because the access to the water is limited from the transition area. However, I agree that it should be offered even if it is logistically difficult. I think the warm up area could be set up next to the swim exit area. It would be crowded for sure but I think it is critical when the swim is so freaking cold.
Of the IM events I have done I would say that IM 70.3 Boulder has the best swim warm-up set up. It is a bit crowded but it is very accessible and went a long way to me starting my day well when I raced there. And that's a warm race! I think it is critical to have a warm up area on cold swims. Every time I have raced St. George I have had a bit of a panic episode. I have come to expect it and I know how to work my way through it but I can see how somebody could be severely affected by being thrown into that cold water with $1,500+ other people.
Now, would a proper warm up have prevented this death? It's impossible to tell but anything, that is reasonable to do, that can reduce anxiety should be pursued. I would also relax the wetsuit rules for warm water. For some people the anxiety of swimming without a wetsuit is wayyyy more detrimental than any overheating from swimming with a wetsuit in warm water. With the prevalence of neoprene shorts you could even make those legal under any temperature for amateur athletes. Just make the wetsuit (or neoprene shorts) the norm for the amateur races! Good/competitive swimmers will still have their competitive advantage and a huge number of people will feel safe while racing.
If you want to grow the sport then USAT and IM should do all they can so that participants are not seriously asking the question "could I die at this race today?" every time they get in the water. People don't ask themselves that question when road racing and trail running and even in cycling events (which are probably more dangerous) people don't think that way. All reasonable measures should be taken to make the amateur feel as safe as possible in the swim. Things as simple as warm-up areas and 5mm of neoprene under any circumstances would go a long way to achieve this.
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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com
Of the IM events I have done I would say that IM 70.3 Boulder has the best swim warm-up set up. It is a bit crowded but it is very accessible and went a long way to me starting my day well when I raced there. And that's a warm race! I think it is critical to have a warm up area on cold swims. Every time I have raced St. George I have had a bit of a panic episode. I have come to expect it and I know how to work my way through it but I can see how somebody could be severely affected by being thrown into that cold water with $1,500+ other people.
Now, would a proper warm up have prevented this death? It's impossible to tell but anything, that is reasonable to do, that can reduce anxiety should be pursued. I would also relax the wetsuit rules for warm water. For some people the anxiety of swimming without a wetsuit is wayyyy more detrimental than any overheating from swimming with a wetsuit in warm water. With the prevalence of neoprene shorts you could even make those legal under any temperature for amateur athletes. Just make the wetsuit (or neoprene shorts) the norm for the amateur races! Good/competitive swimmers will still have their competitive advantage and a huge number of people will feel safe while racing.
If you want to grow the sport then USAT and IM should do all they can so that participants are not seriously asking the question "could I die at this race today?" every time they get in the water. People don't ask themselves that question when road racing and trail running and even in cycling events (which are probably more dangerous) people don't think that way. All reasonable measures should be taken to make the amateur feel as safe as possible in the swim. Things as simple as warm-up areas and 5mm of neoprene under any circumstances would go a long way to achieve this.
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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com