Congratulations on finishing your first tri. That T1 situation must have been extremely frustrating. Personally, unless the water temp was in the low 60°s F, I wouldn’t hassle with a wetsuit for a 400m swim (and prevent the timing chip fiasco). But that’s me. I don’t think wetsuits make me a faster swimmer. Even if they did, how much time do I save in a quick 400m swim, compared to the time spent taking it off in T1?

Never underestimate the potential difficulty of the swim…even if you’re a swimmer. I have always been a strong, long-distance open water swimmer, and first got into triathlon in the 80s. From time to time I am approached for advice by someone who wants to get into the sport of triathlon. The first thing I always ask is about their swimming abilities. Many times the response I get is “I was on swim team in h.s./college, so that part isn’t a problem.” But it usually is a problem. I’ve seen the best of them just freak out when they get into the water. Open water swimming is A LOT different than pool swimming. Always, ALWAYS respect the swim.

Keep up the good work.

Dan