Y Rocket: Triathlon Racing: The Importance of the Swim Leg

The importance of the swim portion of a triathlon is often characterized by the expression, "you can't win it on the swim, but you can lose it." Despite this, triathlon's most under-appreciated discipline has tactical and practical importance.

The inception of the Ironman triathlon is directly attributed to the result of a feud between the Waikiki Swim Club and the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club, as pertaining to which athletes were more fit. The resulting competition, however, certainly doesn't favor the skillset of the former group of athletes. If we look at the times of professional triathletes in Ironman-distance racing, a typical winning time will likely include the following splits: a 52 minute swim, a 4:35 minute bike, and a 2:55 run. Of the resulting 8 hrs and 22 minutes of racing, swimming only comprises about 10% of the time involved. Yet, the strategic placement of the swim as the first event, and the inherent difficulty of moving through liquid as opposed to air, allocates greater importance to swimming than the numbers suggest.

5 out of 8 matches believe you should've joined a Master's Swim Club

Another common expression among triathletes alludes to a collection of matches. "You have only so many matches to burn," it says, with the metaphorical matches representing hard efforts during the race. Use too many during the swim, and you could find yourself miserable and dejected on the run, even after a well-executed bike leg. Energy conservation thereby serves as the first pillar upon which the importance of swimming is built. Spiking your heart rate during the swim and unnecessarily depleting metabolic energy reserves is an excellent way to destroy a race. You can't have a stable house if you built it without a foundation, and you can't have a good bike-run if you spent twice-as-long as you should have swallowing half the river and exhausting your legs in a desperate attempt to reach T1. The very nature of swimming makes energy conservation difficult, however, as moving through a liquid medium, as opposed to air, provides all sorts of challenges.

There are very few objects, save maybe an open cardboard box or a parachute, that are less hydrodynamic than a human. Though somewhat commendable on land, we fail miserably in the water. Arms and legs jut out from a central trunk and require a fairly complex motion to even approach efficient forward movement during a front-crawl stroke. Understanding your enemy is key, however, and the enemy is drag. Moving efficiently through the water is a two-pronged approach- one must seek to both eliminate resistive forces (for example, form drag and frictional drag) while maximizing propulsive forces (as in optimizing the pull phase of your stroke). For example, I address this dual-nature of the sport by thoughtfully completing specific drills in each workout aimed at refining my stroke (reducing drag) before beginning a hard interval workout (maximizing propulsion). I first set about learning to swim well by studying the act itself. I used Swimming Fastest, by Ernest Maglischo and highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to become a student of the sport.

Faris was strong across all three disciplines in 2005, but an early lead in the swim set him on the path to victory. (photo courtesy of 3athlon.de)

So energy conservation may be the first pillar of swimming, but the wet-side of triathlon extends far beyond just going through the motions. For those who are or aspire to be competitive in the sport, swimming has many important tactical considerations as well. This is most evident in ITU-style racing, where making the lead swim pack can itself make or break your race. It's even been a powerful factor in Ironman racing, with Faris Al-Sultan's early break to his Ironman Hawaii victor in 2005 serving as a noteworthy example. The resistance that water offers as opposed to air compounds the importance of how you position yourself relative to others (i.e. drafting) and makes getting dropped by a momentary surge both a constant threat and devastating thing to recover from.

Coming out of the water in my first half-iron race in 2005. Sadly, this reminds me to do an entry on bonking during the run.

There's also the role swimming plays in the overall race. I remember the final race, a sprint-distance, from my first season in the sport six years ago. I was 200 yards out from the run turnaround when a guy coming into it about my age shouted 'what age are you?' Stupidly, or perhaps brazenly, I replied truthfully- and immediately regretted it. Whereas the heavier build I had acquired lifting weights throughout high-school was good for opening pickle jars, it was nothing doing for my run splits. My new young friend, however, had the very thin look of an experienced runner. The extra motivation led me to run a 5km time in the 18min range, faster, quite interestingly, than any standalone 5km effort throughout cross-country in high school, and I was able to finish ahead and win my age group. In meeting the young man, Elliot, after the race, I learned that his run split was equally faster than mine as my swim split was over his, letting a slightly faster bike on my part give me the deciding edge. Clearly all three sports played a role, but my strength in the swim allowed me to counter his strength in the run.

Finally, the swim adds an element to triathlon that's difficult to qualify. The adventure of setting off in open water, be it a leap into chilly San Francisco Bay just off Alcatraz or a slow, reverent walk into the warm waters of Kona's Kailua Bay, the swim adds an element to triathlon that truly separates it from other endeavors (except, obviously, open water swimming). Much like a hike in a forest inhabited by grizzlies, even if nothing exciting happens, triathlon is more exciting for having open water swimming as part of the sport. It's also a truly unique skill, even an art form when one considers the required coordination. Standing on the beach adjusting my goggles, smelling the neoprene and looking out over the expanse of a lake or ocean and then wading into the still, cold water to warm-up for the race is one of the most beautiful and exciting moments in our sport.

Oh, and there's one last thing. Swimming develops the upper body. For all of the degrading comments triathletes receive from runners and road cyclists, at least we don't have the upper bodies of pre-teen asian girls.