What to Expect on the Swim Leg of a Triathlon

If you are new to the sport of triathlon, one of your biggest concerns is probably the swim leg. Unless you were a swimmer as a youth, in high school, or collegiately, which is a good portion of the population, swimming is often the toughest obstacle to overcome for beginners. For this article, we will focus on “normal” triathlons. I consider “normal” to be 1/2 Ironmans, Olympics and Sprint races with open-water swims. An Ironman race, and especially the swim portion, is far from normal.

So, in most normal triathlons , the swim start is staggered in waves. Waves are usually based on the age group or category in which you are racing. So, in a traditional open-water triathlon, you might start with 20, 30, or even 100 of your fellow competitors, depending on the popularity of the race. Per USAT rules, you can use a wetsuit if the water is below 78 degrees. You can use one above the 78-degree mark, but you will not be eligible for any awards.

I will go over what to look for in a wetsuit in a future post, but for now, let’s assume you either rented one from your local triathlon shop your first or you bought one. Because wetsuits make swimming easier and make you faster in the water, most people are checking the race director’s web site every five minutes in the days before the race to check with water temperature. In some races, it will be so close, the race director will announce if wetsuits will be legal or not the morning of the race, so always bring your suit just in case!

In your race packet, along with a bunch of other stuff, you will get a swim cap that is a particular color based on your wave. For whatever reason, many race directors think it’s funny to give the Clydesdales (men over 200 pounds) pink swim caps.

You will arrive at your race, set up your transition area (also another post), don your wetsuit and head down to the swim start. Don’t forget your swim cap and your goggles! When you get down to the water, you can get in to warm up a bit if you have time. Once it’s time for your wave, the race announcer will ask your group to cross over the timing mat. This enables your timing chip, which also received in your race packet. Without your chip, you will not have an official time, so make sure you have and make sure it’s attached securely to your ankle. You might even tuck it under your wetsuit for better security and less drag in the water.

As you cross the mat, you will be surrounded by several of your fellow competitors, all of whom are just as nervous as you are. I don’t care how many races you have done, or whether the race is a 1/2 Ironman or a sprint, people still get anxious on the swim because you never know just how many times you are going to get hit by a flailing arm or leg.

I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t want to sugar-coat it either. You are probably going to get swam over, or run into, or kicked in the face at least once during the race. All you can do it keep going and not let it bother you. If you are really worried about contact, I would suggest waiting a minute after your wave starts. You will still run into some folks probably, but it will be bet less hectic at the start without the good swimmers in the group battling it out for a good line.

OK, so now, after a few bumps on the start, we are off and swimming in rhythm. Another skill that is required in open-water swimming, besides actually swimming and keeping your head, is sighting. You will need to practice this in a pool by lifting your head occasionally to sight on the end of the lane.

If you have never swam in open-water before, I would highly suggest doing so before your race! It is a whole different ballgame in a big body of water, especially if it’s not in a crystal clear lake or ocean. Most lakes, depending on your area, are going to be murky, making it impossible to see more than a foot or so in front of you when your head is down. Believe me, you don’t want to experience this sensation for the first time during a race. Go to the ocean or a nearby lake and practice sighting on different objects. Sighting and swimming straight during a race is crucial, and you can even put time on people who are a bit better swimmers, but who cannot swim straight!

If you are a bi-lateral breather, which means you can breathe to either side on your swim stroke, then good for you. You have no worries about which way the buoys are set up. If you breathe strictly to one side during a race, some races will set up better for you than others. The race directors will have buoys placed in the water, usually in the shape of a rectangle or triangle. You can swim inside the buoy line, but you have to go outside of the main buoys which are bigger and on the corners. This ensures that you actually swim the entire distance of your race.

I breathe to the right side strictly during a race, so a race that goes in clockwise direction is best for me. In the races I’ve done, I would say it’s about even as far clockwise or counter-clockwise. It’s not a huge deal, as you will be able to see the buoys regardless, it’s just a bit easier to keep perspective on things as you can see them on your right when you breathe right.

That’s really about it as far as what to expect on the swim. The good news is that you are not racing in an Ironman. In these races, everyone — all 2,000-plus triathletes — starts together. Talk about frantic! Be thankful you are only swimming with 50 or so folks, not all of the race competitors!

My best advice would be to stay calm and realized that everyone around is just as nervous as you are. If you get winded or lose your goggles after getting hit in the face, there are usually boats, kayaks and canoes that you can grab onto. You can also just roll over on your back and float for awhile to regain your composure. Look for future posts on how to choose a wetsuit, some drills that will help your open water swimming, and my thoughts on training for triathlon-specific swimming.