Has any information been provided yet about the IMFL 2014 swim start format, or do we need to wait until the athlete guide comes out?
Yes, the swim is a mass start.
IRONMAN Florida will feature a mass start based on self-seeding. Athletes will self-seed into swim start corrals based upon their estimated swim finish time. All athletes will have the traditional 17 hours to complete the entire event (subject to intermediate cutoffs).
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/florida/athletes/faqs.aspx#ixzz3EMa8rpTg
There are different sections with someone holding up a time (ex. < 59, 1:00-1:10, 1:11-1:20), they are not roped off from one another they are more like congregation points. The fastest group will be in line with the first buoy and the times get slower further down the beach (to the right if you are facing the water).
This…also just like pretty much any other self seeded race, be prepared for people who have no business where they are. I seeded myself conservatively in the 1-1:10 group anticipating about a 1:05 finish. A lot of people in the sub hour group had NO BUSINESS being there. Had a blast crawling over people but could see how some would freak if they aren’t “comfortable” in an ocean swim.
I thought the way they did it last year was pointless. It was just as physical and crowded as the other time I did IMFL when everyone lined up wherever they saw fit.
I too was in the 1:00-1:10 group (finished in 1:06) and I agree that a whole bunch of the folks in the sub-1:00 group were clearly in the wrong group.
If I was doing it this year I’d line up with the 2:00 group and angle my way to the first buoy unmolested.
Yes, the swim is a mass start.
IRONMAN Florida will feature a mass start based on self-seeding. Athletes will self-seed into swim start corrals based upon their estimated swim finish time. All athletes will have the traditional 17 hours to complete the entire event (subject to intermediate cutoffs).
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...s.aspx#ixzz3EMa8rpTg
Based on all the bad reviews from last year’s race, I was hoping it would be changed back to standard mass-start (without the corrals). Maybe this FAQ hasn’t been updated for this year’s race?
Yea last year I figured I’d be in the 1:05-1:10 range, so I lined up in the 1:00-1:10 section about 30 people back. Big mistake. I really regret not starting much further up. The first several hundred meters were clogged with people I had to swim over, and when I got past those who obviously seeded themselves wrong, there were no people swimming my pace to follow. If I do it again, I’d start much closer. I feel I lost at least 2-3 minutes due to improper seeding. I still came in around 1:08. Though I averaged right at my goal of 1:35 per 100m through the rest of the course except for a few sighting errors.
Also the section where you swim parallel to the beach can be tough to sight with the sun in your eye. I recommend tinted goggles.
Yes, the swim is a mass start.
IRONMAN Florida will feature a mass start based on self-seeding. Athletes will self-seed into swim start corrals based upon their estimated swim finish time. All athletes will have the traditional 17 hours to complete the entire event (subject to intermediate cutoffs).
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...s.aspx#ixzz3EMa8rpTg
Based on all the bad reviews from last year’s race, I was hoping it would be changed back to standard mass-start (without the corrals). Maybe this FAQ hasn’t been updated for this year’s race?
I was there last year (set a PR!!!). There were no corrals. As mentioned in an earlier post, they just wanted faster swimmers to the left and slower swimmers to the right (as you face the water). It was pretty much a clusterfuck. No real difference than a “normal” mass start.
I thought the way they did it last year was pointless. It was just as physical and crowded as the other time I did IMFL when everyone lined up wherever they saw fit.
I too was in the 1:00-1:10 group (finished in 1:06) and I agree that a whole bunch of the folks in the sub-1:00 group were clearly in the wrong group.
If I was doing it this year I’d line up with the 2:00 group and angle my way to the first buoy unmolested.
Totally agree! If you look at any of the videos in comparison to previous years there was a serious bell curve of athletes heading out into the water which only created more issues than everyone just spreading out where they felt like it. In reality this is exactly what you can still do, but when they put those seeding time signs everyone just sort of grouped up accordingly.
I went out to the 2 hour group and got right in front and angled to the first turn. If i was doing it again this year I’d do the same or go to the sub 1 hour group and swim the buoy line straight out which stayed pretty clear last year watching some of the video replays.
I honestly seeded myself last year between 1:00 and 1:10 and got the hell beaten out me. It was the 3rd time I did the race and the worst swim beat down by far. I don’t know where you should line up, but wherever it is, I would factor in that a ton of people are basically lying while seeding.
If I were to do it again this year, I would say corrals be damned and line up in the front row all the way to the right (slowest corral). I would gladly add a little hypotenuse distance to the swim to allow me clear open water to the first turn buoy.
Do the math, the distance is not all that much more; I would argue that it is not only smoother, but also faster. Get kicked in the face twice and have to tweak the goggles a few times and suddenly that little extra distance without being face kicked is faster. . . .not to mention the added advantage of NOT getting kicked in the face.
Not too bad of a plan… I’m hoping to swim < 1h but rather not go into combat with a bunch of people who feel like they need to sprint and then die 50 meters later.
I’d rather go to the front of a slower group and swim a longer line which probably only adds a few extra seconds overall anyway.
I thought the way they did it last year was pointless. It was just as physical and crowded as the other time I did IMFL when everyone lined up wherever they saw fit.
I too was in the 1:00-1:10 group (finished in 1:06) and I agree that a whole bunch of the folks in the sub-1:00 group were clearly in the wrong group.
If I was doing it this year I’d line up with the 2:00 group and angle my way to the first buoy unmolested.
Another issue last year was the high surf on the beach. It actually wasn’t that bad but looked bad. It completely broke about 100m into the swim. That caused a lot of commotion at the start with people being hesitant and clumping up early.