They don't get a DNS - they are in the Athlete TRacker with results and will be in a wetsuit category for historical results.

I just looked to make sure and i see a couple folks that wore wetsuits up in the results.

As for 'why'? Because the demographic of our sport has changed/is changing......and, yes, you might be asking at that question in the wrong place.. :)

That may have been the only way they would have done the race, in a wetsuit. Some people... and I've actually met and talked with them aren't comfortable enough out of their suits to do an open water swim without one. IMO, they're not worried about what results may or may not look like, they're just afraid of swimming without their wetsuit.

Yep they are probably afraid. Most triathletes need more OWS training.

It's funny. Wearing a wetsuit in 78 degree salt water for an hour+ of swimming is precisely what NOT to do.

There is the competition category and the wet suit category in races that would normally be non wet suit.

Triathlon has shifted from a sport where people compete to a sport where I'd estimate > 50% of the people involved in the sport are here to complete.

They want to have fun training with their friends, aren't worried about being 123rd or 193rd in their age group, want to cross the finish line personally challenged but not shelled and it's more of a social activity than anything else.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

They will be official finishers and get credit for the Legacy program. Just not eligible for AG awards or Kona slots.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I have never understood the wetsuit v non-wetsuit debate. I have finished 4. All with a wetsuit ...2 of those were wetsuit legal. I have no vision of placing...I guess I am the 123 or 193 in a age group guy the coach was talking about. But the rules allow it with a certain caveat...no award. So I play by the rules and get called "less an ironman?" I know what social activities are....training for an ironman and finishing 4 is not my idea of a social activity.

If you are not in the running for a podium or Kona slot, and it makes you feel more comfortable, then what is the disincentive? The vast majority of people in the race are not in the running for an award or slot, so to them it really doesn't matter what the rules say.

Well said Brian. This perfectly describes the majority of people here as well!

When did the rules start to mean so little to you people? the Rule has always been (although the temp ranges have changed somewhat) that some races are not wet suit legal at all, ie above a certain temp. Other races ARE wetsuit legal, ie you can start and finish and be listed in the results, but not be eligible for awards or KQ. Other races are wetsuit legal and you are eligible for awards or KQ whether you wear a wetsuit or not. There are no "races that would normally be non wet suit" that statement is ludicrous.

The fact a person chooses to wear a wetsuit (and yes I am one of those) in the tweener category does not mean they don't race hard. You wetsuit snobs need to get a life. I will continue to wear one when its LEGAL, unless I believe I have a shot at a KQ (not likely). No idea where Coach Stover gets his 50% statistic.... I guess its what "they" tell him, whomever "they" are, I for one couldn't disagree with the sentiment any more strongly.

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bb

Also, it's IMFL.

This race is not exactly the top choice for people who are looking for the greatest challenge possible.

Who called you less an ironman? Brian certainly didn't.

I would say he is certainly calling out the "> than 50% that are here to complete" as somehow in a different category. (Although I am not sure where he gets his stats from). Bottom line is if you finish one of these you have put in some hard work that a whole bunch of people could never do.

At Atlantic City 2 years ago, it ended up not being a wetsuit race, and people were losing their minds. I heard numerous people around me saying "I can't finish the swim without one". I know there were quite a few people in the wetsuit wave.

I guess only Brian can say if he meant that as a criticism. At the end of the day it is a race, and if you choose to wear a wetsuit in a wetsuit optional swim, you are choosing to not compete for KQ or AG awards. Obviously, not everybody that chose no wetsuit on Saturday had KQ or podium aspirations. But when you make that decision ahead of time, you are deciding not to compete for the only true awards up for grabs. That's how I took it. Regardless, congrats on your finish.

At the end of the day, who cares if someone chooses to wear a wetsuit. It is part of the rules, it is not banned or prohibited, (if temperature is below 83.8F). If it gets people off their asses and develop a healthy lifestyle I think that's great. If they aren't competing for awards or KQ, they are hurting absolutely no one. And as SusanH stated, the demographic of the sport is/has changed. If it means the difference between someone participating and doing nothing, I say get out the wetsuit and start training and enjoy it. IMHO

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

BTW you are not "less an Ironman", not at all. Congratulations on your 4 finishes!

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

Let's keep in mind that these events would not be sustainable if only those that had a legitimate chance to KQ or even be top 10 in there age groups signed up. There are many people that train very hard a compete to the best of their ability. It is not fair to assume that someone who finishes 123rd or 193rd in their age group is not competing. They may not be competing for 1st, but they are competing to the best of their ability and not just out there for a social activity.

x2 on this posting. The more the better. Sometimes here on ST I don't get you guys. IM is insanely tough as it is. If the rules allow some people not going for awards to use the wetsuit, then its all good. Better than being stuck at home and not active. As for those talking about IM Florida not being challenging, I think you need to recalibrate. They are all challenging in different ways. Our man Konaexpress who just posted (did 7x Kona, IMx34) has had some of his toughest days in Florida. All those miles in the aero position with no coasting no downhills can be tougher than a hill race with breaks. And I'd take a rolling run any day over dead flat. At least on a rolling run, your heart rate can drop on the downhills and you're capped by fried legs on the uphills anyway. On a flat IM run, there are zero breaks. I actually prefer the run courses at LP, Tremblant, or Kona to the dead flat course in Texas with no variation. I run faster on rolling courses. Florida would be a really hard day for me. If it is 140.6 it is hard.

I hate that rule. "Wet-suit optional" is a stupid idea. Even if you aren't in line for an age group placing if you can swim the distance IN a wet suite you can swim it WITHOUT a wet suit also. I am not sure why people consider the wet suit to be some sort of security blanket anyway; I know of a few people who DNF'd due to wet suit trouble in the water who wouldn't have DNF'd had they been wearing a simple kit.

One thing I would say after lurking around the Facebook page for the 2015 race is that I can't imagine there was a single person there who actually ever thought the race would be optional for wetsuits, I think the vast majority just figured it would be legal for AG and Kona slots as usual. When they said it was optional you could feel the tension quadruple down there, I was pleasantly surprised that the swim was much easier than I anticipated, sure there was some chop and getting past the breakers wasn't as easy as swimming down a river(which I did in 2014), but it's Ironman, I just try and roll with the punches and take what's put in front of me and then be able to look back and be proud of what I did.

I get the need for a wetsuit wave and have no problem with those that chose this route being included in the official results in some manner. However, they do get the added value of wearing the wetsuit, which presumably makes them faster than a comparable swimmer that doesn't wear one. If then the non wetsuit racer and the wetsuit racer have the same bike and run splits, the wetsuit racer finishes higher in the result rankings. From what I can tell in looking at the results where there was a wetsuit wave, the wetsuit racers would then also gets more points towards All World Athlete status then the non wetsuit racer, and more bragging rights since their placement was higher. This is what doesn't seem right.

My pure guess is........the security most are going for.....is the security that they're going to return home to their loved ones.

I can bike 112 miles without an aero helmet and racewheels, but I race in them.

I can run 26.2 miles without race flats, but I race in them.

I can swim 2.4 miles without a wetsuit, but I race in them. What's the difference between this statement and the two above? It's free speed. I will never KQ, but it doesn't mean I should turn down free speed.

For what it's worth, I have 7 IMs under my belt, with two in the 10:45 neighborhood and 1 sub-1 swim.

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My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."