I will be doing my first Ironman in Lake Placid 2005. I saw some photos of this years swim and it looks like a slug fest… I am an experienced open water swimmer, but this looks ridiculous. Is it possible to even get into a rhythm in a mass start of this nature. Any help would be appreciated.
I did the race in 2003. The swim start was tough, I felt like I had a good start but after about 100 yards or so got monstered by a ton of people. I was very close to panicking, but settled down and just found my space. The water seemed to open up just before the first turn. After that it was a really nice place to be.
I am also signed up for 2005. How I approach the swim will depend on how well or improved my swimming goes next year.
I did my first IM this past year & it was IMUSA. I wouldn’t be too intimidated by the pictures. I didn’t find it that bad…B
i think it’s a fast swim. my god, you don’t have to sight because there’s a line (for kayaking I believe) that runs the length of the course a foot or two underwater. factor in the draft you get swimming with 2000 others and it can be very fast. that said, the start of any ironman is a bit brutal but it always seems to loosen up after the first turn.
the other cool thing is the course is set up for a month or two before the event so you can always go up and practice.
I second Herschel34 comments, it’s definitely a fast swim, almost feels like a pool swim! If you position yourself around people planning to swim your pace or a tiny bit faster you will be right on target. I was planning on going 65’ or less this past July and was able to go 62’ without too much effort. I basically swam the whole race with 3 or 4 people. The first 400m were a bit rough but after that everything was smoother. Just watch out on the corner/bouys were people tend cluster and practice drafting. You almost don’t need to sight at all, just hang a few bodies to the right of the underwater rope and you will be fine. Great race btw!
I did it in 2001, 2002, and 2004, and I’ll be out there again next year. I think a lot of it comes down to where you place yourself at the start. If you can start on the outside and swim at an angle towards the first turn marker, you’ll probably have a better experience with the swim start then if you line up right along the markers. There will be arms and legs to contend with the entire time - at least that’s my experience - but if you can get through that first half of the first lap without too much frustration, you can probably find some space to swim along the line for the rest of the way.
I guess it also depends on what kind of swimmer you are. If you’re one of these fish who does it in 55 minutes, then you probably don’t have much to worry about. My experience is based on doing it in around 1:15.
Finding your spot at the start without getting kicked and or struck by others’ arms can be dicey. As an experienced open water swimmer I try to do two things:
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Find swimmers of my level and start next to them, easier if you’ve done a bunch of open water events.
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Press down and roll. This technique basically involves pressing down on the swimmer near you with your dominant hand and arm and rolling over them in the opposite direction. Some folks grab the opposite foot and pull, - but this might get you into a dispute. Rolling over the swimmer usually prevents them from actually seeing who has dunked them.
I did IMUSA last July. It was my 2nd IM. I got in the water so late (long line to enter) that I didn’t get the position I was looking for (far right and angle in towards the turn buoy). The gun went off and I was caught in the masses. As an average swimmer I was panicked at first because I wasn’t where I wanted to be. But after some “washing machine” roughness (maybe 400m), everything went just fine. I wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined. So…my take on it is don’t worry. Get in the water early and find the spot you are comfortable with and go for it. I never really followed the underwater line because everyone else wanted it and it still can be seen 15 yards away anyway. I swam 1:12 which was a 1:30 improvement for me over IMFL in 2003.
I agree with Quadzilla. I did it in 2004, and started all the way over on the shore and swam at an angle toward the buoy. I tried to stay away deliberately from the line in the water. It becomes a slugfest across it. coming in it was not as crowded of course.
Overall, I am an ok swimmer, and with the drafting I came out in 63 minutes. The water is nice and clear.
at the end of the day, in any IM (or most triathlons) you have to just feel comfortable swimming close to people all the time.
And realize that 1/2 the time you are thinking THEY are bumping into you, that YOU are probably bumping into them. If you are a good open water swimmer then you are probably swimming around people who are cognizant of that fact. The biggest problem is having to swim through people who have seeded themselves too far in front. Getting boxed into a group and having to wait for an opening is when the patience of realizing it is a long day helps. (so you don’t blow your own race by trying to force your way out of a situation)
I think it was one of the easier triathlon swims I ever did. Take a practice swim a day or 2 before the race - the whple course will be set up - this calmed me tremendously.
In the race itself, the first 2-3 minutes really suck, but once the pack clears out a bit, it is an easy swim. The water is clear enough to read your watch under water and there are markers every 100 yards, so you can actually tell your pace. Plus because the water is so clear, you can avoid other swimmers easily. Also, the whole swim is like a giant draft and you will not have to sight.
If you can get there for a training weekend, get out there and check out the course. Honestly, I think it is just about the easiest triathlon swim course you can do. About the 2000+ people…I started at the dock the 2 times I did it, and stayed to the left of the bouys by about 3 feet until the second or third 100m marker, then moved over to just about on top of the cable (I stayed just right enough to avoid hitting the bouys every 100m or so). The cable 2 feet down is clutch, making sighting unneeded. I had contact with swimmers practically every stroke, but because of the frame of reference (cable), it was not the usual swimmers weaving all over the place, which when compounded with my directional handicaps leads to more action than a water polo match. Everybody was holding more or less a straight line because they could see the line, so the contact was hands on feet, side to side bumping, and no face punching and grabbing (much). As for being left of the bouys, I did ask an official who told me that where I swam was just fine. She laughed and said that if I was 3 feet to the left, I was 5 yards to the right of hundreds of other swimmers. It was a zoo, but so is any other IM swim start, right? Just be sure you are ready for the turn bouys and the run around for the second lap. You seem to be swimming in relative peace, then suddenly at the turn it seems like 1000 people swam in from everywhere to attempt to occupy one small space. I try to stay cool, keep my goggles on, protect my face, and get through it. The run around is cool, but you would hate to lose your goggles by diving in wrong (if you did, I am confident you are smart enough to stop and fix them, although the first time I just kept on going! My contact lens returned to the front of my eyeball at mile 14…of the run). Practice your surf dash! Have fun!
I did the race in 01, 02 and 03 never found the swim easy even if I swam between 54’27-54’51. I personaly find the first 1000m really hard because you get beat up badly. Some mention there’s cable down the lake and everyone wants to swim next to it. If you expect to swim under 56 mins I guess you could stay in the front 3 rows. I talked to people who started complete to the right and had pretty good swim split even if you swim 25 yards more they told me that they got less beat-up and lost less time fighting for the cable.
Good Luck in IMUSA.