Australian Triathlete — December 2017

86 | AustrAliAn triAthlete

Now, onto the actual start. There are

two types of triathlon starts - the deep

water start, where you will swim out into a

depth where you may just be able to stand

• or you may not - a little off shore and
  then start swimming straight away once
  the gun goes off. The other is the run-in.
  The distances for the run-in can vary from
  being standing on the water’s edge and
  having only to run, wade and dolphin
  10-30 metres until you start swimming, to
  a bit further before you hit the water. In
  your pre race warm-up make sure you

S

wim starts in triathlon can be

tricky, in particular for those

new to the sport and, of course,

for the not so strong or anxious

swimmers. Neglecting one of the most

basic pre-race/pre-swim must do’s – the

warm up - will magnify the nerves or fear.

So many times I have seen or heard of

beginner athletes that did not warm up at

all, or did not warm up enough, before the

swim start. These athletes have then had

to stop 200-300 metres into the swim to

catch their breath, leading to potentially

copping a hit or being swum over. This

does nothing to ease the fear of the swim.

At least 10+ minutes warm up in the

water, or an alternative on dry land, needs

to be done before the swim start to get

blood into the swim muscles, and the heart

rate up to close to threshold before the warm

up stops. This should be completed in the

last few minutes before your wave start.

If you need to warm up on dry land, it

can suffice to get some swim stretch cords

or to use body weight exercises, like

pushups or dips in a mini circuit.

tips & tricks

Coping with the

Triathlon Swim Start

text by nICK Croft | photogrAphy by Getty ImaGes