I’ve been racing for 12 years, but this year I’ll do my first ever sprint with a pool swim. I’m used to wearing a wetsuit and just wearing a tri jersey (Desoto or TYR) + sports bra underneath. However realized that all my tri tops have pockets, which seems like that would be bad for a pool swim.
Any suggestions on what to wear for a pool swim sprint? I need plenty of support on top & am not really comfortable racing the entire thing in a bathing suit - eek! Shorts are going to be a must.
I often just wear a sports bra style top and tri shorts for it. Most with a pool swim have a bit of a jog to the pool from the transition, so you might be able to just wear a tri top and pull it off on the way or something.
Go for a sports bra under a 1 pc bathing suit and tri shorts over top. It’s quite comfy. I personally find that just the sports bra alone will scoop a lot at the neckline with each push off the wall, whereas the higher neck of a bathing suit will remove that problem.
I also wear a wetsuit w/tri jersey & sports bra underneath for lake swims. I did a pool sprint the other year with a full coverage desoto tri top (built in bra/pockets) & tri shorts. Found that the tri top added a lot of drag, and built-in bras definitely lack support. Will be doing the same sprint again this summer, and am planning to wear a swim suit w/tri shorts & sports bra underneath for extra support. Will still have more drag than a swim suit alone, but prefer the bra support & upper thigh coverage. If I didn’t wear tri shorts for the swim, any gains in swim time would be erased trying to get shorts on in transition.
I did one of those, also after over a decade in the sport. it was a fun mix. There will be lots of first timers there.
I did it in my swim suit, I chose an extra tight one that gave me support. It just felt normal to have a swim suit on by a pool. If I did not have a nice new suit to wear I probably would have thrown on a sports bra under an older one. You could do the whole race in just a swim suit, as I am sure many people will. Or you could clip on a “transition girl” type of skirt…if you must have shorts you’d probably lose time pulling them over a wet body.
Also, prepare for some major clusters at the wall in this type of event. I actually swam slower in the event than I normally would in practice, because of the wall crowding. So drag off the wall was kind of a non issue in my race. There was plenty of time to make it up though. Enjoy, this kind of super short sprint can be painful but lots of fun.
Hey There. I am a primarily swimmer and did notice the feeling of drag when I did a sprint pool swim wearing the 2 piece triathlon outfit. I’ve done several and here’s my best advice: first: a supportive jog bra, very important. next: a one-piece swim suit, as the other poster pointed out - with a high neck line. Last: the trusty bike shorts. This seems to work best for me. Good Luck!
Do what I did at my first-ever pool swim triathlon last April: sew shut the pockets on your tri-top. I knew I needed to wear a top (it was rather cold that day), and my race top was the only thing I have that is tight enough to not kill my swim. Be sure to try out your outfit in the pool beforehand to ensure that it won’t be a drag on race day.
