Hmm....good points.

I sort of swam competitively (not in college) - and was never the fastest (at least at a 50-100) - but still love the water. Have done some swimming in a wetsuit (including towing weaker swimmers back to the boat - ah college). The "friends" could be an issue - but the race I'm looking at is B2B, which is known for having a less chaotic start.

I'll see if I can find something earlier in the season that will do an aqua bike - but most races here don't. I may have to register without knowing (I think B2B filled up last year fairly early).