INTRODUCTION TO OPEN WATER SWIMMING
Open-Water Swim Special 2019 / / 7“With a little experience,
open-water swimming
can become the most
magical part of your
triathlon training”
CHOOSING YOUR RACE
The type of water you decide to
swim in is another consideration
(see right), but this will depend on
two things: what you have access
to locally and what kind of race you
have entered. If you’re new to
open-water swimming, it may be
wise to think about what type of
water you can train in, as familiarity
with the environment is a big factor
Temptedtoswimoutdoors?
Notallwateris thesame...LAKE
Lakesareoften
calmerthanthesea,
thoughbiggerones
canbechoppy!Lack
ofsaltmeansless
riskofchafing.SEA
Saltwatergives
morebuoyancy,
plustidesand
currentscanoften
bea help,aswellas
a challenge.RIVER
Manylonger
open-waterswims
willbein rivers,
wherecurrentscan
bea bighelpif
readcorrectly.DOCKS
LondonTriathlon
is theUK’sbiggest
dockrace.Justmake
sureyoukeepto
designatedareas
awayfromboats!inracedayconfidence.Soif there
is a lakea shortdriveawaythen
maybeentera laketriathlon,but
if youliveonthecoastandlove
thesea,entera seatriathlon.It’s
worthbearinginmind,however,
thatinbiggerlakes(suchasin
theLakeDistrict),windyconditions
cancreatesomedecentchop,
sodon’tassumethatevery
laketriathlonwillgiveyou
millpond-likeconditions!
Lidoscanbeusefulif youwant
toacclimatisetocoolerwateror
swimoutdoorsinyourwetsuitin
controlledconditions.Asexpertsea
swimmerRossEdgleytellsuson
page14,it’sallaboutbabysteps.
Therestofthisguidewill
hopefullyshowyouhowtogainthe
skillsandconfidenceyouneed.So
findyourlocalvenue,grabyour
wetsuit,diveinandenjoy!TYPES OF OPEN WATER