My first race of the season is the Kinetic Half at Lake Anna in Virginia on April 19.
The current water temperature is 54 degrees and they say it *might *get up to 60 by race day.
This is a B/C race for me and my first A race of the season will be Columbia followed by Eagleman in June and then Lake Placid in July.
The swim is not my favorite event, I hate cold water swims and my wetsuit is a sleeveless long.
They are offering a duathlon option and I am seriously considering that.
What do y’all think?
Can’t really say if you should or not, but I can tell you I wouldn’t do it without a long sleeve at the very least. You are going to have to cover up in those temps.
I did this race last year, the water temp was about 52 and they shortened the swim to 1500m. I had a no-sleeve wetsuit and was pretty darn cold and never warmed throughout the swim. It took me about the first lap on the bike to get some feeling back in the hands! They also offered the Duathlon option last year and a few did it.
If you can get into the lake on the Friday then you should be able to make the decision then and see if you will be able to handle the cold water.
I did that race last year. I wish I could be there this year as it is a really well run event. Lake Anna State Park is beautiful. I camped and that place has the nicest state park camping grounds I’ve ever been in. Go for it. Definitely get a neoprene cap, some ear plugs, and definitely rent a long sleeve w/s. Don’t worry about trying to put on gloves for the bike, since you won’t be able to feel your hands anyway (smile). Have a good race.
The wetsuit has between 3 and 5 mil of neoprene in the legs and torso. That should keep you plenty warm. I did Ralph’s one year in a sleeveless, and I was fine. The water temp was in the mid 50s. Yeah, it is chilly, but is a race. Your adrenaline is going strong, and you are swimming at or just below threshold. That should keep you quite warm.
If the water is in the upper 50’s+, the swim will be bearable for anyone, but you just need to prepare differently for it. Don’t let it scare you off. I’m sure your coach will guide you with what is best for YOU, taking into account your overall focus for the year. I would approach it in another manner before making any decisions. What’s your goal for doing the event? Is it to prepare you for stronger performances later in the year, get a simulated race effort training day, practice long course nutrition, etc.? I doubt it is to get a swim PR.
I think once you figure that out, you’ll answer your own question with some self reflection. I’d say if running is your weakness, which it is for most people, the duathlon option could be a great test to gauge your running and bike fitness. Whatever you do, get something out of the race (fitness, knowledge, confidence, etc.) that will help you improve at your next event. It doesn’t really matter if you do the swim or not. A duathlon is no walk in the park, either.
I would also throw out there that I’d be more concerned about the outside temperature than the water. What I mean by that is that if the outside temperature remains chilly (below 60) during the morning and the race, you could potentially stress your immune system which may cause you to get sick. Cycling in cold air + cold water swim is a great recipe for catching a nasty cold. If you’re going into the race with some big volume and very little taper then I’d be conscious of this. But then again, if you plan accordingly and dress appropriately you can mitigate this.
Some cold water tips I’ve used which have helped:
If you don’t have a neoprene cap, just double up swim caps. It works just as well with water temps in the 50’s
Once you get wetsuit on, preferably pour warm water into it as it will help insulate you during the waiting period during a wave start.
Definitely get into the water and get the “shock” over with. WARM UP. Let some H20 into the suit so when you get out it will keep you warm
Wear Ear Plugs (wax kind). This helps!
Wear thick wool socks/sandals to the start so you can try to keep your feet warm as long as possible. (i’ve never tried the neoprene booties, but I think they would be more of a hindrance than anything)
Definitely rent a long sleeve wetsuit or just sell your short sleeve wetsuit and buy a long sleeve wetsuit. It’s faster anyhow and it’s not all that much hotter in warmer water.
Why are you asking? you seem to have the answer… Unless you are trying to be convinced you can deal with the swim because the idea of doing a duathlon is not “cool”?
Anytime I could duathlon, I would, but if I’m one of seven people doing that then I would go back and just swim. The Armed Forces Tri Championship is held every year at Point Mugu in Ventura, Calif. with year round 55 degree water temps. It is shockingly cold when you jump in the first time and you swear you won’t be able to swim in it, but once the race starts you barely even notice–I suspect because your face is numb. I never really had an issue racing in cold water the two year I raced. The high frequency waves the second year were more of a problem than the temp. It’s not fun, but not really a big deal. I would not jump in beforehand. Warm up by running up and down the beach and waving your arms and then take off and go when the race starts.
Chad, interesting you say this. At stanford, when I forgot my wet suit top, I had run back to the bikes to see if I could find one.
I could not, so when I got back to the swim start, it was only like a minute before the start. I was pretty tired from the run,
but was surprised I did not do too bad in the swim w/o any “warm” up. So, at the ice breaker, with I expect the water to be in the mid
50’s, I am going to try the same thing. I will just run some and not do any swim warm up and see what happens.
just do the tri, even though duathlon is only one less sport, it is at least 17 times more lame than triathlon. it is just a fact.
Being a duathlete most of the year since we only have summer pools around here, I was wondering where you came up with the 17X figure. Based off my experience, I beat 99 percent of triathletes when I do enter a triathlon, even being a horrific swimmer. Thus, I would say perhaps it is at most, two or three time more lame (after all, who the heck wants to feel the pain of running twice?–that’s just stupid). We all wish we could play baseball anyway; that is the sport by which all others are measured. What natural born couch potato would not want to play a sport where you sit on your butt on the bench for most of the “game”?
