Good luck to you all. Missing not being there this year, kind of, not really, yes really 
1 Like
pre weather forecast shows a nice day, sunny upto 18c, except the 16mph wind that is apparently blowing the way that will cause a decent swirl in the sea. Iād love a tough swim!
Look forward to the race report. On my list for 2021.
1 Like
Have they ever changed the swim due to conditions?
I think Iāve had one cancelled swim since 1992; that was Marazion Half in 2013 after that cold winter and loads of early season OW swims were getting cancelled.
I think the first year they moved the swim to one of the other beaches didnāt they?
Yep, Iām sure they did.
Yep wind is Easterly or South Easterly. Same direction as the āhorrorā swim of 2014. That direction is less sheltered than the usual āsouth westerlyā, such as the āstormā of 2017 which had a mill pond swim.
In 2014 the wind direction combined with the tidal flow made it a really messy swim, waves bouncing around all over the place rather than a predictable rolling swell. Hardest swim Iāve done, hoped for sub 1:10, swam 1:25. Usual Wales DNF rate reached after the swim.
If you like rough swims time to get excited!
4 Likes
Good luck to all on Sunday. Had a chat with my wife over the weekend and Iāll be on the start list for 2020. (Race falls on her birthday)
4 Likes
Sweet!
Get booking your accommodation now if you want somewhere nice to treat her!!
First Wales in 2011 they were due to have the swim at South Beach (the long one you can see from the Transition car park).
But there was the tail end of a hurricane due so they switched it to North Beach which is more sheltered. No time (or suitable location) to move transition as well hence the now iconic run through town and pink bags.
No hurricane and it may have stayed on South Beachā¦,
Yeah. Said that to her. Canāt remember where we stayed in 2017 lovely little farm house about 20 minutes outside of Tenby. Was a complete nightmare for her driving back to it after watching the swim with all roads closed. Took her about 2 hours 
will be looking for something closer 
in 2011 it was meant to be south beach but was moved because of sea conditions to north beach, hence the T0.5 and run through town to T1 that they have kept ever since. If you look at the pics from 2014 it was very bad as well, some great photos of waves breaking over people as they run into the sea.
The Atlantic, bit pricier but overlooks the finish area and is very nice
2 Likes
Nice. Will look that up 
Absolutely. Lock that in, itās a great hotel (except you canāt get a coffee without going down to the basement restaurant ). Perfect for IM plus has parking. Only downside is running past the front door 4 freaking times!
The Mgr of the breakfast area, Mr Wright, is a very pleasant chap.
3 Likes
In surf conditions, getting out isnāt too bad, itās coming back in through it and trying not to get picked-up and somersaulted! Albeit that tends to only be in bigger surf like Perranporth.
That shouldnāt really to experienced surfers/ surf swimmers. Getting in is the fun/fast bit. You can feel when the suck is coming and a quick look behind will tell whether to go left or right. From there itās cake.
Close outs are still bodybash-able.
The key word being experienced!
I guess so. For a strong swimmer like yourself, you could make up a ton of time by reading the waves/swell. Iām a rubbish swimmer but a competent surfer and Iāve passed quite a few people by riding the waves in. Key thing is to time your paddle in.
It takes some practice but if nothing else, if you do feel yourself being picked up, try and make yourself long by putting an arm out and tucking your head into your shoulder (like a surfboard).
If you have been sucked up late and are definitely going for a tumble, then do the opposite and tuck yourself up. Flailing limbs being slammed into the sand doesnāt usually end well.
On the way out, if you canāt go over the top, then dive underneath like a duck (literally called a duck dive). key to this is to increase speed before you go under, itās hard to describe but somewhat similar to that little move you do before a tumble turn in the pool.
A really good study of the way the waves are breaking before you head out will do wonders. Try and look to see where the channels are. This can be course dependent though as a shape like IM Wales doesnāt give you a ton of choice.
2 Likes
I will be there on Sunday. Got the Friday and Monday off work, so will be in the car with caffeine nice and early on Friday morning to get through the worst part of my trip before rush hour. Aiming to go to the registration and briefing on Friday, and ideally a practice swim if they offer it up (not yet on the schedule but was available on prior years so expecting they will post that nearer the time).
Saturday I will spend money on branded gear, eat like a king, and maybe run a really hard 10km like half the nut jobs seem to do before an Ironman (just joking on that one). A quick spin before I rack my stuffā¦ a nervous glance at the bike, lots of butterflies, and try and chill.
Sunday is GO BANANAS!!! Wave jumping (by the sounds of things), followed by jellyfish spotting, a few punches to the head at the turn bouys, and then the realisation that I havenāt even reached the halfway point yet and I am ready for a cup of tea and a lie down.
The bike is a toughie! I was terrible in 2016, due to illness and basic lack of power, but this year I should be able to enjoy this part a little more.
The marathon is really where I want to perform. I would love to go sub 3:30 here, but that could cause the IM crawl. I am going to risk it and see what happens. Overall objective is to go sub 11:30, and I would wet myself with joy if I can go 11:15.
Bib: 1461
9 Likes