Is there a rule of thumb for how much faster a wetsuit allows you to swim? Like per 100. I seem to recall 10 sec/100. Does that sound correct? Racing this weekend, water likely mid-70s and I am debating on wearing my wetsuit (sleeveless). 600yd swim, so wondering if any gain in the water is cancelled out by a longer T1.
Thoughts?
for a 600 yd swim, i think it is a toss-up whether the wetsuit will help or not–it really depends on how fast/slow a swimmer you are and how fast you are at getting out of the suit.
in terms of general imrovement, a wetsuit will typically boost your speed around 5% to 10%, but this varies a lot depending on many factors such as your non-wetsuit swim speed, your swim technique (or lack of), your body type and size, the type of wetsuit (sleeveless, or full), the design of the wetsuit, the length of the swim, etc.
Slowman (Mr. Empfield) has an article somewhere on Slowtwitch that states a 6-8 second per 100 yd time savings with a wetsuit. I tested mine and found a seven second savings, regardless of my swim pace, a mostly interesting result. In a 600 yd swim, I would be looking at a 42 second time difference, less the 15-25 seconds to pull off the suit. Factor in the distance you have to run from the water to the bike transition (e.g. short = non-factor, long = slower in a wetsuit) and you probably have your answer.
I have heard that if the air temp is hot (80’s and above) and the water temperature is warm (e.g. water temp in the mid to upper 70’s), then wearing a wet suit for a short swim (1/2 mile) unnecessarily raises the body temperature and then hampers performance on the bike and run. Does anyone know if this is true?
I think you hit it square summarizing some of the factors that come into play. Another big one is how do you FEEL with the wetsuit. If you feel faster and smoother, the confidence boost that gives you moving into T1 may be immeasurable.
I don’t know of any studies that address this. But I do know that from personal experience and the experience of many others, that air temp doesn’t matter that much. But what DOES really matter is the water temp. and the length of the swim.
Depending on your swim speed and swim times, typically your body can tolerate being ‘over’ warm for short swims (around 1/2 mile or less), but won’t tolerate being hot for longer swims (1 to 2 miles and beyond). The reason is that your body generates a lot of heat and the longer you are in the water swimming fast, the more time there is for this waste heat to build up. So then, if the air temp is very hot, you feel hot going into the bike (and I guess the run) which can hamper your performance.
Thanks everyone. While I don’t know which way I will go, I guess in the end it probably won’t make all that much difference. Hopefully water will get to 78 and the swim will be bareback for all.
I believe all triathlons should be done in the manner of our ancestors – that is, the guys from the late 1970’s. Swim, bike, and run are to be completed while wearing nothing more than a speedo. No shirts allowed for guys. Any eyewear must be large, aviator style sunglasses, preferably mirrored. Bikes must be steel and have a bell. All men must, I repeat, must grow a large, porn-star style mustache (we all know about the positive aerodynamic properties of a properly tuned 'stache). Someone else can come up with rules for the ladies.
Is there a rule of thumb for how much faster a wetsuit allows you to swim? Like per 100. I seem to recall 10 sec/100. Does that sound correct? Racing this weekend, water likely mid-70s and I am debating on wearing my wetsuit (sleeveless). 600yd swim, so wondering if any gain in the water is cancelled out by a longer T1.
Tom D’s article (http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/wetsuit.shtml) addresses the longer (IM) swim times:
**Distance-****Wetsuit Type-****Avg HR=**Time
**2.4 mile-****no wetsuit-****167 bpm=**1:28:37
**2.4 mile-****Long John wetsuit-****162 bpm=**1:14:00
**2.4 mile-****Full wetsuit-****154 bpm=**1:09:07
Crunching those numbers gives:
21sec/100y for going from NO wetsuit to SLEEVLESS
7sec/100y for going from SLEEVLESS to FULL
I agree with the 5-10% rule of thumb for most people. I’m about 10% faster in a sleeveless…I think that wetsuits make everyone faster - even very good swimmers seem to be about 5% faster but the slower you are and the more your feet sink = the more it helps…all based on non-scientific stuff (my friends and I have all done swims with and without, compared times…). My stroke count also drops about 10% per length…
Dave
I find that a wetsuit usually makes about 5 sec/100m for me. I tried out my new T1 last week and it may be even faster since I was 23 seconds faster over 400m than I have been all year and I wasn’t pushing to the max. The one extra benefit that I didn’t see mentioned is that even if the swim and wetsuit removal times cancelled each other out for a short 600m swim, the fact that you can just drag your legs behind you and “cruise” more easily on the swim would make it worthwhile to me to be wearing the wetsuit since I have to kick very hard to keep my legs from sinking.
I did some 100s in a pool at a recent one day triathlon class I helped at produced by Elite Endeavors.
As part of the demonstration I did a couple 100’s, honest 100% efforts- with no wetsuit. We did some more discussion in the pool on stroke technique then I did two more 100s with my trusty Desoto T1 on. I was 13 seconds faster and 12 seconds faster.
Disclaimer: I am not a good swimmer. At a recent local Olympic distance triathlon I did 1500 meters (with a wetsuit- Aquaman Metal Cell) in something over 27 minutes.
Another intangible is that a wetsuit, to me, is a big neoprene security blanket.
Explains my race at Racine last year. Cold water (mid 60’s) with an 80 air temp. Never could get the HRT down and was sweating profusely the first 20 miles of the bike. That full suit sure felt good while I was in the water, though!
Last year in Muskoka Ontario the water was 53F, I watch a poor girl do the sprint tri (750m = 600 yd I guess) without her wetsuit (think she forgot it at home). An official had to hold her bike so she could get on it. I felt chills watching her.