Found someone to draft on lap 2 at IM Wales last year and pretty much stopped sighting. When I did finally sight some time after the last outer turn, I discovered we were way off course with a canoe marshal signalling us back on course 🤦♂️ Lesson learned, you can’t completely rely on someone else 😀
Years ago, I used to train in a squad. We got to know each other's swim speeds pretty well. We once travelled to a major race with a 2k swim, and I decided to position myself at the start so I was next to a squad mate whom I knew was about my pace or slightly faster, with the intention of sitting on her feet. The plan worked perfectly for the first 1km lap. In fact it worked so well, and I felt like it was too easy and she was going too slowly (must have been having a tough day), so I pulled out from her draft at the start of the second lap and "powered" on myself. Result: she beat me out of the water by a minute. I have no doubt that drafting works. The problem is finding someone who swims at the right pace to be able to draft off. There is not much point drafting someone who is not faster than you, but then judging pace whilst drafting can be difficult.
I've been working on my swimming for the last two years (I'm mostly a Duathlete), and in my first tri in a while, I did a great speed, with all the people around to draft on.
Cardiff tri this year, started i the middle of the pack because I'm not fast, gor on somebody's feet, Found they were too slow, I had swimmers to the left and right so I was boxed in. Took an early kick in the face, left goggle filled up which was annoying as I'm very short sighted in might right eye. Thank heaven theres was a giant ferris wheel to guide me in.
I have a swimming background and entered my first sprint in september. And swam from feet to feet looking for that perfect pair. The perfect pair never materialised and i ended up kinda leading the chase group. Ending up on 13th place of 160 starters. I think I was to pessimistic at that start line and could have followed faster swimmers. Maybe #10 or so. Even tho I was never really a bad swimmer, I was surprised. Since that "swimming background" was over 15 years ago and only refreshed during the pandemic. In any case the bike and the run grounded me again :D These were average.
I couldn’t find some feet to draft in a 70.3 a few years ago. Then when I got out, the guy behind me thanked me heaps for towing him around for a swim PB. 😊
More often than not water/ weather/ weed conditions and covid restrictions have meant the open water events I have entered have had the swims cancelled or altered such that I’ve only done one mass start. It basically seemed to involve people swimming on my feet and me swimming on the feet of others. Like, over each others feet - on land we would have been punching and kicking each other (in a kind of friendly way, I guess). Any attempt to leave the melee just meant swimming over someone else’s limbs. This is far from the description here of staying just behind another’s feet and searching around for feet. There was basically no room. I kind of enjoyed it though.
Yeah picking the right pace is super important, I'm always too optimistic... Maybe this is the year I improve my actual swim pace, and reduce my optimism to the perfectly accurate level!
Have you found any difference drafting in the open water?🏊🏊
Is swimming side by side a good idea for drafting?
@@aslesterg5803 They covered that in the video...
What a lovely spot for open swimming! 🤩
Found someone to draft on lap 2 at IM Wales last year and pretty much stopped sighting. When I did finally sight some time after the last outer turn, I discovered we were way off course with a canoe marshal signalling us back on course 🤦♂️ Lesson learned, you can’t completely rely on someone else 😀
Years ago, I used to train in a squad. We got to know each other's swim speeds pretty well. We once travelled to a major race with a 2k swim, and I decided to position myself at the start so I was next to a squad mate whom I knew was about my pace or slightly faster, with the intention of sitting on her feet. The plan worked perfectly for the first 1km lap. In fact it worked so well, and I felt like it was too easy and she was going too slowly (must have been having a tough day), so I pulled out from her draft at the start of the second lap and "powered" on myself. Result: she beat me out of the water by a minute. I have no doubt that drafting works. The problem is finding someone who swims at the right pace to be able to draft off. There is not much point drafting someone who is not faster than you, but then judging pace whilst drafting can be difficult.
I've been working on my swimming for the last two years (I'm mostly a Duathlete), and in my first tri in a while, I did a great speed, with all the people around to draft on.
I eat lots of cabbage and beans that provide turbo jet propulsion through the water, and you probably don't want to draft behind me.
Cardiff tri this year, started i the middle of the pack because I'm not fast, gor on somebody's feet, Found they were too slow, I had swimmers to the left and right so I was boxed in. Took an early kick in the face, left goggle filled up which was annoying as I'm very short sighted in might right eye. Thank heaven theres was a giant ferris wheel to guide me in.
I have a swimming background and entered my first sprint in september. And swam from feet to feet looking for that perfect pair.
The perfect pair never materialised and i ended up kinda leading the chase group. Ending up on 13th place of 160 starters.
I think I was to pessimistic at that start line and could have followed faster swimmers. Maybe #10 or so.
Even tho I was never really a bad swimmer, I was surprised. Since that "swimming background" was over 15 years ago and only refreshed during the pandemic.
In any case the bike and the run grounded me again :D
These were average.
I couldn’t find some feet to draft in a 70.3 a few years ago. Then when I got out, the guy behind me thanked me heaps for towing him around for a swim PB. 😊
More often than not water/ weather/ weed conditions and covid restrictions have meant the open water events I have entered have had the swims cancelled or altered such that I’ve only done one mass start. It basically seemed to involve people swimming on my feet and me swimming on the feet of others. Like, over each others feet - on land we would have been punching and kicking each other (in a kind of friendly way, I guess). Any attempt to leave the melee just meant swimming over someone else’s limbs. This is far from the description here of staying just behind another’s feet and searching around for feet. There was basically no room. I kind of enjoyed it though.
Yeah picking the right pace is super important, I'm always too optimistic... Maybe this is the year I improve my actual swim pace, and reduce my optimism to the perfectly accurate level!
I wish I saw this last weekend for my Olympic Tri. I came in 5 minutes slower than my age group.
you've got this next time!
At least you didn't suggest taping up your goggles...😂😂
very true!
Drafting in the swim is a sure winner in a Triathlon... until that last buoy which is a bottleneck and you're in that awful "washing machine"
My swim coach drills it into us, "swimming is a contact sport."
you described my last 70.3 swim perfectly😂🥲