Are Socks A Violation of

Triathlon Forum
1

Rule 4.9 - no fins. Debate going on with a friend. I know you can rock neoprene booties on real cold swims so whatcha say

2

I wore them on the swim legs of Battle of Waterloo and that was a USAT scored race.

jaretj

3

As long as they aren’t webbed, or fin like then I’d think they would be legal. But I couldn’t imagine them making you faster, the fabric of the sock would create too much drag.

4

Less concerned about benefit or detriment just concerned about legality under the rules
.

5

then ask this question, to the athletes that wear the Vibram Five Fingers, is that illegal?

6

Yes, they are fine, rule-wise. The run to T1 is the main reason not to.

7

So I could make a rubber “sock” that didn’t have “fins” but had low friction in the water and it would act as a slightly better paddle that my foot?

8

So I could make a rubber “sock” that didn’t have “fins” but had low friction in the water and it would act as a slightly better paddle that my foot?

…or you could just buy one
http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/images/iss.gif
.

9

They might not be illegal according to USAT rules, but they are not allowed at WTC races unless the water temp is 65.0°F or below.

10

But that is just for the neoprene swim socks…I am talking normal socks, no neoprene. I would consider it to be similar to the swim skin regulations

11

this is such a strange question. the only reason I can think that someone would wear normal socks on the swim is for purposes of breaking the spirit of the rules, at least.

12

sorry, meant to reply to the guys above talking about the neoprene ones…

13

What happens if you wanted to wear compression socks and not deal with getting them on in T1? I think this is an interesting question. There maybe some “legal” performance gains.

Let’s face it “spirit of the rule” in triathlon is ones personal view of a situation. Companies generally try and skirt the edge of rules to give them a greater edge over the competition all day long.

14

us the ones that dont go over your feet =)

What happens if you wanted to wear compression socks and not deal with getting them on in T1? I think this is an interesting question. There maybe some “legal” performance gains.

Let’s face it “spirit of the rule” in triathlon is ones personal view of a situation. Companies generally try and skirt the edge of rules to give them a greater edge over the competition all day long.

15

I met a guy who cut the foot part off his compression socks and used them as calf sleeves. He seemed happy with them (and was pretty damn fast).

16

In Canada, no socks (specifically says so).

17

What happens if you wanted to wear compression socks and not deal with getting them on in T1? I think this is an interesting question. There maybe some “legal” performance gains.

I’ve done this several times and had no idea it was even close to skirting a rule. I don’t particularly like running in barefoot over rocks, zebra mussels, sticks, etc… so I have purchased a $6 pair of diabetic socks and used them during a tri (obviously didn’t worry about ruining them) and then after the race cut the feet out and used as a compression sleeve until they lost their compression. I doubt that wearing a sock is any type of swim advantage.

18

this is such a strange question. the only reason I can think that someone would wear normal socks on the swim is for purposes of breaking the spirit of the rules, at least.

The guy who took 3rd overall to my 4th this past weekend wore socks the whole race. But it was a run/bike/swim with a long road/boardwalk run in T2. It was funny to look down after the finish line and see him standing there with sand-encrusted socks.