Wondering if there are any experienced SwinRun racers that can give me a tip on gear for Saturday’s Boston event. I signed up late, got the suit and giant pull buoy with the strap for the legs . . . but I cannot get it to stay up on my leg and even when it does it affects my running too much. I had my last practice session with the gear this morning, and just started running with the pull buoy up around my bicep. That was better than the leg for running by a big margin, obviously I risk losing it during the swim since it won’t be strapped to my leg (unless I take the time to do so as I transition). But I was wondering if many/any SwimRun people just skip the pull buoy and swim in their shoes? I’ve tried doing that in some OWS situations before and hated it, but have not done it with paddles, which I assume would help. I won’t have time to practice it before the race. Alternatively, I could try and rig a smaller pull buoy for the event, cause the SwimRun specific version is just so giant and annoying.
I haven’t used the swimrun specific pull buoy, nor was I aware it even existed. I always use the regular size pull buoy. If you are using bungee rope to tie it to your leg, make sure it is very tight. It may feel too tight at first, but you will likely not notice it once you get used to it. It seldom slides down on me, and isn’t so long that it impacts my running. You can test it out on dry land with your suit on. Maybe the buoy you are using is just too bike for it not to slide down.
Thanks for the responses. The product I’ve been practicing with is an Orca brand buoy (linked below). This Orca is just very large (and I am not), I already tightened it way beyond the limits by using a safety pin. I think even if it worked ideally it is too big to not affect my running. Sounds like I should have just made my own from the beginning. I’m slammed next two days with work and family, not sure I have time to rig up and test a regular buoy for this, will see what I can do.
Yeah I just made holes in an regular old swim buoy and used some small bungees, used some duct tape to make sure they didn’t come apart and it worked just fine. I’m not sure I’d want to use a pull buoy in a swimrun that wasn’t strapped to my leg. Not as much for the run part (though that will get annoying) but for the swim, because later in the race you’re going to probably be tired of squeezing your thighs to make sure you don’t lose it. If you really don’t have time to rig something up yourself I think in your shoes I’d choose to go without. It won’t be ideal but I think it might be less of a pain than the alternative.
Thanks for the responses. The product I’ve been practicing with is an Orca brand buoy (linked below). This Orca is just very large (and I am not), I already tightened it way beyond the limits by using a safety pin. I think even if it worked ideally it is too big to not affect my running. Sounds like I should have just made my own from the beginning. I’m slammed next two days with work and family, not sure I have time to rig up and test a regular buoy for this, will see what I can do.
I’ve always wondered about the use of a pull and paddles. Why or how exactly was this race format developed to use swim aids? Just seems like people should swim and run without extra gear to lug around.
I’ve never done one of these so I am just asking. They look fun, but idk if I could do it with paddles and a pull.