gripen

A birdie told me there were issues with the swim timing mats. I don't think we will see splits.

Usually, we swim from the canoe club around the white buoys - same direction as the paddlers (wear a bright cap) i.e. clockwise (well, if they are going clockwise). It's about a 1km lap. I think it's better to keep to the middle of the dam, but they will go around you anyway

I'm in for the 1.5km, no expectations. Just going to be getting used to the wetsuit again and try new goggles etc. I want to get an idea of what time I can expect to swim the 5150.

On a similar note, I can't stop my goggles leaking. Any suggestions? I already switched to a face mask type goggle. Also leaks. Very annoying. I can't get through a swim set lately. I've tried vaseline, not working.

I've done it a few times. Around this time of year, I would expect around 18-19 deg. There haven't been big rains + floods, so visibility will be good. Since when does the temperature matter... wetsuit is wetsuit :-) It's not like it stops helping you if the temperature is higher

Yip, looks like R120 no matter which race or how many races you do. I'm then going to look at the 1500m as a time trial for 5150 the weekend after.. just need some wetsuit compatriots to kick (me) in the face

Hey davem, so which race will we swim with the wetsuit? What distance? and cost? I'm also keen, nice dam and with the 5150 coming... need to get in 1 or 2 wetsuit swims. Then again, there is a 50/50 chance always with VLC..

Wait a second, your maths is wrong. Last one was in August, next one in Jan - only 4 months. Probably only going to do 70.3 and IMSA in 2013 (less is more approach). Do them and do them well!

Actually, you just need the number on the card.. I entered without spending anything well kept secret..

Sorry man, not joining for rides - on a bit of a break sorting out some health issues. NY was pretty cool, but overall it was disappointing. Swim was awesome but the bike was boring as hell and the run was the toughest marathon I have done. Crazy amount of hills. Not fun. Also not really in New York, the last 7km are in Manhattan but loops inside a park so not in the city part at all really. Quite rough for the cost. I won't be doing it again. All in all a great experience, but mostly due to the holiday before and after - also good to see how they do things that side and how good our race in PE really is!

Surely to deal with drafting, they can install "random" timing mats and look at the time that you take to cross the mats. If there is a sub 3 second split, it's a 2 minute time penalty per infraction (can also be applied at the final water point / penalty tent). Those timing mats (even in the very high end races) look pretty low cost, so I can't see why they can't make use of more of them to sort out the drafting. I'm also all in favour of time trial swim starts. This was how it was done in an Ironman race I did recently and it was pretty damn awesome. It was 3.8km of pure swimming and 0 seconds of wrestling and close combat underwater.

Well, the E-118 is apparently 7min faster then E-114 over 180km and to me the E-114 is a pretty damn fast bike with some race wheels on it.

Definitely Argon E-118, but I'm biased since I have an E-114.

Here's a crazy suggeestion. I found that the problem is the faster riders starting in the slower groups. This causes them to want to push ahead and go sub-3 from the H group etc. So why not cap the finishing times? Based on seeding, you can be expected to finish no faster than say 3:20 from the G start. So for example, no matter how fast you ride, you will finish at 3:15 even if you ride a 2:50. This way, people will either a) put in the effort and seed themselves correctly by doing a seeding race B) slow down and ride with the group and stop pushing ahead. You could then get "buses" like in the Comrades, 2 Oceans etc. So let's say you get a lowish seeding like K or something but want to get a guaranteed 3:30, you just stick with the main group and get it. Like I said, crazy suggestion. Personally, I have no desire to ride this race again after the craziness of people pushing you around much more than any other race. I'm not sure why it is but the group dynamics in the Argus seem to be out of touch. Maybe just my experience. Or the actual route, with the downhills etc.

I agree. The waterpoints were excellent and clearly well prepared for 40 degree heat with all those sponges! Pity about the rain. The distances don't worry me, I just wanted to make sure for my own peace of mind. That run route was tougher than expected. One thing that could be improved but actually probably would be impossible is the traffic on the cycle route as well as the potholes. Lost a few bottles and you can't always avoid the potholes with taxis and cars on the road with you. I guess full road closure is not an option.

Just out of curiosity, did anyone measure the swim course? It seemed like 1600m and the bike course 85km. Maybe just me. The run course was spot on 21.1 (+/-100m) though

USN Cramp Block. They work for me. 1 each night before bed in race week (for the 2 nights before the race), 1 in the morning with pre-race breakfast then one every 2 hours or so. Perhaps every 3 hours for ultra events.

Gautrain Station Centurion - HTC Sensation

I agree with Dave. The distance did feel a good bit further than 1.9km. Specially the long stretch between buoys 1 and 2. You can't blame them, how the heck do you keep the buoys perfectly anchored with all the currents (especially those created by the swimmers). Dave's analysis makes me feel somewhat better about my slowish swim time, so the training wasn't all for nothing then.

00:50:40 was Garfield's swim time.. Mine was just under 40. Looks like he was too busy with the under water Kung Fu

You could solve the drafting problem to some extent by having more waves. That business of swimming with 1000 other people was not fun. Perhaps 200-400 people per wave. That spreads everyone out a little. I saw maybe 1 referee and I personally hate drafting even if I get some benefit from it.. and found that I drafted more in this race than in 94.7! No matter how much you move around and try open up a space in front of you, groups tend to form around you (my finding at least). Maybe more referees or even decoy referees were needed. They can just get people to ride up and down on bikes. The drafting police at IMSA are much better, so it was strange to see so few referees in this race. I think the large number of athletes also impacted the swim times. You have to be right at the front and swim like a dolphin to get a decent time otherwise it's all about surviving the kicks and punches. I guess I need to learn to not stop and regroup but just keep swimming when I get attacked. Also, what's with this business of swimming front crawl with the arms and breaststroke with the legs. First time I have seen such a thing. I wish breaststroke could be banned in triathlon.. not that I want to whine but it's one of the things that drives me nuts in these races. Save your flipping legs for the bike and run ffs!

That site uses satellites to measure (i.e. guesstimate) the water temperature at the surface. I'd expect that it would be the normal 22 degrees. That would be perfect, not like the sub-15 last year.

Cue "Oh no, I can't use a wetsuit" discussion. @Garfield, 26 will be like the gym, where you train all the time. So you should be used to it :-)

Garfield is very serious. Stay away from him.

I sometimes train with swimming socks, they do make you a fair bit faster. So I'd say they would be a considerable advantage. I can't remember my feet being cold though. I think between 12-15 degrees is manageable, you get used to the cold after the first 5 mins or so. Main thing is to avoid getting a dull headache..!