Catch a wave...Or the swimming thread

[Starfish]

A 1 min 75m is fast. My best 100 m ever was a 1:24, I swim more like 1:40 in comp and that puts me among the faster triathletes for sure. (It sucks when you get on the bike and everyone starts passing you though).

OK. I gotta start doing Tri's.

But, here is a question from a total non-triathlete...bear with me...how important is the swim in how you finish a tri? If I am great in the swim, mediocre or average in the bike, and sucky at running...I am assuming I will not be great in triathlons...are the bike and run a lot more important than the swim?

ETA: Oops, I realize I might have just started a thread drift...please let me know if this belongs in a different thread.