IM swim starts in jeopardy?

I want to do an IM with the traditional everybody at once start. Thats a major appeal for me. However with the growing numbers, it might be smarter to just break it up into two groups. It'll keep the appeal of the mass start but increase safety due to higher numbers. Pros & strong swimmers go in the first herd, ones who finish at a slower time go in the second pack. If someone wishes to go in the later wave then they may. Have people submit a 1000m TT approximated swim time, slice it down the middle.

Of course there might be problems with people estimating their 1000m time but I feel that over 90% would have a good grip on where their swim is especially going into an Ironman event.

Yes, I know someone that was at the IMCDA committee meeting where the decision was made to go to a TT start - she said a statement was made that all IM races were going to this format.  Guess we'll have to wait and see, but it sounds like it will be all IM swim starts.

I have said it before......All Ironman events should be TT start like IM Louisville. 

In fact, that race should be the model for all Ironman events.  Be based in a metro area.  Ride your bike out into the "country" and finish right in the middle of downtown.

Although I am not a big fan of mass starts and the crazy frenzy, especially because I am a small female and it is scary to be kicked, hit, and run over, I also think there are cons to the wave starts. I guess I look at it from the perspective of someone who is always in the last heat (women over 40 or over 50). The problem with that is that you are always at the tail end of the race, which can cause problems with traffic control, at least where I live, and also often brings you into finish after the organizers have already started awards ceremony. So, that is a bummer because I feel a bit excluded and have even been skipped for age group awards, because the organizers printed out results before us "old" folks make it in. BTW my finish times are competitive for my age, so it's not like I am finishing outside cut off times.

So, pluses and minuses on both sides.

I guess if the field was divided into, say 4 heats there would only really need to be about 20-30 seconds between heats. This would obviously keep a large aspect of the mass start in tact.

However if they intend to start individuals off with 10 seconds between, then that's a whole different ball game, it would take forever, just over 4 hrs for a 1600 strong race. please tell me it wont be like that.

Ironically, I read last week that this is exactly what the poor guy that died at CDA last year did.  Didn't have anything to do with the mass start

I did this at my first  oly triathlon, I waited a minute then looked around me at about 200 people who had read the same piece of advice.

Thread was talking about IM races with 2-3000 person mass starts.  Trust me, there's a big difference in the washing machine if you wait.

How exactly does IMKY run the start?  I can understand that if it took hours to start the racers why there would be resistance to do it at bigger events.  IM is long enough of a day without 3 or 4 hours of starting.

Does KY have multiple points where athletes are starting?  Is it an actual timed interval, or is it just athletes starting one at a time in line similar to getting off the boat at Alcatraz?  I watched a video of the Alcatraz start the other day and it seemed like they got a big group moving pretty quickly with multiple start points and racers simply started one after the other as soon as the landing spot was clear.  That's what it looked like anyway, others with experience please chime in.

It takes IM Louisville about 40 minutes to get everyone thru the swim start, and your 2 hours and 20 minute cutoff doesn't start till you start, however you still have to finish by midnight.  

My first and only IM was Louisville last year and at first I didn't think I would like the TT start and it ended up being fine.  If people would pay attention the lines would go faster. 

There has been a death at the IM Louisville swim so it really doesn't matter what type of swim start you do there will always be a possibility for a death in the swim portion because people are just not prepared.  

People shouldnt jump to this conclusion.  From what I have read, most of the recent triathlon swim deaths are not related to the athletes preparation but more to underlying health conditions or panic attacks that lead to unability to stay afloat.  Neither have anything to do with the swimmer not being in the right physical condition.  

I had a panic attack last year in a local Oly, felt close to going under, needed assistance and had just finished IMLP.  I was extremely prepared to swim .9 miles that day. 

A great article was written over on the ST site.  Take some time to read it. Dont know if its taboo to post links to the ST site but this article has been very helpful to possibly understanding why I had a panic attack.  Cheers

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/Swimming/Safe_in_the_Water_3378.html

It's 30-40 minutes, not hours.
Here's a good video of how the TT start at IMLOU works. 

I think the problem is the sample size.  Although there have been a few well publicized and tragic deaths during the swim, statistically it remains a very rare occurrence regardless of the starting method.

Fixed that for you.

LOL...so true

And now, more accurate 

Ironman 70.3 Auckland was wave starts - I was in a team so last.  It means the guys at the front have a longer cutoff.  My friend was in the first wave and was 40mins ahead of my wave.  The bike was a draft fest anyway, nature of the course.

The wave start was nice - only about 40 in my wave so no danger of getting hit. It was held in the marina so no way all competitors could go off together.  Being the last wave though a bit unnerving knowing that you could actually be last out of the water!  6 minutes between each wave.  I caught some of the preceding ones!

It does feel less intimidating.

I'm tipping that IM can now open to more entrants with this style of start.....cynical.