Triathlon Tip – Catching the Draft on the Swim Leg

As I’ve written before, many beginner triathletes are quite anxious about the swim. I’m willing to bet that every single one of you will swim too hard and use way too much energy right off the bat, no matter the distance of the triathlon.

What if I told you there was an easier way? No, I’m not going to tell you to skip the swim workouts that are in your training plan. I am going to tell you how to make the swim less taxing, easier, and less worrisome. OK, got your attention?

Good. Many of you who train solely in a pool will not have had the opportunity to experience this yet, but swimming directly behind someone, or just off their left of right arms, offers huge energy savings. Much like the draft you get when you are directly behind another cyclist, which is illegal in most U.S. triathlons, you get kind of a free ride on someone else’s effort. On the swim leg, however, drafting is quite legal and quite wise.

Another benefit is the fact that if the person you are drafting off of is sighting well and swimming straight, you can turn your trust over to them and take a break on sighting, instead concentrating on swimming. Coming from experience, though, be sure to check every now and then just in case. I’ve been led off course many times by someone who I thought would pull me around.

So, you ask, how do I position myself to take advantage of this affect. Everyone is starting off together and there is going to be mayhem!

2008 Ironman Florida Swim Start

I will spare butchering Rudyard Kipling’s poem, but “he who can keep his head when those around are losing theirs ….” Same thing on the swim leg of a triathlon. If you can remain calm, cool and collected, you are in a far better mental state than about 90 percent of the rest of the folks choosing their positions and sight lines in the water.

Usually, the best swimmers will line up in the front, and everyone else will fill in behind. I’m going to suggest something you might find ridiculous — line up right up front, not in the back and not way over to the right or left. Get right into the mix. You will often find that because the better swimmers are usually here, there is not nearly as much tussling as further back.

If you want to catch the draft of the first, really fast group, line up right behind whom you think might be the fastest.

If your goal is to catch the second, bigger group, line up two more rows deep. Line up right with everyone though, right where the best sight line is. Usually right down the buoy line is the way to go, unless of course there is a current, then use your best judgment. If a current is moving to the right, you will need to compensate for that by swimming a little left.

Back to the matter at hand, though. If you can stand a little physical contact for about two or three minutes, things should calm down and you can start looking for the pair of feet that you want to stay on. Learn to follow the bubbles from the turbulence the swimmer in front of you is churning up. If you happen to tap them on the foot, no foul, just try not to do it too much as it can be annoying and your ride might decide to try and drop you.

As I mentioned at the beginning, you can also get a good draft when you are beside someone. However, you want them to be in front and you want to be kind of flanking them in a wing formation right beside their arm pit.

If you find yourself in this situation, you will need to worry about sighting a bit more, but still, there is a big benefit energy wise. Either way, right behind or off to the side, will give you the opportunity to potentially hang with faster people, resulting in a faster swim split.

If you have the opportunity to do an open water swim in training, try it out. Get a friend who’s faster than you and try to stay in their feet. You will know pretty quickly how well you are fairing.