Subject: RE: Brits role call!Hi there! Congrats on doing your first tri! I did Eton and London in my first year too. They are both really exciting races cos of the spectators cheering you on. You'll love it! Its really really common to get freaked out in the water. So many people report getting panicked and losing their breath and being upset by the bun fight at the beginning. I remember breaststroking most of the race cos I freaked out everytime I put my face in the water or got knocked. My advice would be to find somewhere you can practice open water swimming to get used to people being around you. If you can find a venue that a club uses and swim with the club (Thames Turbo/Serpentine ) sorry my London geography isn't great! Then you might be able to get some coaching on drafting - thats swimming on someones feet or hip. And learning to roll over the legs of someone in your way. Other than that just focus your mind on the buoy you are spotting. Think of that only and the odd knock and jostle will just be in the background. From memory of London although it had a pretty big wave of people was well spread out so you can swim in a quiter part. And you can have a good look at where you place yourself at the start. It bottlenecks and gets busy again at the turn at the buoy so be prepared. Hope that helps! Have a great race! Look forward to reading your race report ![](https://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/images/emoticons/smile.gif) |