Not going to be able to do it, but the currently reported water temp is 73.8 (Sarasota Water Temperature (FL) | United States Sea Temperatures) and the average for January is right around 65 (who knows what it will be on race day).

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Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.

I'm registered for it.

It has been wetsuit legal the last two years. Both were great days to race, in terms of weather. The swim is in a lake that is used for world class rowing races, so it generally lays there and is smooth enough. The swim course was either different lengths or the conditions were a little different from 2019 to 2020, as most people took several minutes longer to get around last year than the year prior. (I know I did, so I compared everyone who had done both years to see if it was just me. Faster swimmers were about five minutes slower, slower swimmers were more like nine minutes slower, as I recall.)

The bike course is four laps and will be short (maybe around ten minutes, depending on pace obviously).

The run course is a bike/walking path around the lake to a turnaround, like a big horseshoe that you run twice for the 70.3. It is flat, with the exception of one hill coming out of transition, at the halfway point and the finish. If there is wind you'll be exposed to it the whole way but it is faster than a lot of courses. It's a run course that I look forward to.

That link was for the water temperature on Nov 24 at Sarasota Beach, not the race site. HITS Sarasota is in a shallow lake (Nathan Benderson Park) built for rowing competitions and the actual water temperature will be determined by the air temperatures experienced during the week preceding the event. For example, Gulf temperatures at Clearwater Beach were around 70 a week ago. We had a strong Florida "cold snap" this week that pulled the Gulf down to 62 by Wed. It went up to 63 on Thu and 64 this morning. I'm racing OWS tomorrow and anticipate 65.

Sarasota HITS water temperature will fluctuate even more than the Gulf depending on the weather. I don't believe there is any organization or person that takes regular water temperature readings in that lake. But for that time of year, mid 60s is a good GUESS.

Well then, forget everything I wrote :)

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Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.