Your Guide
to Triathlon Swimming

Is triathlon swimming your weakness? To be honest, I used to hate it!

I would love to go running most days and cycling has always been a pleasure. However, I felt that I would rather stick pins under my fingernails than plough up and down a swimming pool.

What made things even worse is that my wife Jan, who also does triathlons, is an excellent swimmer and would always come out of the triathlon swim way ahead of me!

There is no doubt that, to do yourself justice in a triathlon you have to overcome your swim phobia, should you have one, and make the swim your friend.

Why I waited until I was sixty to do anything about my swimming I shall never know, but I have now discovered that a little work on technique can make a huge difference.

I was lucky in that Jan helped with my technique and I then trained in the public lane whilst Jan trained with her local swim club.

I reached the stage when I actually looked forward to swim training, despite having to get up at six in the morning, because I was beginning to see big improvements.

Not everyone is as lucky as me to have their own 'personal trainer' but I would suggest, if at all possible, get along to your local swim or triathlon club and get some coaching there.

If there is no club nearby there are some very good dvd's on the market to help you with your technique.

To really improve your swim time, apart from just working on your technique, it is important to have a structured swim training programme.

Again, this is where your local triathlon club will be able to help you. Should this not be possible there is much advice available on the internet.

If you have competed in a triathlon before, you will have some idea of what the swim stage is like. I have competed in various triathlons that have involved different types of triathlon swimming.

There is a pool swim, where you may be started in various heats often according to your predicted swim time. There is also the open water swim that can take one of several forms and is a totally different experience to the pool swim.

The open water could be one of several locations depending on where the race is being held.

There is the sea swim where competitors line up along the sea shore and on the gun, swim out to and around bouys.

I have swum around the outside of a lake before, and my last triathlon was swimming down the River Charente in France.

The competitors normally start at the same time and for the first couple of minutes it can almost seem like a 'survival of the fittest' situation.

You can see that from the photograph above of the start of the Keswick Triathlon taken by Alan Cleaver.

There will almost certainly be collisions and bumps but for most of the time these will be completely accidental and swimmers just trying to get a good start.

Don't let this worry you because fairly soon the swim will settle down and you will be swimming with competitors of about the same ability as you.

Whichever form the triathlon swim takes, you owe it to yourself to go into the race in the best shape possible which will almost certainly mean working on your swimming!

Another factor involved in your triathlon swimming performance is the wearing of a wetsuit. For many races, wearing a wetsuit is optional and this is usually based on water temperature. The USAT guidelines allow participants to wear a wetsuit if the water temperature is 78f (around 25c) or less.

Research has shown that wearing a wetsuit enables you to swim faster and with less effort. This will certainly help slower swimmers and those swimming longer distances.

The changes in speed are due to increased buoyancy which reduces water resistance and thereby gives a faster swim time and also uses less energy.

It is also an advantage to wear a triathlon suit under your wetsuit. Apart from being more aerodynamic on the bike it also saves time on the swim/cycle transition rather than putting on shorts and a vest.

Swim goggles are also recommended as they provide better visibility during the swim and protect the eyes from salt water or chlorine.

If you work on your technique and training, your swim time will improve, and pschologically you will be a far better state of mind for the cycle and run! You owe it to yourself. Get out there and get training!

Return from triathlon swimming to Triathlon Club home page