Hey all,
I am racing this weekend at Collegiate Nationals and they are allowing the swimming booties and caps…do you think it is better to wear or not wear the booties? I have the new 2010 blueseventy ones…I am not really sure if they will slow me down too much…what do you think? Thanks guys
Yes they slow you down
.
Not sure about the +/- in the water but they will definitely slow you down in transition.
At collegiate nationals next week the water will be low 60s which is very comfortable. You could even go no wetsuit. They only are allowing the booties this year to avoid the issues from last year when a freak storm left 4" of hail and plummeted the lake temperature to 50.
Although, now that I think about it. The transition area at collegiate nats has very rough chip-seal pavement. Maybe you could run faster with the booties.
Regardless, they look dumb. enough said.
Funny I was going to post the same thing since IMSG may be in the mid 50s at race day.
The consensus I found throught internet research is yes, they slow you down. water gets in them and they almos act as anchors, and I’m not sure they extend your feet well enough.
Glad you asked- I was thinking of buying a pair for Nats too. Now I feel comfortable not having them! Mid-60s isn’t so terrible.
Not sure about the +/- in the water but they will definitely slow you down in transition.
At collegiate nationals next week the water will be low 60s which is very comfortable. You could even go no wetsuit. They only are allowing the booties this year to avoid the issues from last year when a freak storm left 4" of hail and plummeted the lake temperature to 50.
Although, now that I think about it. The transition area at collegiate nats has very rough chip-seal pavement. Maybe you could run faster with the booties.
Regardless, they look dumb. enough said.
Why the hell would you go with no wetsuit? A wetsuit is way faster. I’ll shut up and hope you go wetsuitless and help my team out. 
I said “could” go without wetsuit; not “should”
.
I’m confused. Can someone explain how they slow you down when swimming? (Not how they slow you in T1, that I get).
I’ve only worn them in SF bay swims. The top of the booties tuck under my wetsuit, so no rough edges or filling with water. I would’ve thought they’d provide a little more surface area, so essentially be like little fins. Same way as wearing sleeves is faster than sleeveless. Why is this not so?
Thanks
My guess would be that they limit ankle flexibility and lead to increased drag by making it harder to keep toes properly pointed.
One thing to consider- booties can prevent potentially race ending or race hampering foot injuries. Coming out of SF Bay for instance (Escape From Alcatraz) I stepped on a submerged chunk of concrete riprap that had protruding rusty rebar and received a nasty puncture wound smack in the middle of my arch (still raced, big mistake according to the doc that had to clean out the grit and stuff. The wound took a month to heal properly and I needed antibiotics to stem an infection.)
Another race in the Sac Delta- entering the water down the boat ramp I got a piece of rusty steel cable shard (from a trailer winch no doubt) in the ball of my foot.
At Catfish Open Water Race- cut on broken bottle wading in to the start…
Now I ALWAYS open water swim in booties. Mine have a thin layer of textured rubber on the soles, I don’t know the manufacturer but I love 'em. They maybe add minute or two to a mile swim but I’ll give that up for the insurance they provide against injury.
My two cents anyways.
They slow me down because swim booties annoy me so much that I get distracted while swimming.
60+ degrees for the race? No booties necessary. It would have to be at least 55 degrees F for me to consider wearing them. Yes, your feet are going to be cold at the beginning of the bike, that will be true with or without the booties.
-Colin
Do you really think anything with a cutsie name like a “Bootie” is going to make you faster. Maybe if they called them “Foot Torpedoes” or something maybe…
I wonder if we could make neoprene fin booties 
.