BT Opinion on Estimated Swim Time

Just as long as you don't underestimate too much..like the ones that really underestimated and hold everyone else up or everyone has to pass them....if 1 or 2 people pass you up...no big deal...it's the guys that underestimate too much and like 10 people have to pass them that gets me shaking my head

In every estimated swim I've done, all pool swims.. Half the people in front of me put down too fast of a time. I wouldn't underestimate your time.

LOL Like I said a silly question because it is doubtful that 1 second would make a difference.

That and I ask because I estimated my time at 2 minutes when in reality my swim time is probably closer to 1:50-1:55. Luckily it is an OWS so I can just swim around those that I catch up to (If that happens). I just wonder if I am going to be stuck behind a ton of people who put down a generic 2 minutes (Like I did) to be safe.

My experience is that is doesn't matter much.  I always get put in my AG wave (even though I race athena) and I always seem to be right in the middle.  I have wondered why they even bother to ask my swim time since they just ignore it anyway.  One thing I have noticed, I always swim faster when my AG goes as a middle wave.  My guess is that its because people swim faster towards the front, so it makes me go faster too..who knows.  All I know is that the few times I was put in a last wave, I swam slower...Then again if I am too near the front I get run over a lot.  In the end I think its best to be honest about your time...Good race karma is probably more important than a minute or two sooner start...

Yes, I do. Because I want to try to avoid the people who put down too fast of a swim time.

All I know is that if someone put a faster swim time than me, they better not breast stroke ANY part of the swim. End of story. Unless they are doing it at a competitive speed. But if they are doing it to rest during their very short swim portion... and they put down a faster time, I'm probably going to be very annoyed by them getting in my way.

I will say that I put down an ODD NUMBER for my swim time. Kind of like the Price is Right... ya know?

So if I know I do a 4:45 for 300 meters... I might put down 4:42. Just because it's not a round number and it might place me one or two slots in front of someone else.

PS- My above comments ONLY apply to pool swim tri's where you are lined up based on your swim time- and AG is irrelevant. In OWS we are just placed w/our AG and we don't give a time- not in Texas at least.


Edited by KSH 2009-07-22 1:01 PM

pretty much half the field either has absolutely no clue what they will run/swim or just flat out lies.  I feel most just have no clue.....

every single time I've entered a race that needed estimated times, (mostly large running races), people over estimate.

and its grossly over-estimated.  like 10:00 minute weekend joggers seeded with 6:00 min milers. 

dont do it.  Its annoying.

really an open water swim that starts  a couple of people every so many sec's.. sounds kind of cool. 

I've only done Pool swims were they ask you to do that, so I"m a bit sheltered on this one.. of course it won't stop me from giving random bad advice.

in the pool swims,  like KSH wrote I'll but down an odd time since many people think of I can do that in 5 min, so when my pace is close to that I'll put an odd number down and always on the quicker side, Many times I'll take 10-15 seconds off my expected time since I'll either catch a draft off the person in front, or I don't want to hold people up and swim harder.

Oddly enough even with me padding my time like that I usually hit that time by 3-5 sec

I'm very new to the sport, but in my one pool swim I over estimated? (slower than I actually swim) by a few seconds. Like someone else said, I'd much rather come from the back than hold others up. In that one event it worked out very well for me, I still ended up with a fast group and had a much better time than I estimated. I also went that direction time wise because I new I'd be excited and hoped the folks in my lane would keep me from going out too hard in the beginning. Just my experience from one race, I know I would have been frustrated if I was behind someone breast stroking!

It would be kind of neat to be seeded on previous race results, but I can see several issues with that:

- what results to use? best time ever? averaged over the season? time conversion for different distances?
- extra work for the race director even if they just spot check entries
- novice wave might be a mess

I'm a novice and wouldn't mind this method, but then I'd be seeded way at the back either way. A fast swimmer doing a first triathlon might not be happy.

A trivial matter of terminology -- this is more like a time trial start than a wave start.  'Wave start' normally refers to large numbers of people (like "all males under 30") starting at once.

I've done some of these in pools, and yes, people make crazy claims about their swim times.  I think that some of them put their all-out sprint time, either not realizing what is being asked (they want your AVERAGE distance per 100 for teh entire distance), or believing (falsely) that they can maintain that pace for 600m or whatever.  Others I think put down their 100yd time as their 100m time, not realizing that there is a significant difference. I even once saw a guy who placed himself near the front of the entire field, and was breast stroking ('survival' breast stroking, not fast breast stroking) after 100m.

Despite the fact that I KNOW many people ahead of me are going to swim slower than me (and I'm not exactly fast), I don't engage in this sort of 'grade inflation', for reasons of principle.  I just think it is wrong.  There, I said it.



Edited by Experior 2009-07-22 6:50 PM