Posts Member

Have never rented a wetsuit only, only from friends.

If you have a local triathlon store nearby, go and try them on for size. Maybe they have rentals as well. Wetsuits vary in size from brand to brand. The last thing you want to do is get a wetsuit doesn't fit properly. Yes, sizing is crucial. I had a wetsuit once that I thought was the right size but when I was in the water there was this big pocket of water inside the wetsuit on my back. Besides, you might want a sleeveless on if it's a bit warm.

Practice, practice, practice. I do not recommend wearing a wetsuit the day of the race if you have never worn one. The good wetsuits are skin tight and some people have issues with something that might be that tight and swimming in them. You need to get use to it. Besides, you should practice taking it off, not always that easy. I was at a triathlon this past weekend and a friend bought a new wetsuit. She spent 5 minutes trying to get it off because the legs were a bit too long, a big waste of time and frustrating.

I have a swimming back ground and in the begining I said I would never wear a wetsuit but I do because they do help. I don't race without one now.

Tough call.

Best of luck!

Posts Member

This is the kind of post we need more of: concise questions everyone can benefit from (not "what kind of bike should I get"?) with plenty of context so we can provide useful answers and/or opinions.

Not flawed, just full of pee. Notice on race morning all the people stuffed into neoprene standing ankle deep in the water. What are they doing?

And it is possible that the suit will not fit perfectly. But since you've apparently never worn one before, you won't know the difference. They aren't that comfortable anyways. It is worth the bet though to rent. When I started long-course, renting wasn't an option. I bought a $300 Orca and have used it twice.

Fixed it for you.

Minutes? You will unmistakingly feel an immediate effect on your swimming. Rest assured you will feel like you are wearing a cork suit. Especially the legs. They just float, thus saving you from using your legs very much at all. Hopefully the benefit of this is obvious. How much time it will save depends on what you think your time would be without one. If you are a 40-minute guy, then maybe 90-120 seconds better. That's just a guess. If you are a sub-30 guy, then maybe just a few seconds. When the pros get out of the water in Kansas in :22, they could do :22 (give or take) with/without a suit.

But just as important is that the wet suits makes swimmming easier, thus saving energy. So the benefit isn't only on time, but in reduced energy expenditure. Finally, realize that for a lot of people who aren't experienced with wet suits, any time savings in the water is eaten up by how long it takes to get the damn things off. I don't think Ironman 70.3 events have 'strippers' (not THAT kind, fortunately or my T1 and T2 time would be terrible) so you have to do it yourself. And if you damage a rental suit, you pay for it.

Posts Member

Ah pee, now that's the type of insight I was looking for!

Thanks all for the replies, they were all helpful.

I'm going to give it a shot. What the hell, right, I've already made a sizable commitment, what’s another $50 (I think a poker player would call that pot odds)? If it works out, and my day goes that much more smoothly, it’ll be worth it. If one of the myriad of things that could possibly go wrong does…well, now I know to go ahead and pee in/on the suit before I send it back.

Steve