How have any of you been able to pace yourselves in pool during a race? How exactly are these races done? Are there several people in a lane? Are they staggered? Do these use seperate pools? I was asked for my average time to finish 400m since that is the distance for the race. I think I can race a 5-5:30min 400m. I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight into this realm of the traithlon world. Thanks for the help
David J
ASU SUN DEVILS!
Let God be with the Tillman family in this time of death
Usually done for short sprints - 250 -450 yard swims. I have done it several ways. Good: Staggered starts where two people start in each lane. When a person gets out another person starts. This of course leads to a longer race day for things like results and what not. Not so good: Two or more people start in one end of the lane, two or more start on the other end. Sprint out to establish order unless pre-agreement and before passing the people from the other end. Hard to pass (generally always have the one guy sprints the first length and then dies). Once, I started a race with this start, but the pool refused to provide the lane dividers so basically it was an open swim. We were told to stay to one side of the lap lines painted on the bottom. After knocking arms twice in the first several hundred yards, I stopped and got out before the real headbanger happened. It is the only race I did not complete, but I do not consider it a DNF.
You were seeded based on your time as you mentioned. They will start someone every :10 seconds or so. ineveitably somebody with over estimate or underestimate their ability and you will have to pass someone. IF you’re doing an up and back in the same lane before moving to the next lane it’s about impossible to pass other than at the wall.
I’m doing a pool sprint next weekend, Swim is a 200m, you flip turn into the next lane every time. The swim is so short that the super fast swimmers don’t have a cahance to really get a big lead out of the water.
Don’t go in expecting to set a PR for the swim. Unless you are one of the first to go off, might as well be ready to get stuck in traffic.
Not too funny note—at a race last year I got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty coming out of the pool. Seems the joker behind me seeded himself lower than he wanted. He proceeded to tell everyone prior to the race he would swim over anyone in his way. Well, we came to a point where no one could pass, and guess what? He TRIED to go over me and a few others. Lets just say I had a few choice words for him as we both ran to T1 together. I learned to just keep my mouth shut!
I just found out at the packet pickup that everyone will start at one side of the pool and do laps in a zig-zag from one end of the pool to the other and make up 400+m. It should be very interesting. I am sure that it is goiing to be damn near impossible to pass anyone at all. I am going to have to probably just sit back and take the house over the bike and the run. Seems like that’s the only option. Has anyone else ever done the Glendale Community College sprint tri? I am not a big fan of doing mutliple laps in races. I find it absurd and ridiculous. Anyways, time to do my final packing and get a quick 45min nap.