After thinking about the whole doing the swim segment of a triathlon with a snorkel and if it is fair or not I decided to go for a swim with a snorkel to see if I felt like I had an advantage. I consider myself to be a pretty good swimmer, just to give you an idea I can swim 500 yards in 7 minutes 43 seconds so not bad. I went out in the ocean and first swam without a snorkel. I was fun and I was pretty fast. Then I went out and swam with a snorkel and it was a huge advantage o not have to come up for air. I just kept my head down and swam it was so much faster! I also did not get as tired as I was not using up energy to turn and breath! After doing the test myself I think it is a no brainer, no to snorkels in triathlons!
..unless you're a beginner who needs a "safety" device for the swim portion of the race. I'm extremely fit in the other two disciplines. I've never been a swimmer so I am still learning to be proficient. In the meantime I will use a snorkle to feel more comfortable in open waters such as Lake Michigan. In USAT events use of snorkles are legal. Surely an elite swimmer would never use a snorkle. So, I don't think you can say NO snorkles across the board. Limiting it to professionals or those who race as professionals sure but for the common guy you must have safety and comfort in the water.
ReplyDeleteI agree... I am a beginner at this swim thing. I am not bad on the bike, fair at the run but not even a mild threat when it comes to the swim. If I can use the snorkle for the first few sprints while I develop my technique, I will be able to enter some events sooner with just a litle confidence that I will exit the water on my own and not two hours after the award ceremony, then I will use it for now.
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