Hey all I’m trying to find the answer to a question I’ve been increasingly thinking about. Here in Ontario between the two triathlon series I’m curious how often competitors are using a wetsuit during the Sprint and Olympic events. I know we’re mostly using lakes which tend to be warmer than the oceans. Also do you feel that a wetsuit is overkill for a sprint distance?
I’ve listed the events below (not in any particular order) with the hopes I can find out whether they were wetsuit events in the past 2 years or not (if anybody can recall). Thanks to anybody who contributes, I really appreciate it.
CH
Woodstock Binbrook (Hamilton) Welland Huronia (Midland) Gravenhurst Belwood (Fergus) Bala Falls Bracebridge Toronto Island Wasaga Beach Lakeside Milton Cambridge Guelph Lake I Peterborough Valens Niagara Orillia Guelph Lake II Toronto Triathlon Festival Leamington
I live in upstate NY, just beneath your target area. We’ve never had a local race with water temps over the legal limit.
As for whether or not you SHOULD wear one, it depends. Wetsuits are faster than no wetsuits. However, if you suck at getting it off (the wetsuit that is), any time saved during the swim will be lost. Sometimes horribly lost.
Thanks that is music to my ears! I’m hoping to always use the wetsuit for a number of reasons, the most important of which is the speed increase. Thanks for replying so quickly!!
I don’t think there has been a race in Ontario that isn’t wetsuit legal. I know that Milton and Guelph are in smaller lakes but a lot on your list are in larger lakes that don’t warm up much and the timing of some of them mean it hasn’t warmed up yet or it’s already cooled off. Milton doesn’t get hot until early August for example.
Niagara, Toronto Island and TTF are in Lake Ontario and even in the mid-July heat last year they were are freezing cold swims.
I’ve done sprints here with and without wetsuits and even considering the time to strip a wetsuit you are more than likely going to be faster. Unless you are really lousy at stripping a wetsuit
I’m out West, Calgary and we are generally cooler here but pretty well everyone wears a wetsuit, even when conditions are close to the cutoff. That’d be in all distances. In fact, it is rare to see someone without although there are usually a few. Heck, 2 years back I was in a Sprint Tri and as the Olympic Tri which went off an hour earlier was a Provincial one, the water temp was taken and it was not wetsuit legal so everyone starting the Olympic Tri went without but, for the Sprint Tri I was one of the few (maybe 30%, likely less) that went without a wetsuit.
How do you guys feel the temperature affects you in the swims vs your regular training in the pool? Cold usually equals slower in most things. I’m trying to gauge how much more work to put into my swimming vs spending on the bike spinning out.
I have been doing race in Ontario since 97 and there hasn’t been a non wetsuit race at any I have done. I expect that will continue this year. Based on the temps so far this year the lakes may not thaw until June so don’t think you need to worry.
Last year at the Toronto Tri Festival briefing they mentioned that the water temp was getting close to the cutoff, but that is the only time in the last two years I’ve been at a race where there was even a question.
I think Gravenhurst got close to a no wetsuit swim in 2012. Peterborough is in a shallow lake in the middle of July so there is potential there as well.
I’ve had a couple that were no wetsuit swims such as Bala Falls a couple of years ago. However most of the time it hasn’t gotten warm enough to warrant a no wetsuit swim.
Hot swims in the pool are shitty. My old pool used to be bloody hot for Saturday morning practice. There is a fine balance. The AG cutoff is 22 C. I have raced mostly in the west and its a wetsuit swim most of the time. Some of the smaller lakes can get over the cutoff. I have done 2 races in Calgary since 2003 where wetsuits were banned, 3 in Edmonton and once in Kelowna. It does happen, usually at cjampionship races where the officials are making the call and not the race director (some of whom have magic thermometers).
Saw at least one guy arguing at AG nats in 2012 about this. He packed up and left when he was told point blank if he showed up to the start in his suit he would not be allowed to start.
You guys have been awesome. So awesome in fact I’m going to start a second thread with unrelated question. Hoping I can get the same positive results to help me with some wild card questions I have about gear/kit leading into this first season.
Last year at the Toronto Tri Festival briefing they mentioned that the water temp was getting close to the cutoff, but that is the only time in the last two years I’ve been at a race where there was even a question.
I never did quite get if he meant it was close to cut off of too warm or wetsuit mandatory. Because there were those warm pockets but that water was frigid.
Belwood in 2012 was VERY close to being non wetsuit, since it was so warm (and gross, but that is another topic). I wore a sleevless in that one and still felt like I was overheating!!! Depends on the summer. Pretty sure it won’t be an issue in 2014, as it could take until June to get the ice off the lakes anyway!!! Man is it cold here!!!
It’s very rare to have a no-wetsuit swim here in an Ontario triathlon.
As to whether or not it’s worth it. I think that that have done some rough testing on this and assuming a good fitting wetsuit, the swim would have to be very short, to wipe out any gains that the suit would give you.
Keep in mind most races these days have at least a 50 - 100m run to the bikes from the waters edge. you can get half the wetsuit off in that run, and all you have to do is pull the legs off ounce at your bike. Total time that this would really add, would be in the range of 5 - 10 sec. at the most.
Also do you feel that a wetsuit is overkill for a sprint distance?
CH
How long does it take you to remove your wetsuit? Your upper body should be out by the time you get to your bike, which should not cost you any time. Obviously, the actual speed benefit of a wetsuit is variable depending on your abilities and that benefit is not easy to measure. If you suck at removing your wetsuit, it will take you 60 seconds. A sprint tri is technically a 750m swim. So you need to be going 8 seconds faster per 100 meters to break even. If you put in a little practice, you should easily be able to remove your wetsuit while standing at your bike in under 20 seconds. Watch the clock for 20 seconds, that’s a long time to pull your feet out. So then you only need to be saving under 3 seconds per 100m to break even.
I don’t think there has been a race in Ontario that isn’t wetsuit legal.
Down here in the southern tip of the province we had a non wetsuit legal swim three years ago. It was at the Tecumseh Triathlon where the swim is in the very shallow waters of Lake St. Clair.
