Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Wetsuit vs. Non-wetsuit Differentials In Open Water Swims

In some ocean races in South Africa, its rules that governed wetsuit usage dictated that wetsuit swimmers receive a 1-minute time penalty for every 1 km swam.

Other open water swims where wetsuit swimmers and non-wetsuit swimmers compete in the same division have different time differentials (e.g., 60-90 seconds per 1.6 km swam).

But there is no precise differential that makes a race between wetsuit swimmers and non-wetsuit swimmers fair for the following reasons:

• Wetsuits give different advantages to swimmers of different speeds. That is, a wetsuit will generally assist slower swimmers relatively more than faster swimmers.
• Wetsuits of different configurations and different thicknesses give different advantages to swimmers.
• Different advantages are gained depending on the water surface conditions and water temperatures. That is, the rougher and colder it is, the greater the differential generally is.

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Wetsuit vs. Non-wetsuit Differentials In Open Water Swims

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Olympic Marathon Swims For Swimmers Of All Abilities

 With the excitement of the Olympic marathon swim in the history books, amateurs of all ages, abilities and backgrounds have their own opportunities to participate in marathon swims around the world.

There are at least 106 formally organized marathon swims around the world with several dozens more in planning stages. By 2014, there is forecasted to be at least 200 formal marathon swims over 10 km for both amateurs and pros.

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Olympic Marathon Swims For Swimmers Of All Abilities

Waterlogged Part II: Trials, Questions, and Suggestions Regarding Hydration and Ultramarathons


After that first night, I began the Experiment of One, applying Noakes’ recommendations to the T:
  • Drink to thirst
  • No salt
  • Steady stream of sugar

Waterlogged Part II: Trials, Questions, and Suggestions Regarding Hydration and Ultramarathons