If for some reason, wetsuits are legal at IMKY-What is the veteran consesus on wearing one when it is so hot. That is a lot of sweat coming out of your body for the swim when you have a long day ahead of you where it will be a struggle to stay properly hydrated.
When you consider that it is a longer distance in a hot wetsuit, I think the impact of overheating will show up at some time. Might not even be until mile 80 on the bike, or the run, but it will cost you. I believe its cost is more than the bouyancy/positioning energy that is burned if you don’t wear a wetsuit. Race Day means you play the hand that’s dealt to you, as smartly as possible. Will your swim time be slower? Probably. But if you pace yourself with this in mind, your overall race may be the better for it. The abbreviation for greedy, Ironman athlete is…DNF!
Just to play devil’s advocate- by the same logic, you could wear a wetsuit but pace the swim a little slower to ensure you don’t overheat. You might still be faster than if you swam it without a wetsuit and will have saved a whole lot of energy. I think it would come down to the individual and how efficient you are, i.e., how much of an advantage you gain with wetsuit vs without. Crappy swimmers like me gain a ton of advantage with a wetsuit and I’ll wear it whenever I can, even if I have to pace carefully.
DeSoto’s wetsuit pants is the only way to go! You get the bouyancy advantage but not the over heating.
clm