Not sure if this has been posted but this is nuts how often they cancel swims now
Yes 51 degrees is coldish but it’s not gonna kill you.
That’s what wetsuits do! They keep you warm in cold water
Not sure if this has been posted but this is nuts how often they cancel swims now
Yes 51 degrees is coldish but it’s not gonna kill you.
That’s what wetsuits do! They keep you warm in cold water
51F is around 10C. Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to swim in those temperatures with a normal wetsuit. Lowest I tried was 14C (57.2F) and that already stopped my breathing due to the thermal shock for a little while.
Raced the ITU Champs in Cape Town earlier this year.
So. Freaking. Cold. (11C) And because of this cold they shortened the swim… I cannot imagine doing 1.9km in that water (and to you Norsemen gods, 3.8km for that matter).
I know it sucks. But the RDs are thinking about their weakest competitors from a risk minimisation perspective and not the FOPs like everyone on slowtwitch.
Cheers.
This is WTC’s rule since 2013:
Swim Temperature
Water temperature below 52 degrees Fahrenheit or above 88 degrees Fahrenheit will result in cancellation or shortening of the swim portion of the race
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/05/swimsmart-initiative.aspx#ixzz4n5VChAIn
.
I was under the impression that they adopted USAT water temperature guidelines that went into effect in 2014:
"These recommendations are targeted at race directors, local officials, and athletes. They apply to age group events but not to professional races. Satisfactory, or so-called neutral, water temperature ranges for races of various distances are defined as:
<750 meters, 55-89 F750-1500 meters, 56-87 F>1500 meters, 57-86 F.
http://www.athletesheart.org/2013/12/new-usa-triathlon-water-temperature-safety-guidelines/
Nope. It’s part of their SwimStart Initiative.
I would gladly skip a swim at 51* or anything below 60 for that matter… that’s dicey.
that’s cold. but we used to swim in those temps in the pre-wetsuit days. with wetsuits, cold, yes, but not really a problem.
but it’s the difference in clientele that requires the swim be canceled. it’s a bit of a different sport now than it was in the mid 80s. i’m not against it being canceled.
that’s cold. but we used to swim in those temps in the pre-wetsuit days. with wetsuits, cold, yes, but not really a problem.
but it’s the difference in clientele that requires the swim be canceled. it’s a bit of a different sport now than it was in the mid 80s. i’m not against it being canceled.
I agree Dan with the changed clientele. What I think is that they should at least be prepared for such an event and have a true duathlon ready to go in such cases. Why they didn’t have a 5k or another substitute for the cancelled swim is a bit silly. It’s not that difficult to be prepared.
Not sure if this has been posted but this is nuts how often they cancel swims now
Yes 51 degrees is coldish but it’s not gonna kill you.
That’s what wetsuits do! They keep you warm in cold water
I posted in the other Racine thread about water temp according to the buoy in Lake Michigan. At about 6am, the water was 56 degrees according to the markers.
They cancelled because of the temp for sure but I bet they would have shortened/cancelled the swim yesterday based on the small craft advisory and beach hazard yesterday too. The lake was not awful looking but it was windy and the weather service was basically saying close beaches from Milwaukee to Chicago.
I was disappointed there was no swim but 51 degrees would have been brutal because it wasn’t the normal 80 and sunny either so the bike would have been freezing for a while too.
Also…Door County Triathlon cut their swim down to 1/4 mile.
Copy of FB post:
“Race Director update: Swim abbreviated to 1/4 mile due to small craft advisory. (swells of 2-4 feet). Start delay until 8:30am to ensure staffing along the course route.”
that make it two years in a row with no swim for Racine.
granted, the water was pretty damn choppy last year after the storm passed through.
the cool part was a lot of racers went to the local Starbucks during the wait, and had a coffee and chatted with Taylor Reid…
that’s cold. but we used to swim in those temps in the pre-wetsuit days. with wetsuits, cold, yes, but not really a problem.
but it’s the difference in clientele that requires the swim be canceled. it’s a bit of a different sport now than it was in the mid 80s. i’m not against it being canceled.
Came here to make this point.
Half the field are one and done weekend warriors. Most of them would end up in trouble swimming in 51F water and need fishing out of the water by rescue craft.
I’m not questioning the cancellation, but given the temps are actually about average then why hold a race on the lake at all? Seems like, on average, the swim portion will be cancelled just about every year.
http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/05/great_lakes_water_temperatures_7.html
If I’m reading that chart correctly, average temps in mid July are at least 17 C. If the water temp were 17 C we wouldn’t have a cancellation.
100% agree.
I was under the impression that they adopted USAT water temperature guidelines that went into effect in 2014:
"These recommendations are targeted at race directors, local officials, and athletes. They apply to age group events but not to professional races. Satisfactory, or so-called neutral, water temperature ranges for races of various distances are defined as:
<750 meters, 55-89 F750-1500 meters, 56-87 F>1500 meters, 57-86 F.
http://www.athletesheart.org/...e-safety-guidelines/
Out of curiousity, I get there is a lower limit temp wise, but why an upper limit? Too cold makes sense, but is there a risk as well if the water is TOO warm?
I was under the impression that they adopted USAT water temperature guidelines that went into effect in 2014:
"These recommendations are targeted at race directors, local officials, and athletes. They apply to age group events but not to professional races. Satisfactory, or so-called neutral, water temperature ranges for races of various distances are defined as:
<750 meters, 55-89 F750-1500 meters, 56-87 F>1500 meters, 57-86 F.
http://www.athletesheart.org/...e-safety-guidelines/
Out of curiousity, I get there is a lower limit temp wise, but why an upper limit? Too cold makes sense, but is there a risk as well if the water is TOO warm?
google Fran Crippen
I used to swim in northern Michigan in Lake Michigan. Currents and storms can wildly change water tempetatures from day to day - like swings from 50 degrees to 65 in a 24 hour period.