I’m with everyone else on the swim, I thought maybe cause it was my first time doing an IM and was not used to the fact you get tossed around, but it was a bit unusual the number of punches to the head, oh and the elbow to the face was normal I’m assuming. The fact my wet suit was pulled unzipped was quite refreshing with the water rushing in to cool my body. Hmmmm, it was quite the feat to try zipping it back up??? I’m not a great swimmer to begin with, I started in the back off to the right staying out of everyone elses way, thinking I was going to draft my way thru it all…and realizing that I was passing quite a number of people!! “Did all the slow swimmers start up front”… YES THEY DID!!! It took me 1:27 to finish the swim, I knew the right place to start in that swim “IN THE BACK” like all of the other slow swimmers should have. And there wouldn’t have been so many clustering and fighting their way thru…struggling like salmon up-stream!!! If your not a good swimmer seed yourself properly…in the long run you will do better!
I continue to be amazed at people who complain about other seeding themselves incorrectly. They can seed themselves wherever they want. If you had to swim through them, then you seeded yourself incorrectly.
A significant part of the problems swimmers encounter at Lake Placid is caused by its having a reputation for an
“easy to follow” cable swim. When the majority of 2200 plus athletes fight like hell to obtain/maintain that cable
as their guide a rough swim is virtually guaranteed. This years swim seemed especially jam packed near the direct
line cable but rather sparsely populated to the middle and far right. Perhaps the 900 first timers felt that the only
way to do the swim was follow that cable.
Hugh
The pricko response in me is that you should improve your swim but I do feel more races should maybe hang banners for “sub 55 swimmers”, “sub 57 min swimmers” ect… I think this will give a little more order and it might sink in for the 1:10 swimmer that they will get bashed if they link up incorrectly.
It helps for marathons.
With the influx of new iron(wo)men also comes the increased number of people lining up too close to the start and also those who can’t swim a straight line to save their lives.
I started as far right as possible and stayed out there as I angled myself toward the first left turn, took both left turns quite wide. The first lap was honestly one of the LEAST physical swims I’ve done, and I’m not a particularly strong swimmer (1:11+ at IMLP).
Second loop was a little more physical due to the way you get back in the water, but not that bad.
I had a few friends start in the middle near the cable and they said it was very rough.
I was lined up about 10 people back and 10 feet of the end of the pier and had a very uneventful swim following the rope line from the second buoy to the end. 33:xx for each loop. No way I could have gone faster or slower I was along for the ride. Swim at tupper lake had far more contact. I was suprised that no one was lined up near the start line at all. I got in the water very late after a long porta potty line and the only place to go was where I ended up. Seemed like there were tons of people way back on the beaches and way wide right before the start. Also seems like people never seed themselves remotely correctly and ignore the pace signs.
Same here… I had a very “pleasant” swim…
If folks want to seed themself where everybodyelse is… then be my guest… more room for me on the wide side!
Fred.
Funny, it was one of the roughest IM swims I’ve done, probably second only to the washing machine that was IMFL last year. On both laps the crowd kept pushing me towards the line, as I fought to get some open water to the outside. Last year at IMLP it was the complete opposite, very smooth.
I still hit a swim PB (1:00:35) by about 2 minutes, so I’m happy! And the bruise on my hand is almost gone!
-C
I continue to be amazed at people who complain about other seeding themselves incorrectly. They can seed themselves wherever they want. If you had to swim through them, then you seeded yourself incorrectly.
That makes no sense. Of course they can seed themselves however they want but out of courtesy for fellow athletes (and any sense of self preservation) you should seed yourself honestly. In the Broad Street Run (10 mile road race in Philly) last year I lined up about 10 feet behind the elite runners (I was running about 6:30 pace) and I had to weave through a bunch of 8-9 minute milers and a woman who dropped her Walkman as she crossed the start line. Should I have started in front of the elites? According to your logic I should have.
First IM for me too.
Started in the back, away from the buoys and had a very nice swim with minimum body contacts.
Lost probably 5 minutes swimming “wide” but at least I was comfortable.