Rolling start - where to position

[explorerJC]

@fatbuddha

As long as you complete the pass within the required time period then it matters not where you are within the draft zone - as long as you are seen to be making the pass. but don’t give TOs an excuse for thinking you’re just sat there in the draft zone - keep moving forward.

The opposite is also true. If you are at the pointy end of a race, as soon as someone begins to come alongside you are at liberty to accelerate away. They then have the residue of the time to either complete the move or drop back out of the zone.

[explorerJC]

@Duckhen

I wonder if LCB would swap a bit of swim dominance for an improved run?

Yep, but she can’t, so she has to take that swim as far as she can and let the others worry about their own strategy to beat her…

[explorerJC]

@GRamsay

If you’re a good swimmer I would not be starting further back. You’ll never get a rhythm going as there will be head up breastrokers, dreamers, twats swimming into, punching you, over you. You will end up swimming further than you need to getting round the morons.

that

@FatPom

As a back of the mid pack (at best, a I’m a 1.20 - 1.25 swimmer for IM), I think it’s just as bloody annoying when overly fast folks seed themselves too far back just for the ego boost of swimming over us, as it is for the hopelessly optimistic slow people to over seed and get in the way of the faster folks.

and that

[Jimmy]

Not much advantage in an IM, at least for me. It has helped with my placing a bit in 70.3s. The top guys always seem to be strong on the bike and run, but fairly weak swimmers. Much better for sprints and and OD.

[Chriswim]

Agree, but to talk non-scientifically I do feel I have better general CV fitness to crossover to developing bike/run from years of swimming (whole body movement, breathing controlled).

I’m aware there are studies saying it makes no difference and there’s limited crossover from swimming to developing bike/run fitness though so

And yes, tactically it’s not great. I used to spend the entire day going backwards, a lot of work to start holding my own on the bike. And realistically one of the only people on course to be at or over 12m behind! Once 70-90min swims there’s so many people it’s inevitable to be closer than 12m at times on most courses.

[Gibraltar]

I am FOP (1st out of the water at IM Weymouth) and tried this at the 70.3 Marrakesh because i was fed up of getting beaten by athletes that started 10 mins behind me by a few seconds at the finish when i had no idea they were so close on the run. Ultimately it just doesn’t work mainly because the swim becomes a stop start affair trying to avoid slower swimmers and also because no matter what you do with a rolling start, you have no idea when anyone else could have started so you are just better off going as fast as you can to the line and hoping for the best!