Hi there,
This will be my first full IM distance race. I’ve done a few halfs and lots of olympic and xterra races.
I only have a sleeveless wetsuit, but I’m concerned the water will be too cold. Anyone know how cold does it really get? I can’t buy a sleeved wetsuit, but could get a pair of those QR neoprene sleeves. Problem is I’ve heard they tend to chafe a lot.
Any one with experience in this race? or with experience with those sleeves?
Thanks!
Depends :).
Wanaka is always a couple degC warmer than Wakatipu in Queenstown, and Wakatipu is a great lake to jump into without a wetsuit if it’s 35degC out or you need to sober up real quick.
If you don’t mind cold-ish water, Wanaka is noticeably more pleasant. I seem to remember a couple old doods racing Wanaka without wetsuits, but that was a particularly nice day.
I think it’s a bit of a gamble to go all that way just to freeze your ass off if it’s a cold day (weather changes super fast there) or a late winter (lake late to warm up) etc etc. No one you could borrow a wetsuit from, or rent one for the trip? There’s no denying that it’s a brisk lake…
I’ve done Challenge Wanaka twice. Once as the team swimmer and once solo.
The water in Lake Wanaka is freakin’ cold!
The first year it was published at 11 degrees C and the second year it was claimed 12 deg C. Either way, damned cold water to swim in. I don’t get ice cream headaches, but the first time I put my face in the water, my face got 2 sizes smaller.
I race in a full wetsuit and I have my own highly efficient heat retaining layer. If you are a typical skinny trigeek, you will probably get cold (particularly in the shoulders) and lose some time. If I were you, I’d certainly at least rent a full suit for the day/week.
I normally do 1:02 for the swim at Taupo (not warm, but not as cold as Wanaka) and my two swims at Wanaka were only 1-2 minutes slower. That can easily be accounted for by course variation, navigation etc, so with a full suit, the cold water isn’t really an issue. I would suggest however, that if you are really going for a fast time, then make sure you do at least a 15 minute warmup in the water to get properly used to it and properly warm in the shoulders.
Good luck. Great event., great course, and great RD and organization. I hope for your sake it’s not too windy. The ride back from Wanaka to Hawea is mind numbing if it’s windy! The run course is spectacular along the river. Go HARD!!!
thanks guys.
I guess I’ll have to figure something out…
Wanaka is a MUST have wetsuit race and thus there are wetsuites available for rent! (if I am not wrong, even for free)
Just let the organizer know before you reach there, so they have your size available for you…
Without sleeves it will be too cold and you’ll be risking a DNF.
Most people swim in a full suit with a neopren cap & socks.
Wanaka is a MUST have wetsuit race and thus there are wetsuites available for rent! (if I am not wrong, even for free)
Just let the organizer know before you reach there, so they have your size available for you…
Without sleeves it will be too cold and you’ll be risking a DNF.
Most people swim in a full suit with a neopren cap & socks.
OK so it’s a cold lake and a wettie is certainly required, and required by the RD, but I swam there twice. Both times with just double silicone swim caps and no booties or gloves and finished just 1-2 minutes behind my normal IK swim splits. It’s cold for sure, but there’s no ice floating in it and it’s certainly not a DNF potential for fullsuit wearers. Sox could be nice for the swim but a pain for the run to T1 so hardly worth it.
If someone gets ice cream headaches, then a neoprene cap or a proper warmup will see them fine.
Hell, were “ironmen” it’s supposed to be tough and challenging, right?
I’d reccomend hiring for the day / week. T3 are likely to be there anyway but contact them here http://www.swimt3.co.nz/wetsuithire/
Side note - In the June edition of Triathlon & Multisport (NZ Mag) one of the guys wrote about a young man who lives in Wanaka who swims 2 times a day year round in Laka Wanaka with only budgie smugglers so it can’t be that cold … That’s just plain stupid! (I grew up in Alexandra and wouldn’t go near a dam/lake till like November each year!)