What Do You Know Now That You Wish You Knew Then...

[SLash]

The wetsuit strippers are wonderful! You just pull the wetsuit off your torso down to your waist, lay on the carpet with your feet up and they rip it off. It's nice!

I doubt the course will be the same as last year. I don't know if you've been out to Hefner lately, but there is a beach where the course was last year down the side of the dam. The water is low there anyway (waist deep) but it's just sand now. They may have to change the course to what it was when I did the full in 2006 (a triangle out to the middle of the lake). That year the lake was really low, too, and we had to run about 100 yards in the mud up to the water exit ramp. It wasn't ideal, but it is what it is....

And yes, you will be able to get in the water to do a warm up before the race begins. They'll call you out about 30 minutes before the start, tho.

I, too, hope it's wetsuit legal. I can swim the distance with no problem, but for that long, I would like to save my legs for the bike. I might just wear it anyway. It means I wouldn't be eligible for prizes, but I'm not going to win anything anyway so the trade off for confidence would be worth it to me!

I didn't realize that you could choose to swim with a wetsuit even if they aren't allowed, but just give up your chance to win/place... does that mean you still show as finishing, and with your times, etc... just not eligible for "cash and prizes"?

In 2006 it was wetsuit legal, right?

[Tri Girl]

you won't be DQ'd, and will receive an official finish, but you won't be allowed to place in your AG (you'll be pulled out of the results). At least that's what my friend told me- and she's a USAT official. You might get some strange looks, but who cares. Not drowning is more important to me.

Yes, it was legal in 2006. It wasn't hot like this, tho. It is gonna have to cool off a LOT and Hefner is going to need to get a LOT of water to be legal. It's looking grim right now.

[Veronica]

I'm so mean... I keep hoping for my race to become wetsuit illegal. It's only happened once in 11 years.

I'd trade being a good swimmer for being a good runner. It's such a higher proportion of the race.

My ideal race distances would be a 1.2 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, 3 mile run.

Veronica

[Tri Girl]

Couldn't agree more, V (not about not using a wetsuit, tho). I'm such a sucky runner, I'd even bump that run down to 1 mile- or one block.

Doesn't matter how good a biker and swimmer you are- if you're not a great runner, you don't have a shot at winning in triathlon. It's definitely a runner's sport IMO. Which is why I'll never win.

[SLash]

That's why there need to be more aquabike events. I don't run, so those are the only events I can do other than sprint tri's. I read that aquabike events are gaining in popularity, so hopefully there will be more of them in the not too distant future.

[Veronica]

Vineman puts on a full Aquabike - (2.4 mile swim , 112 bike), a half aquabike, my half (Barb's race) and a full IM all on the same day.

I do the half because I'm stupid and the run keeps me challenged. Just p!sses me off that I'm not a good runner.

Veronica