New to this.....wetsuit for a sprint?

Triathlon Forum
1

Starting off short…a sprint. In a lake in April in South Carolina so I would figure the water would be cold but it seems like you would lose so much time getting out of a wetsuit for such a short race…not that I am out to win my first one…mainly don’t want to look like an idiot. Appreciate any guidance.

2

My guess is that if it’s wetsuit legal, you’ll see more folks wearing wetsuits than not.
Just practice removing the suit and you’ll be fine

3

Well how fast do you swim 750?..You will lose 1-2 minutes taking it off. How much time you save in a wetsuit? Different for everyone…Slower swimmers will usually gain the most time is a wetsuit.

4

I’m sure you won’t be the only one wearing one. But I would bet more will not wear one.

5

SC in April?? I would totally be wearing a wetsuit!!

Practice, practice practice with getting the wetsuit off.

Good luck!!

JM

6

Thanks…now a real newbie question. Do most people into this sport have a sleeveless and a full sleeve length wetsuit? Was going to buy one if the consensus was I would be better off with one. How did you choose your first wetsuit…and did you go sleeveless? Sorry if the questions seem dumb…someone told me I could get any tri question by the people on this forum. Thanks

7

You will lose 1-2 minutes taking it off.

Eh? 15-20 seconds if you practice + lube up well before the race… My last sprint had a long run out of the water & from bike → mount line and I transitioned in 1:44 including putting my shoes on in T1… And I’m slow in transition!

Update fastest non-wetsuit transition was 57 seconds, fastest wetsuit transition was 1:09…

8

I’m glad the …“First”… tri you did that it was that fast…
…but should of said minute…

9

Thanks…now a real newbie question. Do most people into this sport have a sleeveless and a full sleeve length wetsuit? Was going to buy one if the consensus was I would be better off with one. How did you choose your first wetsuit…and did you go sleeveless? Sorry if the questions seem dumb…someone told me I could get any tri question by the people on this forum. Thanks

I solved that problem by purchasing a Desoto two piece wetsuit.
http://www.desotosport.com/products/wetsuits/index.php

10

Thanks…now a real newbie question. Do most people into this sport have a sleeveless and a full sleeve length wetsuit? Was going to buy one if the consensus was I would be better off with one. How did you choose your first wetsuit…and did you go sleeveless? Sorry if the questions seem dumb…someone told me I could get any tri question by the people on this forum. Thanks

I solved that problem by purchasing a Desoto two piece wetsuit.
[url

“http://www.desotosport.com/products/wetsuits/index.php”]http://www.desotosport.com/products/wetsuits/index.php

Thanks…I did not know those existed. Best to buy online? Any other manufacturers make wetsuits that come in separate pieces like that?

11

Up here (Nova Scotia) it is rare to see anyone not in a wetsuit regardless of temp. Last race I did was at the limit for wetsuits and only one person didn’t wear one. And a few practice sessions help you take it off in 30 seconds max.

I bought one of the discount wetsuits online from Xterra. It is rather nice and darn inexpensive. You can also find a lot of deals right now online from last years stock from many other retailers.

12

+1 on the Desoto! I have a nice two piece T1, and love it. All the OWS that I did in NC last year were wetsuit legal, they do help, but after a while, if it isn’t too cold, swim without one and you will fly thru T1

Good luck!

13

I’m glad the …“First”… tri you did that it was that fast…
…but should of said minute…
My first was 2:05 transition with another long run. I’ve only done 5 tris total, all sprints… I like others practiced getting the wet suit off before I went. I’m still quite amazed how I managed to spend 2:30 in transition at a tri in Oct. I struck up a conversation with the guy beside me and had zero sense of urgency.

14

Wetsuits are meant to be buoyant, which will give you more confidence going into the water if you are a beginner and help you in the swim, if you are a strong swimmer you might be better off without it since wetsuits can be restrictive in the shoulders. the amount of time in transition does not matter if you have a good swim you will have a better shot of enjoying your day!

15

Thanks…the Desoto two piece wetsuits look very versatile but also look expensive compared to some of the stuff on sell (one piece). If I go with a one piece…sleeveless…or with sleeves? Thanks for all the input…very helpful.

16

A desoto two piece in my opinion is the best. Still using mine that 8yrs old…but, the bibs are not meant to wear by themselves, so not versatile in that way. You could, but not designed that way. …If you are going to do tri’s. and only have one, full would be the way to go. For colder water swims…but…fit,fit,fit,thats where the two piece comes in best

17

Good question. My brother is a beginner triathlete and just got his wetsuit, the Xterra Vector Pro. He did 10x 50’s on 1:15 without the suit and averaged 51 seconds for each. With the suit on 2 days later he did the same workout and averaged 41.5 seconds each! I’m not sure who said expect it to take 1-2 minutes to remove. With good practice the suit should take no more than 20 seconds to remove…40 if you are really slow. I would say even in a sprint unless your swim technique is great without the suit you will be considerably faster with it on. If you want to look into Xterra you can use my discount code SA-JPAUL to receive 63% off the Vector Pro or the Vortex suits. Why I like Xterra so much is they have the best size guarantee/return policy in the industry. Most companies will not allow you to return a suit that you have worn…Xterra allows returns on used suits within 30 days so you can try it in the water to ensure it fits properly. Good luck! Don’t worry…you won’t look like an idiot in your first triathlon. The sport is one that embraces people who give it a try.

18

To:Xterra you can use my discount code SA-JPAUL to receive 63
Sweet, hope they do not mind you share
.

19

Most people swim faster in a wetsuit - usually 0 to 10% faster for a triathlete of average swimming ability (i.e. ~1:30 min/100m). For a 750m race that will mean up to a minute faster.
If the water is cold then the saving will be closer to 10% than 0% as your body will be struggling to stay warm.

With a little bit of practice you should be able to get out of a one piece wetsuit in well under 45 seconds. It just takes a little practice (they come off a lot easier when wet - but are very hard to put back on wet).

20

Thanks…the Desoto two piece wetsuits look very versatile but also look expensive compared to some of the stuff on sell (one piece). If I go with a one piece…sleeveless…or with sleeves? Thanks for all the input…very helpful.

I use one with sleeves. Generally people that prefer the sleeveless easily over heat or have issues with the restrictiveness of the sleeves in their shoulders.