I have a half IM coming up. I know I should skip the swim (injuries). I’ve blown the dough on the entry fee, and I’m travelling to be there. What to do? I’m assuming they won’t shoot me if I just blow off the swim, cruise into T1 bone dry, hop onto my bike and consider the bike/run as a really expensive and well-supported brick workout. Of course, I expect an auto-DQ and the shame associated with it all.
So… Should I still register, keep my mouth shut and just do it? Or tell the race officials of my plan early on? Or later when I’m done?
If you tell them they will never let you compete. You will be in the way of real competitiors and could cause delay or undue injury by no fault of your own and ruin someone else’s Half when you were just out for a “training ride”.
I recently missed an event I paid for …so instead of chaulking it up to a loss…I watched everything…closely…I learned a lot about T1 and bike dismount…valuable lessons learned and by the end of the day I didn’t feel as I’d lost anything at all…just a kind of expensive tri lesson. But one worth learning.
Go watch. Visualize yourself making the same mistakes others make …then prepare yourself so that never happens.
It’s really quite silly to see someone in full garb on a $4000 bike come out of T1 and drop their shoe off their clips or just plain fall of the bike trying to strap their shoes…seriously …there has to be a better way.
If you can’t start the race, you shouldn’t be able to finish it.
You are infringing on all the others who have trained to complete and compete in the entire race…
Why can’t you swim?
Nasty shoulder problems (bursitis, tendinosis). Prevents me from 1) doing enough yards in training for months now, though I can get over that part, and 2) risking a huge setback by doing all 1.2 miles (can’t just get out of the pool if/when the wing starts hurting badly enough… once in, I’m stuck the whole way).
I’m not sure I’m endangering anyone (see poster above), and I might buy that I’m infringing upon others (though it ain’t all that different from DNFing the run or drafting or any other number of things).
Would it be possible to swim using an alternate stroke?
You wouldn’t break any records with the breast stroke, but it would allow you to finish and I don’t think it would put as much strain on your shoulder. Though, I don’t know too much about your injury.
You will be in the way of real competitiors and could cause delay or undue injury by no fault of your own and ruin someone else’s Half when you were just out for a “training ride”.
if it is by “no fault of his own” then how is he responsible? Not sure I see how his riding and running on the course are going to impact anyone else’s race. No one mandates how fast or slow you have to go to participate.
My thoughts are that you paid your money, get your chip, and do the bike and the run. Don’t enter the swim start, so no one can accuse you of deliberately trying to cheat. Don’t draft. Don’t tackle anyone on the run. Be cool to people, offer words of encouragement, and thank the volunteers.
I would offer to volunteer at registration or body marking or something since you won’t be doing the swim. The RD might be glad to have you do the race if you show a cooperative spirit in that regard.
I think Codex0 has the right approach. Let the RD know what your situation is and hopefully he will be fine with it if you offer to be of some assistance, plus no one will be tempted to think you are just cheating. I can’t see any reason it should be an issue as long as you are up front with the RD.
What is the point of doing a TRIathlon if you only do two of the sports. Do a duathlon, standalone running or cycling race instead. I think skipping the swim and just getting on in T1 is disrespectfull to all the other competitors trying to race a TRIathlon.
Mmm, yeah, doing a Du or some other event isn’t the solution to THIS situation. Money is sunk, so is a huge chunk on getting to/from Hawaii, lodging for 5 nights, etc. If I could get it back, I’d not even blink and just skip it all. I’d like to salvage it.
Thanks for all of your opinions. I knew they’d vary like this. I like best the idea of a DQ or DNF on my calf. In the end, I’m just another guy out riding and running his butt off that day. Having RD approval would make me feel better, but checking first is likely a showstopper knowing how tight they can be.
To the poster suggesting another stroke… hmmm. I’ve never tried any. Breaststroke might work in a pinch if the shoulder acts up at 1500 yards or something. Wonder if I can learn it enough in 2 weeks?
Something is messed up on the forum here. I keep getting emails saying there’s been a reply, it’s moving superslow, I had to open a separate account, etc. Weird stuff.
I plan on utilizing my backstroke skills during AIT on Saturday. Not only has my swim training been on the lower side, but I hurt my shoulder this last weekend.
I would do the bike and run. I’ve done it myself in shorter races. As for etiquette, just hang around T1, and when about a third of your wave has left on their bikes, take off. I have the beginnings of a plan to do exactly that at one of the lower-profile IMs late this summer.
I don’t get too concerned with all the high-falutin arguments about “if you can’t do the whole thing, go home” and “you’ll be a hindrance to the real competitors.” Oh, puhleeeze. Get over yourselves.
However, under no circumstances do you not tell the RD after the race to put a DQ next to your name! This is of the utmost moral importance. Otherwise, they’ll just figure they missed your swim split and they’ll give you an overall placing that you don’t deserve. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to walk off the run course a few meters before the finish so that you don’t even cross the timing mat or turn in a bib tag. You get a DNF that way, which is true, really.
I once cracked a couple of ribs water skiing the day before an Oly distance tri. I was going to test the water to see if I could swim before the start but got to the race three minutes before the gun. Figured…what the heck and jumped in. I had to side stroke the entire mile swim and hold my other arm across my chest. It was painful but not extremely so. Coming out of the water someone on shore said “Hey look, it’s Napolean.” Amazingly enough, I still wasn’t the last out of the water and actually went on to have a pretty good race.
