[WhiteLightning]

Anyone out there do triathlons? I don't know the good tri sites, and I have some questions. Any you guys used kayaking neoprene for swimming wet suit? I was going to wear my NRS neoprene pants and my "mystery rubber" short sleeve neoprene paddling shirt. Is there any reason that might not be legal?

Any of you guys doing the triamerica race in Vail? This is my first one. I"m in the fatty division, so look for me to come in right when all the officials are getting in their cars to drive home....

 

[binz]

They don't care what type of wetsuit or clothing you wear if it is a wetsuit legal race. However, the type you are planning on wearing will slow you down. Triathlon wetsuits are specifically made and actually make you swim faster than without a wetsuit.

As far as good websites go... not really. Each race has its own website. Your race is www.sommersports.com. Your race should be well supported and run to a "t". Fred puts on good event. I did the Great Floridian last year and was impressed with the support and quality.

To find more events go to www.trifind.com

If you have any questions give me shout.

 

[Don]

racing suits

I grew up swimming and spent a few years competeing on the east coast in my teens. Just like bikes and running shoes, wet suits are built for a purpose. The kayaking rafting wetsuits are quite different from swimming wetsuits. They might be great for boating, but they are not made for swimming. They will only slow you down and hinder you swimming. You should look at renting a real swimming wetsuit, if your not interest in buying one.

We do have one swimming wetsuit for sale he at the shop. It is size large and it's $100. It was dropped off by a non-boater for consignment sale.

 

[WhiteLightning]

Thanks, I will keep this in mind. My only goal is to finish, so I'm not real worried about speed, mostly staying warm. My swimming technique is very weak, just want to get through my 500m in cold water without freezing.

Where would someone rent a swimming specific wetsuit?

 

[Don]

Suits

Try Campus Cycles...

http://campuscycles.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=100

 

[DD]

I have rented suits before at beaver divers in avon. They don't have many but they are a LOT better than the farmer john you will get from the kayak shop. They are not tri suits, but they are long sleeve, warm and will be more buoyant. That is your best local option. I used a farmer john (that was to big for me) in the boulder peaks and it was awful. My attitude, like yours was I am not going for speed but believe me you do not want to be swimming with the weight of a bad suit. If you are not a strong swimmer, do the best to get out of the water as fast as possible and save your energy for the fun? stuff.

At the end of the day, I decided kayaking was a heck of a lot more fun that triathlons. All I could think about was how much pain I was in and how much fun my friends were having at gore. Don't mean to get you down - I got my butt kicked (to much boating, to little training) and still feel the pain.

Have fun and good luck. It is an awesome accomplishment and you will feel great when you finish. I have done a few races and live in Vail, so if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

Lauren

 

[tk]

http://www.slowtwitch.com/
Slowtwitch.com's forum has one of the highest traffic forums out there. Its the Boatertalk of Triathlon's. Don and others are right though. Triathlon wetsuits are thick on the bottom to provide more flotation and help keep your body higher out of the water. If you are wearing your NRS for warmth, then its probably slower, but warmer. But for speed, I would ditch it.

 

[WhiteLightning]

Thanks for the info and the link. I could have spent more time training. I'm going to rent a roadbike for the ride, I only have mountain bikes. I too would rather be paddling or something, but I decided it was a good motivator to try to keep/get in shape. I'm just doing the sprint, hoping I can pull through the pain. I'm pretty excited and anxious though, first time around, and a little intimidated- all the athletes up here in the Vail Valley are super humans! I would stomp any of them in a hot dog eating competition though!

 

[deepsouthpaddler]

I mainly focus on the paddling, beer drinking, and camping triathalons. Very taxing on the muscles. As far as wetsuits go, I would have one word of caution. I tried surfing once in Cali, and my wetsuit felt pretty good when I put it on while still on the beach. After paddling out through the waves I realized that the arms were a bit tight and hindered the overhand movement for swim strokes with your arms. What it felt like was doing a mini bow-flex every stroke I took. Eventually I got so tired that I could barely move. I would focus on a wet suit that is mobile and will enable you to move well.