Subject: RE: Swimming against the tide rockrunner - 2009-04-22 7:20 AM Question about the start of a tri with an ocean swim. If the tide or ocean current is pushing swimmers down the shore and there is a risk of being pushed so far that you would have to struggle to swim back against the tide to make the buoy turn would it be proper to run up the beach say 100 feet or more before getting in the water to compensate for the tide to make it easier to get to the buoy? Would this be against the rules? Has anyone ever done this in a race? What you are talking about is a great idea. However, you might want to scope out the water conditions with a warm up swim pre-race just to be sure how hard the currents are and where they are going to land you. Something else to consider. I have seen race directors competely change the direction of an ocean swim from year to year based on the way the wind and current are going. Most times they want to help the field out. Also to your other questions. No it's not against the rules unless they have a designated are for you to launch from. But in any event you can run down the beach to where you want to get in and then go from there. Your going to be much faster on foot then the herd of swimmers way off course by the current. So even though your in the water later than the main field you should be ahead of them with less effort by the turn.... I've done it many times while swimming on the beach patrol... Any questions let me know. |