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Many recommend vaseline on legs&arms in absence of a wetsuit - the water in our lake is currently 17°C and with some warm days over the next 2.5 wks perhaps it will warm up to 20.
Remember I'm doing a sprint, I wouldn't do any longer distance in this temperature water without a suit but I wasn't going to spend the money before I know I'm doing more races.
Does Vaseline feel nasty on the bike&run?
I don't do tris, nor does anyone in the this house...
However...
My partner used to ride marathon distances and regularly used vaseline to prevent chafing - especially on his nipples of all places, as he would be covered in salty sweat and the shirt would rub up and down.
Also his inner upper arms on hot days/evenings when he wore really short or no sleeves
So... as I read the question... you want to know if putting vaseline all over your arms and legs will keep you warm in cold water?
You can try it... see if it works. I personally wouldn't want that stuff all over me for the bike and run. I could see my arms sliding all over in aero position.
I think they use (or used to) Crisco for swimming the English Channel, so I suppose it is the same principle. I went to a swim camp in high school (all those years ago), and the head coach had done that. Seems extreme to me for a sprint tri, especially the slipping & sliding issues on the bike, and the potential sunburn. :( I did do one once (probably got my wetsuit right after that) where the water was something like 55F - glad it was really short! My husband wore 2 or 3 swim caps, and still couldn't keep his head in the water - swam most of the way like Tarzan.
To me, it sounds chilly, but not horrible. I just converted to F, and 62.6F (17C) to 68F (20C) sounds pretty normal for around here. 70 would be nice, but I think the hardest part would be getting in the water in the first place.
Good luck, and have fun!
Can´t say the thought of doing a run covered with vasaline appeals - waterproof sunscreen is bad enough.
How long is the swim? We did a tri with a 500m swim last year, the water was 18°C and I was fine without a wetsuit or vasaline (the previous year the water was 16°C :eek: ).
You could also try Pam (very common at triathlons here).
When I first started road racing a lot of the guys would put vaseline on themselves when it was raining and cold to keep warm. I don't know if it worked since I never tried it, but they all swore by it
The tradition with channel swimming is to use Lanolin (which comes from wool) which is why swimmers in old photos are often covered in white stuff. Some still do use it but a common thought today is that it tends to block your pores and over a long time make your body not work as efficiently as it would. Mainly I think if provide a psycological barrier to the cold.
Vasaline (as pp said) is really only necessary on chaffing spots. Covering yourself iin the stuff for such a short swim, I think would be a huge pain and could actually make the bike a bit unsafe - though you may not put it on your handlebars or saddle it will definiately find its way there if your legs and arms are covered.
Personally I think you would be best off warming up well before the start and trying to get in the water for a few minutes before to adjust to the temp. 17deg is not really that cold so you really shouldn't be effected for a sprint race.
You can actually train your body to cope with cold water by training for increasing periods of time in cold lakes/ocean waters. It does not take long for your body to deal with the cold better and there is actually a memory effect (you could train heaps in cold water, leave it for a few years and your body would not have to be totally retrained).