Swim at IM Moo

Triathlon Forum
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Hi guys, I’m relatively new to the forum and will be doing my first IM at Moo. I have a few question about IM races in general and/or Moo in particular. I’ll post them in separate threads. Thanks in advance for those willing to share their wisdom.

swimming is my weakest discipline; my first triathlon was a HIM in early June, and my swim was 36min; to seed myself for IMMoo, I imagine this time puts me around behind middle of pack; I am hoping for some Wisconsin-specific swim advice;

first, I think it is a two loop, going counter clockwise; I’ll figure out the dimension when I get there;

– advice on use of goggles – I have two pairs of the same model, one clear and one tinted blue; for those who have done this swim at that hour, which one do you recommend, given the sun angle, light level, etc? I’m leaning towards the clear goggles to ensure good sightings and will live with the glares of the sun.

– specific advice about where I should line up, given my finish time around 1:10 to 1:20? I was thinking about towards the middle/back, to the right to avoid the crowd; go parallel until 200m or so before the turn and then go for buoy;

– is there an actual line rope that connects the buoys? i.e. marking a rectangle that swimmers are to be the outside of? I assume no, as the pictures seem to suggest people can go anywhere, as long as they go outside of the four turn buoys. Is this correct? are there referees on kayaks and chase after people who cheat and turn on the inside of the buoys? I imagine it’s kind of hard to catch these cheaters…
– anyway, if there was a line/lane rope, then it’ll be nice to swim next to that without having to sight!

– are there prominent things to sight off of, beside the turn buoys? I only breathe to the right, and will hope to look for buildings to my right to sight. there seems to be conventional center to the right on the length of the rectangle. anything to the right of the other length of rectangle? If I can find good markers, I will rely on them to swim parallel and figure out when to turn, and will not sight ahead. any thoughts about this?

thank you in advance for your inputs.

-lewis

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  • absolutely tinted
  • get in, start swimming when you hear the cannon, start out nice and slow, keep going till you hit the mat. just stay relaxed at all costs and keep on a pair of feet. it is a conveyor belt, not an orientation course. the lake is beautiful in the morning.
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Tinted if it’s sunny, clear if not. Goggles on first, then swim cap in any case.

There will be a bouys for seeding. Listen for the directions at the swim start. I swim about your pace and seeded at the 1:20 bouy last year, worked fine. Starting there, the first leg won’t be any more crowded than your normal tri. The first turn will be very crowded, go wide, watch for breast strokers.

There is no rope. You can go inside as long as you make the turns. This would be than it sounds for the first leg.

First leg is a few hundred meters off the shore, to your right. Nothing on the return leg, but count on plenty of boats and such to be out there, use them if you want. Sighting isn’t much of an issue. It is a simple course. The bouys are big, plenty of them, and there will always be people around you.

Have a blast, be nice, swim long and easy. Bike smart. Reach for the pain.

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Tinted goggles if sunny.

Last year I started wide right near land and didnt have too many issues. If you are slower, definetaly go right of ski ramp. There will be a banner across the start line. The first turn will be very crowded so you may want to stay wide there also. Have fun! I’ll be volunteering this year.

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Really? Seeding bouys? That’s awesome. HOw does that work? Just a line of bouys behind the starting line? How far apart are the different time lines? Very cool.

-C

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get to the race a couple days early and swim in the morning.

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It’s not complicated. There are just a couple of small bouys behind the start line. Pre-swim instructions said " line up behind the yellow for 1:10, the orange for 1:20, etc, something like that. It’s self-seeding, so it’s not perfect, and perhaps not even needed, but, a nice idea, and one less thing to worry about.

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By all means take advantage of the morning “Gatorade” swims. You can swim the course at the same time of day as the race to find things to sight on. I remember their being a large tree to sight on as you start, but not much once you make the turn around. Buoys are big and easy to see, and there will be plenty of people to follow on race day. Keep in mind the buoys will be on your left, so breathing only to the right will put you at a slight disadvantage. You can also get a feel for which goggles to wear. I used clear ones both times.

Seeding can be a little tricky. In 2003 I started too far back and was immediately held up by slower swimmers. Last year it seemed like a lot of fast women swimmers started pretty far back to avoid the chaos at the start, then came blazing by me as I approached the first turn. Some of them were pretty aggressive.

I think last year was the largest IM swim start ever, and the crowd never really thinned out, even on the second lap. At 1:15, I was pretty much in the middle of the pack for the whole swim.