I definitely buy into the 7% value I've seen posted.

At IMLP last month, I got behind a guy for most of the second lap and I cruised a 31 min split. At one point iwas in the slot position of a diamond formation. On the toes of the big guy in front of me, a guy at my right whose waist was even with my hand entry and a guy to my left in the same position. It was a bit claustrophobic, but I felt like I was hardly moving any water at all.

This here's the Rubber Duck. 10-4 y'all.

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

The crowd chanting the adoration in Chinese.... What we've learned is the equivalent of "Go... GO!"

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Payne and Patton for Great Britain... the new British Fleet!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

But Ilchenko there... like the Russian submarine in a Tom Clancy novel... lurking....

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Actually I think it is Go Faster - Add oil, get hotter = Go faster!

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

But Ilchenko there... like the Russian submarine in a Tom Clancy novel... lurking....

Yeaah, but the reactor blew in the end!

:-)

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

The Brazilians there... about eight or nine swimmers back. Such a legacy for the Brazilian beach-athletes. Here in Michigan we have our own Brazilian, the dashing Adriano Rosa, he has done more triathlons than anyone in the state at over 300!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Sub from a Clancy Novel = good one.

Getting faster - more splash/spray.

David K

Good point by the commentator. The distance from the front of the pack to the back is 25m. That is about 12 -15 seconds of swimming time. That may be like being 50 riders back in a peleton.

While it may be advantagous to draft if you are willing to come out of the water 12 seconds behind someone, if you want to win, that is an almost impossible distance to make up. So, while you want to draft, you can not be very far off the front to have a shot to win. That is probably why the brits are willing to lead.

As we get into about 1:11 or 1:12 into the race this is where most of us would be finishing our Ironman length swims...

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Good point. If the back markers have design on a medal they will really have to move up solidly in the closing minutes...

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Except that we'd have swum 3.8km while these women are at what, 6 km?

Things have drawn out.... The British women are just so commanding here. I wonder if there is a psychologial affect here... That the leaders are stamping their authority on the race.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Exactly.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

That distance / time is a good point to think about in triathlons as well. 50 meters (and 50+ people behind) in water is a huge distance, but very little on dry land ... Another reason for any of us to swim as near to the front as we can.

I have to say that the Brazilians are an emotional favorite here. You picture them in Brazil... on the beach and in training. They tend toward the briefest of swim costumes and exude a brand of elan' we don't normally see in endurance sports.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

That move was incredible, Larisa just cut across the other swimmer. I wonder what gives you a DQ.

I've heard the whistle blow a few times so far but not there. I'd like to see some examples of what they blow the whistle for...

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Don't hold back

In watching these games I wonder what the take-aways will be for our sport going forward... at our level. This coverage in-and-of itself has to raise the bar for Ironmanlive.com...

The details like the aid stations in the triathlons... with the white gloved volunteers... and these nice swim bouys. Hopefully the entire Olympic experience will inspire both participants and organizers to a higher level... a bit of an "Olympic dividend".

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

There's a glosssary on the NBC web site. It contains a definition of unsportsmanlike conduct with some examples:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/...er+swimming+glossary

It appears that a swimmer can be red-carded and DQed, much like in soccer.

I was just thinking how far 10,000 meters is when I realized my daughter swim that far today and she's upstairs right now wrestling with her sisters and showing no interst in going to bed even though she has practice tomorrow at 8.

Swimmers are sick.

Now conversly for our leaders.... having your feet tickled incessantly by the swimmer behind you. We all know that can be maddening. The British have had a non-stop pedicure for the entire swim...

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The bar has been raised on body marking, too

That was a great shot of proper one arm backstroke feeding technique.

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Don't hold back

I'm going to put my water bottles on the side of the pool now and practice that as I swim. ;)

-Jot