I will be doing the Ironman Florida this year and am torn between a full sleeve wetsuit or a sleeveless. I don’t like the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped inside, but want to stay warm. Any suggestions? Also, any suggestions of an inexpensive, reliable suit to buy, or maybe some good sales going on? I saw a sale for Quintana Roo’s at Bicyclesports.com, but they only have the Ultrajohn, which is their least expensive model. I am concerned it may not be good quality.
Hi there,
The Ultrajohn is handcrafted in California like all of our competition wetsuits. It is an excellent quality product, it just doesn’t have all the “bells and whistles” the Hydrojohn and Superjohn wetsuits have.
Quality in this case is certainly not a concern, however, fit is very important, thus make sure the suit fits you.
I hope this finds you well.
Herbert
QR.
Whats the water temp for that race? I personally get cold very easily. I got out of the water in my last race in a full suit+boots shivering (54 degree water though). I’ll have to experiment some but I think at this point anything over 62 and I will be in my sleeveless because I swim better without the restriction on my arms/shoulder.
Steve, thanks for your reply. I read your post from last week regarding wetsuits for sprint distance triathlons. Personally, I think that’s a bit overboard, especially considering you race in the Caribbean during the summer months. Although I appreciate your insight, this post was directed to the more advanced athlete. Please let me know how your first season works out. And to answer your second post, yes, I do think its misleading that you wear a Ironman Finisher’s hat, shirt, shorts and sweatshirt, that you happen to have “found” while watching your friend race last year. People work very hard to train for these events and its very deceiving that you wear these out around town. You should’ve returned them to their rightful owner that day.
It will be close to the legal cutoff temp, around mid 70’s. It’s not too cold, that’s why I was considering a sleeveless. Not nearly as cold as your race.
I am wondering if a wetsuit would have made a difference in that sprint tri you almost completed last year? I bet you would have finished that quarter mile swim in less then 40 mins and would have been able to complete the race before they shut down and closed the course. Good luck with the wetsuit and hopefully it will get you to a finish line eventually.
I still can’t believe your mom let’s you play on the internet. Teenage years are difficult, but like others, you’ll be fine. I understand the whole “soul searching” stage, but soon it will become clear whether you are more comfortable with men, than women. For now, there is nothing to be ashamed about while you gravitate to the same sex.
As far as the wetsuit is concerned, I believe your opinions don’t belong here as most of us don’t backstroke the water portion of the race. It’s like the time your asked if you could use a pull buoy, or when the ref pushed you out of his kayak as you were gasping for air. Eitherway, its clear this is not one of your strengths…but thanks anyway.