All of the following have me seriously nervous about the IM Florida swim:
I don’t have access to the oceanThere seems to be unclear distance terminology among swimmersI’m training without a wetsuit because the water may be too warm on race dayMy Swim Buoy is a pain to lug around but I keep it so I don’t get run over by a boat or jet ski and so I can keep my personals with meI feel like I’m getting my rear end kicked while training for the IM Florida swim… Anyway, I’m sorry to whine or state so many “problems”, but the main thing I want to know in this question is how long the IM Swim is. I just feel like whining today I guess…
How many yards long is the Ironman swim for real? There is the swimming mile (which isn’t a full mile); the walking mile; and then, there is the nautical mile which is longer than a walking mile. Wikipedia shows the Ironman swim to be 2.4 miles long but how do I translate that to the yards that come back when I upload my eTrex 30x swims to Strava? I think Ironman swim is 2.4 walking miles but for all I know it could be 2.4 nautical miles… I don’t know why swimmers think it is okay to “cheat” and call a swim mile (1650 yards), when I’m pretty sure an Ironman swim mile is longer than that…
NOTE: Because my eTrex 30x isn’t waterproof, I tote it along in a Swim Buoy. Unfortunately, I sometimes wind up “fighting” with my Swim Buoy when the local “lake/river” gets a little rambunctious. Even so, the local lake or river (whatever it is) can’t be anywhere near as wild as Panama City for IM Florida. I’m really sorry if this question has already been asked, but I’m training my rear end off for the IM Florida swim and I’m starting to have serious doubts about my ability to complete it within the required 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The last two times I did it measured 4403 and 4411 yards. I swim as straight as the current allows…and other swimmers during the second lap. It’s an ocean so it’s unpredictable. If it helps, I never did an ocean swim before any of the 3 times I did IMFL. 99% pool swims and maybe 2 or 3 River swims?
It doesn’t matter what people measure it on the day or in previous year’s events, come race day you still have to swim it whether it be measured slightly long or short.
Don’t quibble over a few yards. If you can’t swim 3 miles comfortably, there’s every chance you can’t swim 2.4 miles comfortably either.
It doesn’t matter what people measure it on the day or in previous year’s events, come race day you still have to swim it whether it be measured slightly long or short.
Don’t quibble over a few yards. If you can’t swim 3 miles comfortably, there’s every chance you can’t swim 2.4 miles comfortably either.
And your day has only just begun.
But to correct you…it’s 3,86 km
Other than that…right!
You get in the water. You follow the people in front of you. You swim until you are finished. That’s it, very simple.
I’d put it out of your mind. The IMFL swim is pretty tame… it’s in a gulf and the water is reasonably clear so visibility is good. Navigation is easy.
No sweat, you’ve got this.
E
Yeah listen to Eric on this - don’t make it more complicated than it is. Just relax during the swim and everything should be fine. Its just swimming - its not like you’re trying to get 1st in the swim, which is a totally different mindset. Just have a good time and everything should work out.
I use 4250 yards, or 85 laps in a 25 yard pool. I had no problem finishing the IMAZ swim, and was 2 minutes faster in the race, than I average in the pool. I’ve never done OWS in training. I’m 100% pool training, and haven’t had any trouble doing OWS in races.
It is 2.4 “walking” miles. That being said, it’s open water so it can be measured long or short. The Kona swim course had become 200yds long from the marker buoy drifting slightly over the years (they reset it a few years ago).
Long swims in salt water also create issues like chafing that you won’t see in a pool, so be ready for what the day brings.
When you’re in the water swimming in feels about 50% longer than you think it should. “wait, that was only 3000 yards?”
When you’re running through mile 20, the swim feels rather short and refreshing in comparison to the days effort.
Don’t worry about the exact number. If you can swim around that distance continuously and then get out of the water and still function…you’ll probably be okay.
ive yet to do a full ironman, but from my handful of 70.3s ive figured this out… keep your head down, your swim form as good as you possibly can, and you WILL finish at some point so you can take a tiny break to get on your bike.
im not a strong swimmer and my strategy is to just finish it best i can so i can move on to my strong suits.
Pool swimming events have to be in multiples of the length of the pool so that’s why they don’t do an exact mile.
Nautical miles are really only used in aviation and marine navigation (in boats, not swimming).
2.4 miles is 4224 yards but it can be difficult to get swim courses exactly right. It’s routine for longer courses to be off by +/-50 to 100 yards. Don’t sweat it. It is what it is and everyone has to swim it. If you prepare to race 4224 yards and it turns out to be 4300, you’ll be fine.
One year I did 70.3 New Orleans and the swim was only 1500m instead of 1900. Last year I did an Olympic race where the swim was like 2300m instead of 1500…
All of the following have me seriously nervous about the IM Florida swim:
I don’t have access to the oceanThere seems to be unclear distance terminology among swimmersI’m training without a wetsuit because the water may be too warm on race dayMy Swim Buoy is a pain to lug around but I keep it so I don’t get run over by a boat or jet ski and so I can keep my personals with meI feel like I’m getting my rear end kicked while training for the IM Florida swim… Anyway, I’m sorry to whine or state so many “problems”, but the main thing I want to know in this question is how long the IM Swim is. I just feel like whining today I guess…
How many yards long is the Ironman swim for real? There is the swimming mile (which isn’t a full mile); the walking mile; and then, there is the nautical mile which is longer than a walking mile. Wikipedia shows the Ironman swim to be 2.4 miles long but how do I translate that to the yards that come back when I upload my eTrex 30x swims to Strava? I think Ironman swim is 2.4 walking miles but for all I know it could be 2.4 nautical miles… I don’t know why swimmers think it is okay to “cheat” and call a swim mile (1650 yards), when I’m pretty sure an Ironman swim mile is longer than that…
NOTE: Because my eTrex 30x isn’t waterproof, I tote it along in a Swim Buoy. Unfortunately, I sometimes wind up “fighting” with my Swim Buoy when the local “lake/river” gets a little rambunctious. Even so, the local lake or river (whatever it is) can’t be anywhere near as wild as Panama City for IM Florida. I’m really sorry if this question has already been asked, but I’m training my rear end off for the IM Florida swim and I’m starting to have serious doubts about my ability to complete it within the required 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Best advice is when running and biking don’t exceed 80% of the total distances. When swimming you need to swim the entire distance at a minimum of once before the event to guarantee you can complete the distance in an event. That can be done in a pool, lake, river or any other body of water. I’d recommend doing it in training at least once and then doing it within 2 weeks of your event. You need to be sure, because if you can’t finish the first leg then you will not finish the rest of the race.
The swim distance in yards for a full Ironman (2.4) miles is 4224 yards, When I did IM Florida is was a two loop swim, you entered the water on one side, swam out to the turn buoy came back on shore ran down the beach about 25 yards or so and did the second loop. When you got out after the first loop you could grab some water before you reentered the swim. AS far as distance, I recorded 2372 yards for my first loop/half of 1.2 miles. So, just like a road running race, the greater the distance the greater chance of exceeding the actual distance and like a road race, when you are running around people at the start and not hitting the most direct route, you will add distance. Also, unless you swim in a perfect line, you will have some added distance. Then take into account the waves and shift from the current and you will have to add some more. So unless you are a strong swimmer with great sighting and a perfect line, and swim off the front, you may be at or near 4300, but any course that has multiple buoys/turns and shifting to avoid congestion and slower groups ahead of you or those that didn’t seed themselves properly for a rolling start, I would plan on adding a couple hundred yards up to 500. But if you can swim comfortably for the 2.4 miles or 4224 yards you should be fine. And 1650 is meters per mile not yards, Garmin for open water swimming will list it in Yards not meters.
2015 I clocked 4474 yds (~2.5 miles) with pretty straight lines.
I’m a terrible swimmer. I generally panic in open water. It was my first ocean swim. I did fine. Likely you will as well. Here were my notes from my race report about the swim.
I was extremely apprehensive about the swim. I had heard the stories of lost Garmins and goggles due to excessive contact. My experience was nothing but positive. The new rolling start format made contact pretty much a non-issue. Between the buoyancy of salt water and a wetsuit you’ll be fine even in choppy conditions.
I don’t know why swimmers think it is okay to “cheat” and call a swim mile (1650 yards), when I’m pretty sure an Ironman swim mile is longer than that…
that is because you are apparently ignorant of the fact that the rest of the world uses the metric system and thus the 1650 is the yards equivalent of the standard distance of 1500M that has been contested in the Olympics since 1906.
If you were to attempt an IM in every state and swam 4200 yards, no one would call you out on it.