Beach to Battleship

Didn't hear what water temp was for 2008 race, anybody guess what it will be in 2009.

LAST YEAR IT WAS AROUND 65 DEGREES AND IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE SAME THIS YEAR. THE AIR TEMP WAS AROUND 38 OR CLOSE ANYWAY. THE WATER FELT GOOD AFTER ABOUT 100 YARDS.

I heard 61 and 65 degrees; I would have believed either one. I had a sleeveless wetsuit and I was never uncomfortable; my swim took 1:00:39. Before that, my 5 IM PR was 1:19, so that current was major league.

The air temperature the day before the race - you can look this up - was the coldest October 31 in Wilmington history. It was 32 or a little below. So the water was probably as cold as you'll ever be likely to see it, and it wasn't at all intolerable. I just hope the current is flowing in 2009 like it was in 2008.

BIGCOG wrote:Didn't hear what water temp was for 2008 race, anybody guess what it will be in 2009.

A better question would be, does anybody know what the tide will be doing that day?

HI, THE TIDE WILL BE BE INCOMING JUST AS IT WAS LAST YEAR. ALL OF SET-UP'S RACES ARE SET UP THIS WAY.

deester wrote:HI, THE TIDE WILL BE BE INCOMING JUST AS IT WAS LAST YEAR. ALL OF SET-UP'S RACES ARE SET UP THIS WAY.

Love it. I can train less for the swim then.

I have never done an ocen swim before and only worn a wetsuit once (long sleve). DO you all reccomend me pruchsign a long sleve or sleveless wetsuit?

Not sure about water temps in '09, but for the '08 race the water was a little colder than expected due to some cold weather/nights leading up to the race. I came prepared to swim in my sleeveless but after swimming in the channel 2 days before the race and talking with a few people, I purchased and swam in a long sleeve. I was glad I did.

I know many athletes swam in short sleeves that day and didn't have any problems. But I also know some people had trouble. One man said he had to wait for 30+ min in T1 to warm up before getting his bike. Another person that was doing the half (much shorter time in water) couldn't continue due to hypothermia.

Water temp in 08 was close to 65 and I swam in a sleeveless. Other than having the breath taken from me the first 100 yards or so, I was fine in the water. But if the air temps are the same as they were in 08(35-45) when you get out, be prepared to be COLD. I had a tough time in the changing tent just because my hands were so cold I couldn't feel anything.

OK, here's the deal...

Water temp is easier to predict than air temp, but will be somewhere in the 65-70 bracket.

The 38 degree air temp (I'm not sure it was THAT cold down at the beach) that we had in '08 was abnormally cold. Normal low in early November is in the upper 40s, and probably a little warmer at the beach.

Do with that what you will, but all the locals I have talked to swear by full wetsuit in those conditions.

Sorry for the double, but based on the tide predictions, you should have a similar (screaming!) current vs what it was in '08.

I was one of only three crazy people to swim the half last year without a westuit. I went with Pearl shorts and a mid-weight longsleeved polypro top, and although jumping in was a shock to the system, I was not uncomfortably cold. But......the cumulative effect of the cold water was undeniable. Toward the end, I really started feeling it, and the bike transition was pretty clumsy on account of being cold. It also ended up totally whacking my hamstrings, so I'm definitely going with a suit this year, and definitely long sleeves!

I did the full last year. I wore a sleeveless wetsuit and it worked perfectly. One addition I used that I'd recommend were neoprene shoes for two reasons. Obviously they kept my feet much warmer during the swim, but when you get out you have a few hundred yards of concrete/blacktop and a highway to run across before getting to T1. I was able to move at a much quicker pace than those without the shoes. I was thinking about them before the race and went back to the expo to see if anyone had a pair since I didn't bring any, and a few vendors said a bunch of folks had asked about them but no one had them. I actually found them at a kite store/surfing store across the street at the Cotton Exchange from the host hotel. Money well spent in my opinion!