Mile OWS - FOP, MOP, BOP?

No, not FOP.  FOP is more like 1:10-1:20, at least in triathlon.

Middle or back of MOP, I think. (eta: if you are talking yards pace, meters pace, solid MOP, I would say)


Edited by newleaf 2009-07-20 12:01 PM

Look at the race results from last year and see where it puts you.

All depends on the race and who shows up.

I know for a 1 mile OWS that was held 2 weeks back in Maryland, the times looked like this:

1 Joseph Novotny 26:08.0
2 Dan Pisut 29:11.1
3 Peter Lee 29:33.5
4 Dana Novotny 29:57.0
5 tom Denes 30:05.9
6 Jeffrey Kotz 30:58.4
7 marianne maranto 31:11.5
8 Maureen Fields 32:12.3
9 Jennifer Dowdell 33:44.1

Yup.   And accuracy of course marking, and surf entry/exit, and currents, and how many people in your wave, and how well you site, and where the T1 mat is, and pool/lake/ocean, and.....................

Is your time a pool time or an OWS time?  Pool times rarely reliably translate to OWS times (IME)

Even year to year on the same course it's practically impossible to determine where you will fall.  Only way to know is to race it and see where you do fall.

assuming an accurate course, that would put you righti n the middle or just behind in most races.

to the poster that said a mile swim went 26min for the winner, either that was not a mile, conditions sucked, or the guy/girl doggie paddled the swim.
we had an open water swim advertised as 1 mile yesterday, after the race it was messured at 1.3 miles


to the OP. i am swimming just under 1:20 pace (1:15-1:20) for open water swims, and this puts me anywhere from the very front to a few people back.

Yeah, kind of hard to say in my opinion. Are you basing the 1:40 per 100 on what you do at the gym? Or have you actually went out and timed an OWS for a mile?  In my experience (which isn't much) I find the swim times at a race way different than pool workouts. The HIM I did a few weeks ago I did a 33:52 and was FOP.  5th out of 68 in my age group (35-39).  60th out of 700 overall.  At the gym pool though I can hold 1:10 per 100 without too much trouble. So like I said, to me, it may be FOP, but if that is your workout 100 pace, it may be MOP. Hope this helps.

Edited by shad01 2009-07-20 12:28 PM

I appreciate your feedback, and totally get all the variables involved.  My time was an OWS time on a pretty accurately measured course.  Trying to get a rough thumbnail to determine if it's worth it to be mixed up in the thick of things at the start or whether I should be just getting the heck out of the way.

At last year's Boulder 5430 HIM which is a very competitive race with very accurate distances, I swam the 2112 yds in 30:32 (1:27/100y) and was 50/932 overall. I was about a minute off the leader in M4549. That effort was comfortable, I was wearing a wetsuit, and it is about what I'd do in a pool for the same distance at a comfortable effort at 9600' altitude (I'm can probably go 5 sec/100y faster at sea level).

For the OP, I think if you can maintain 1:40/100y in a pool for the swim distance at a comfortable effort you will be in the top 1/3 (FOP). So I'd start at the front of my wave but on the far outside with the rest of the swimmers on my breathing sides so I could find a good person to draft off.

Edited by breckview 2009-07-20 12:40 PM

x2. I was shocked at how much a good draft helps.  Luckily I had read about doing so on here, and was ready for the change in effort needed to keep the same pace.  It felt like I was slowing down a ton. However, trying to pass I really had to work, so I knew I had found a good draft donor.

My race yesterday was a sprint so only 700m OWS, but I swam it at 2:06/100y which is about what my pool times are and I was 54/268 overall. The race was at 7,000 ft (where I live) so that may have affected others swim times. But I would say 1:40 would put you in the top 1/3rd.

You will be FOMOP to MOMOP.  You are about where I am.  I generally seed myself outside to avoid contact as my HR spikes during the first 100 or so yards and then I can settle in and bang away

In the Boulder Peak tri a week or so ago the 1500 meter swim was long by 150-200 meters, making the actual swim just over a mile. The leaders were in the 20:30-21:00 range. Your time would have been solidly MOP.

BTW, on a more accurate course at Boulder the past couple of years the leaders were very close to 18:00 flat and there were no weather factors this year to account for everyone being so much slower.

Typically the top swimmers are going to be in the 1:10-1:15 per 100 meters range.

In the 2008 Boulder Peak (a very competitive race), the fastest swim in the non-pro race (assuming one minute to run from the beach to T1 which is what it took me) was 17:25 (1:04/100y). I was top 3.9% at 1:22/100y pace. I don't know how people normally define FOP in the swim but the top 33% swimmer was a 1:39/100y pace.