﻿A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling,
and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for the fastest overall completion time,
racing each segment sequentially with the time transition between the disciplines included.
Although triathlon isn’t an extreme sport, it is recommended for professional athletes only.
These races are open to everyone and not unachievable by any means, however, a history
in athletics is said to make the race easier. While triathlons consist of three disciplines,
namely running, cycling, and swimming, this article focuses on triathlon swimming only.
The swim will take place in a swimming pool or open water, such as a lake
or the sea. The swim start will be in waves, with groupings based on your predicted swim time or
age. This might be intimidating for someone who is taking part for the first time,
but the more you train for this event, the more prepared you will feel.
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So now let's get into the video. Transition is the fourth discipline in
triathlon for those at the top of the sport. However, for many people, the transition
is simply where all their swim-to-bike and bike-to-run kits are kept during the race.
The distance an athlete needs to cover for a triathlon swim varies from event to event. The
novice swim distance is less than 750m and the iron level distance goes up to 3800m.
Triathlon clubs are a great way to meet other triathletes and coaches,
get involved in a regular training programme, or sign up for a skills development course.
Olympic triathlons involve a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer
run. In "Iron Man" triathlons, the swimming portion can be as long as 3.9 kilometers,
followed by up to a 180-kilometer bike ride and a 42.2-kilometer run.
Despite being the first leg and covering the shortest distance in any triathlon, swimming has
proved to be the most deadly. Upon analyzing the data of 2,971 USA Triathlon-sanctioned
events held between January 2006 and September 2008, we found that 14 participants died—13
of them while swimming and one while biking. Swimming in a triathlon is a totally different
sport than doing some laps in the pool due to the variability of extremes of waves along with
people swimming around and on top of athletes. Along with these factors, it is important to
note that swimming events in triathlons are in colder temperatures than other events.
There is a period of 10-15 minutes where the core temperature rises or stays unchanging. It is clear
that the core temperature of many does not start to drop immediately. The human body needs time
to adapt to such a drastic change in temperature. While studies on different athletes have yielded
varying results, it has been found that you don’t drop in core temperature during the first
20 minutes. Some athletes have a deflection period where their temperature doesn’t drop immediately.
Other athletes raise their body temperature before the swimming event to maintain their
core temperature for a longer period of time. The water temperature was set to 100C in
Norseman. In 2015, authorities reduced the swim length to half the distance (1900m) that year.
It was predicted that possibly half of the starters could suffer hypothermia in 2015
if a full-length swim had taken place. A long time in cold water is one of the most
significant contributors to hypothermia. Often athletes suffer from an ‘after drop’ which is a
continued cooling of the core temperature after getting out of the water. There is a continuous
lowering of core temperature with varying size and time. We found that the core temperature
is lowest around 15-30 minutes after you are out of the water. Although this wasn’t applicable to
all the participants, most of the participants seemed to be suffering from this phenomenon.
Muscles are active, which will increase internal heat production in the body.
And probably even more if the swimmer uses wetsuits for insulation. But there is a catch.
The insulation characteristics of the muscles alter with the level of muscular activity.
When the muscles become active, the muscles turn from being an insulator to a very effective heat
conductor. The active muscle produces heat, but at the same time, it loses heat. And you're probably
losing more heat than you're gaining in water. Various coaches of different sporting events
have spoken of ways to battle the freezing waters of swimming championships. Coach Kevin Koskella
is one such person. Cold water cannot only be unpleasant and draining but can also be
dangerous. The coach recommends partnering up for swimming practices in cold water. The
most challenging part of triathlon swimming events is the frigid temperature, especially
in the spring months of March and April. The coach says to wear two swimming caps when
swimming in cold water. You lose most of your heat through your head, and doubling up your “capage”
helps you to keep your heat in. It also acts as insulation by keeping the heat generated from the
body specifically in one place. He also recommends wearing a neoprene cap, as those are better at
handling cold water than standard latex caps. We also lose lots of heat through our feet.
Neoprene socks are also a good idea, but we may want to use these mostly on training swims,
as they can be a hassle when it comes to transitioning to your bike if you’re taking part
in a full-length triathlon championship. Earplugs are also recommended for swimming in cold water.
Athletes must wear a wetsuit, but more specifically,
a full suit. The sleeveless suits allow heat to escape through your armpits. The coach learned
this the hard way when doing the Alcatraz swim in 52-degree water with a sleeveless,
“farmer John” suit. By the time he finished, he was in the early stages of frostbite. Keep
in mind that wetsuits are allowed in triathlons for water temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit
or below, according to USA Triathlon rules. Practicing swimming in cold water in the weeks
before your race might also be a good idea. If you are swimming in cold water for the first time,
it can be a shock to your system, resulting in hyperventilation or a panicked feeling. One
should swim slowly until they catch their breath. The first time one experiences this it can throw
them off, but with practice, you will get used to it and be able to relax into your swim eventually.
A warm-up in the morning before the actual event is also recommended as it minimises the shock
effect on your muscles during the event. When the cold water hits your face,
the shock causes your lungs to contract and cause breathing problems. Blow bubbles before
taking off on your swim. Go waist-deep into the water and submerge your face to blow bubbles.
This helps alleviate the shock of the cold water. If these rules are correctly followed and athletes
are given enough time to prepare themselves for the event with proper training and guidance,
then triathlon swimming might not be as intimidating as it sounds.
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