Tri Athy river swim - depth?

gombeen99

Hi all,
I'm doing the TriAthy (sprint) the weekend after next for the first time & really looking forward to it. I can do 750m pretty much no prob in the pool, albeit taking a couple of seconds very quick rest after each length as I turn - it takes me approx 20min. I also did the Nenagh / north-Tipp tri with 500m swim no problem, approx 13 min. However, I am a swimming novice, only learnt a few months ago & have never done an open water / river / sea swim before. I'm a little nervous that I won't be able to do 750m without a single stop. Could someone tell me if the river is shallow enough to be able to stop & take a quick 10 sec break if necessary? [Before anyone says it's dangerous to stop ... I'll be letting everyone else fight it out at the start before heading off at the back of the pack & won't stop without checking behind me & that it's safe to do so!] Unfortunately I can't do the practice swim this weekend (SwimAthy).

Thanks & good luck to anyone else heading up to TriAthy - sounds like a great event and day.

Andrewf20

I did the triathy last year. I sampled the depth in 3 different locations a week before the event and they were all about 4.5-5 foot in depth. Im 6ft1, and each time, the water was up to my chest.

It was my 1st ever triathlon so i was nervous too, but I found it much easier than doing the equivelent distance in the swimming pool. The wetsuit (bouyancy) and current will make things a little easier. Just dont go hell for leather at the start. Start slow, ignore the pace of others and you will eventually find a good rhythm and cruising speed. Thats what worked for me as I started picking off swimmers here and there at the U turn towards the end of the swim.

Swimming in open water can be a suprisingly unnerving experience. Id defo recommend getting in say 30mins before the start for a bit of front crawl action behind the start line. You may find out things like just how cold the water can be on your forehead for example. BTW, if that happens and you start getting headaches, make sure to pull you swim cap to the bottom of your brow.

Good luck!

estariol

wear 2 swim hats! makes a huge difference.

gombeen99

Thanks for the replies guys, some good pieces of advice there. Can't wait for it now although hadn't thought about the coldness on my forehead - maybe I'll practice by walking around with an ice pack strapped to my forehead this evening!

dalkener

Done the sprint tri in Athy last year and the swim had me nervous beforehand.
Have to say it was one of the best things I ever did, the swim was great fun.
By the way, i'd do about 750metres in 20 minutes in the pool but done a time of 11mins at Athy last year, the current will just drag you down the river ;-)

Enjoy! I'm doing olympic this year :eek:

Genghis

OP, to answer your question - there are plenty of places in Athy where you would find the depth low enough to stand up. HOWEVER, there are plenty of places where it won't be.

My advice to you is not to plan to stop, for the simple reason that if you go to put your foot down and find it deeper than you expect, this can induce panic and put you in danger.

I have swum that stretch of river probably 30 times in all conditions and flows. Doing the Sprint race, which is all downstream, you will be carried ablong by the flow, and you will have more bouyancy than you are used to in the pool. Both factors combined with the confidence you have from your pool training and you should be saying to yourself 'I'm not going to stop'. As others have posted, stay behind your wave start, take it easy at the start, settle into it and you will be finished in no time.

Best of luck!

griffin100

Some tips that I've been given and found useful:

1. You'ill be so buoyant with the wetsuit on that you won't need to stand up for a rest, if you stop swimming you'ill just bob up and down in the water - just stay towards the back / side of the other swimmers if you're going to do this.
2. I always wear a second cheap thin swim hat under my race hat as this helps me keep warm
3. The water will be cold and dark - expect this. One post that I remember reading last year before my first open water swim was from HM who mentioned having a panic attack before every ow swim. That made me feel a lot better and when I had my wtf am I doing here moment during my first swim I didn't panic (too much)
4. Make sure you're goggles fit and are not leaking before the day of the race
5. Make sure you sight regularly otherwise you end up swimming a lot further than you need
6. Relax, don't froget your technique and don't forget to breath!

makker

When i did it last year I was able to stand with head above water at all points i had to put my feet down, which was about 6-7 times. The only place that looked deep was under the bridge, my advice would be to take a break before you get to the bridge and then make a final push as it was dark and cold under there.

DrMicrobe

Hi Lads,
REading these posts im a bit relieved.
This is my first open water swim in my first triathalon and my first time wearing my swimsuit. I can comfortably swim 500 metres in a pool (with baggy trunks) without stopping-and do some more laps as a cool down. Do I given the fact that I will be wearing the swimsuit and moving with the current do i need to be worried?? Im doing the SwimAthy practice this weekend also. Im from Athy and looking at the current it looks pretty strong given all the rain of late! Do I need my armbands???:):):)

Genghis

makker wrote: »

When i did it last year I was able to stand with head above water at all points i had to put my feet down, which was about 6-7 times. The only place that looked deep was under the bridge, my advice would be to take a break before you get to the bridge and then make a final push as it was dark and cold under there.

I certainly would not agree with your analysis that the only deep spot is under the bridge and that the river is 'at all points' shallow enough to stand with head over water. You could well have been lucky, or maybe you are 7 feet tall (;)).

There are deep pockets right through the course, and the water levels right now are higher than last year (could be lower come race day, though).

The SwimAthy is a brilliant way to familiarise yourself with the swim and obliterate any OW swim fears.

liamo

Genghis wrote: »

the water levels right now are higher than last year (could be lower come race day, though).

That's what I heard today from someone who was passing through yesterday. He said the current was faster as well. Great news for the sprint competitors. Not so good news for the olympic distance competitors. I'll be looking for a nice big swimmer to draft off for the final 375m.

Clum

liamo wrote: »

I'll be looking for a nice big swimmer to draft off for the final 375m.

I'll try to get in behind you for that! Not a fan of up-stream swimming.

Highway_To_Hell

Clum wrote: »

I'll try to get in behind you for that! Not a fan of up-stream swimming.

At the Dublin Tri last year due to strong currents the upstream ending section (100/200 mts) of the swim was removed at the last minute. If the current is really strong in the interest of safety they might move the start upstream a few hundred meters. - I presume the Athy Swim this weekend will be a good indicator of conditions. Can anyone who is doing the swim this weekend report back on conditions. Thanks

DrMicrobe

Highway_To_Hell wrote: »

At the Dublin Tri last year due to strong currents the upstream ending section (100/200 mts) of the swim was removed at the last minute. If the current is really strong in the interest of safety they might move the start upstream a few hundred meters. - I presume the Athy Swim this weekend will be a good indicator of conditions. Can anyone who is doing the swim this weekend report back on conditions. Thanks

Will do!! If im still alive and havent floated all the way to Waterford estuary!!!!:):):):)

boomdocker

your wetsuit is basically a flotation device so no need to worry, if you need a rest just float.

as a matter of fact if your wetsuit is any good you will probably have difficulty forcing your legs down to stand up...

gombeen99

nope my wetsuit isn't any good...the same one I use for surfing (yes, I'll hang my head in shame). I should be ok though if the current is strong, I can just surf it! This is my first season of triathlons so I don't want to spend big bucks until I've done a few first. I won't be going for 1st place just yet! I'll be happy just to finish the swim, then I'll actually enjoy the cycle & run.

911sc

boomdocker wrote: »

as a matter of fact if your wetsuit is any good you will probably have difficulty forcing your legs down to stand up...

well, not really IMO. I have a Zoot Zenith and i have no problem standing up in the water.

Andrewf20

I did my tri in an Oneil epic wetsuit from my surfing trips. I had no bother with it.

boomdocker

well, not really IMO. I have a Zoot Zenith and i have no problem standing up in the water.

guess thats the difference between having 3mm and 5mm on the front panels then...

911sc

What a day! could not have been sunnier. Well organised. Thank you to all organisers/volunteers.
I swam the 1500m which was entirely downstream as the current was too strong to do the intended course. Though, they think that by next week the water level will have dropped, and therefore the swim will be 1100m down and 400m upstream. Temperature of the water was 13degres at 11:30 and 15degres celsius at 16:30. Very enjoyable. So I also swam the 750m.
Water visibility was close to 0 and very brown. It felt like swimming in chocolate (though i have never done this!).
I felt like a hippo going into the water as the start of this downstream 1500m was so muddy! Start of 750m (which will also be start of 1500m next week for triathlon)was actually better as there is a slip for launching boats and a small dock, so easy to get into the water, swim to the start line (25m away upstream) and go.

DrMicrobe

911sc wrote: »

What a day! could not have been sunnier. Well organised. Thank you to all organisers/volunteers.
I swam the 1500m which was entirely downstream as the current was too strong to do the intended course. Though, they think that by next week the water level will have dropped, and therefore the swim will be 1100m down and 400m upstream. Temperature of the water was 13degres at 11:30 and 15degres celsius at 16:30. Very enjoyable. So I also swam the 750m.
Water visibility was close to 0 and very brown. It felt like swimming in chocolate (though i have never done this!).
I felt like a hippo going into the water as the start of this downstream 1500m was so muddy! Start of 750m (which will also be start of 1500m next week for triathlon)was actually better as there is a slip for launching boats and a small dock, so easy to get into the water, swim to the start line (25m away upstream) and go.

Hi All.
Great day yesterday-everybody I spoke to yesterday was really friendly and helpful giving tips to an 1st time OW swimmer!! Current was pretty strong-as I did the 750m i have no complaints!!! Think everybody did the 750 swim in less than 10mins!! Visibility was 0. I was unable to see my hand on front of my face-and so swam most of it with with my head above the water!! Really bad idea but swimming with your face in the water would be the equivalent of swimming with your eyes closed!!! Gained a bit of confidence for next weeks swim!! Anybody got any tips about how to swim in water in such poor visibility? I was thinking of just keeping my eyes closed and sighting 10 strokes or so!!!! Really freaked out with all the grit and soli in the water!!!

911sc

DrMicrobe wrote: »

Anybody got any tips about how to swim in water in such poor visibility? I was thinking of just keeping my eyes closed and sighting 10 strokes or so

As you are swimming in a river, hence banks on each side, you can actually sight each time your breathe, being on the left or right. Start in the middle, and keep equi-distance on each side...that's the fastest line to finish (in the context of a downstream swim).

911sc

Swim Athy 2009 photos are here

kevin7

Just a word of encouragement for anyone whose first triathlon might be next week in Athy - visibility and current in the river was fine for last year's Triathy. After the deluge of rain that fell in the 2 weeks before yesterday's swim, the river was muddier and higher. Not much rain forecast for the rest of this week, so I'd imagine the mud will settle down and the current will ease off.

Highway_To_Hell

For those worried about the depth, during yesterdays swim I had a goggle malfunction and had to stop a few times and most times I was able to stand and was not out of my depth (I am only 5'8").

911sc

911sc wrote: »

Swim Athy 2009 photos are here

Photos have been removed from the SwimAthy website. Strange:(

chelleflife

Thanks for all the tips!

Also a novice triathlete - Athy on Sat will be my first! I didnt get to do the swim at the weekend - unfortunaltey I had to go to Edinburgh to the Leinster match! - but my friend did it and was very reassured by it. She did say the wetsuit feels a bit clostrophopic at first and takes some getting used to, so Im gonna have a dip in the sea this evening to break mine in. I also heard it was a particularly fast current and is more than likely going to be slower on Sat. Great news is the weather is going to be around 22 degrees! (Suits us sprinters starting a little later in the day!)

This is probably too late for Sat, but FYI I got an entry level tri Orca S2 wetsuit online for €108 on wiggle.co.uk - took under a week to arrive from the UK - no postage chages. I was taking a chance ordering online without trying the size (and I got it wrong on the first attempt) but second time lucky. Its not the top of the range but for €108 it absolutely does the job for a first timer - especially as it has the lighter, more flexible material under the arms and shoulder for better movement.

I have to say, as a novice Im very impressed with all the tips and info TriAthy give in their electronic newsletters. And I found watching the videos of the course reassuring too...it wont all be brand new to me on the day. But the more tips the better so keep em coming! Anything to get me over that finishline before Sunday!

Good luck everyone! Have a brilliant day!

DrMicrobe

Hi There,
I was down in Athy this morning and the current is not as strong as it was last weeked:(:( but still plan to get down the 750m in less than 12 mins!!! The organisers are really friendly and have always responded to my silly emails!! Also my first triathalon-im in the very last wave of the day at 6pm (I was hoping to be drunk by that time:):)) so hopefully evrybody wont have gone home by the time we finish!! Do people generally hang around to watch the last wave or will we cross over the line to the aplause of 1 man and his dog!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

Best of luck everybody!!!!

hunnymonster

just a word on standing up in rivers (not in Athy in particular, just generally), If you can't see the bottom clearly, be wary of standing up. I know a couple of people who have stood on glass in the River Lee. Last thing you want is open cuts in a river (weils disease and all that nasty jazz).

griffin100

For the swim in the canal last week in Kilcock it was quite easy to stand but when someone mentioned dead puppies and kittens nobody seemed keen to touch the bottom.

mloc123

I wondered why it felt so squigy..