A Thought on the Ironman Swim

I watched the Ironman this past weekend on the Universal Sports website and they revealed an interesting tidbit regarding the swim. Those who started away from the inside buoy and more to the center or outside of the starting line had a clear advantage over the rest of the field. In fact, that’s where the swim leaders started. Why? Because the tide was rolling out (notice in the photo all the athletes drifting to the inside of the buoys). In Kona the swim heads out to sea at an angle, so those who got to use the current and didn’t have to fight it to stay on course had a distinct advantage. So what’s the moral of the story? Just like my previous post regarding river swims, it’s is so important to know your water. Best places to find this information: Fishing websites, Coast Guard websites, NOAA, Army Corp of Engineers, River Authorities, Sailing/Surfing/Scuba sites, or walk the area and ask the locals. You’ll be amazed the type of stuff the local fishermen can tell you. Good Luck.