I found a Masters group about 2 months before my first race. I was able to swim the 400 without a problem after just a couple sessions. The next month, I swam an 800 in another sprint. No reason to suffer when there are options out there.

It is ok to swim it however you need to, would rather have you do that than sink.

I was about a month out from my race when I started swimming for the first time, I mean how hard is it to swim half a mile:). When I made it 35 yards in the pool, my first swim workout, before I had to stand up gasping for breath, I decided to have my wife who was a competitive swimmer come along, and within 25 minutes, I was able to swim so much better. I had no difficulty swimming the entire race distance.

The biggest thing that will help any beginning swimmer in my opinion is to get a 2nd persons perspective on what you are doing when you swim and how best to fix it. I found that you can become a much better swimmer very quickly with just a little bit of outside help.

I saw a lady doing elemental back stroke for her sprint tri. (that's the one with a breast stroke type kick and you make sort of a t with your arms).

I've seen breast stroke, backstroke - pretty much everything but sidestroke. I'm just coming up on my second season, but I think I've seen more swim variety as I tend towards more beginner friendly races.

I'm sure whatever stroke you do will be fine. Good luck!

I swam twice before my first sprint (maybe 300m all added up) and it was "suggested" by the sag wagon canoe that maybe walking wasn't the best idea in the swim leg...I definitely doggie paddled a lot of it...when I wasn't walking that is!

yep, I swam for about 6 months prior to my first sprint, but still wasn't over my general anxiety w/water and had no open water practice. So, I freaked, hyperventilated basically, couldn't sight and ended up way off course, didn't listen to the race director and headed for the wrong buoy, had to stop and tread water just to get my bearings. Basically made every mistake possible, all due to being psyched out. Physically I was ready, but it didn't matter. The real problem with all of this was the rest of the race. I was totally cashed for the bike and the run. I couldn't really move the next day, was bloated, couldn't eat. It's really sort of embarassing looking back. Bottom line, its better to relax and swim 4 minutes/100 meters than it is to spaz like i did.

Well, I spazzed like every other race. Completed my first 50 in about 35-40 secs and then was totally gassed. So somewhere around the mid point I converted to the breast stroke for 1/2 a lap.

Others where hanging on the side of the pool and others doing the doggie paddle, backstroke, and rudimentary form of simply trying to stay afloat.

Expect to be a bit freaked out after your first 200-300 yards in your first open water swim. I'm a great pool swimmer, and it happened to me (I was expecting it, even after a few practice swims of 800 yards in open water). In the first race, I think there are so many psychological things going on about the race itself, then you add in the "can't see anything, don't know where I"m going, people are kicking me" parts of the race, and it's a recipe for freak out. Expect it and have a plan, which could be as simple as treading water long enough to get your bearings. It felt like my wetsuit was crushing my chest and the dumb swim cap was squeezing my brains out (I've since gotten a bigger wetsuit which helps but doesn't solve the problem). I turned over and did the back stroke to get my bearings while continuing forward.

Tips: Start on the side or back of the pack and take your time. Make sure your wetsuit isn't too tight (but it should be tight). Have goggles you trust. Take your time. Swim whatever stroke you need to keep moving forward. Practice siting.

Bottom line: expect to freak out a bit and do what you have to do to calm down and take your time. There a lot of newbies in nearly all races.

Good luck. It gets easier every time you're in open water.

oh, got all kinds of wiped out and ended up breast stroking about 2/3 of the 1000 yd swim in a pool (but I made it)! find a masters group, will do wonders for your swimming.

I've seen people [b]walk[/b] the swim. OK, pool swims, and I think USAT ammended to rules to put the kaibash on that. And one year at Ironstar in Lake Conroe (Texas) the water level was so low people were touching bottom on their strokes so they stood up and walked (~100m). Use the google search in the upper-right-hand of this page and search for "swim freak out" and you'll see tons of other threads re: this.

Y, a search will turn up a lot of first race reports about the first swim. I was in the category of "guy who THOUGHT he had little fear of anything," had certainly prepared for the distance in the pool, and then was reduced to bobbing around in the lake and not sure if he could get back in by a freak out during my first swim. I wrote up a long post about it and there were lots of similar stories posted in reply.

Hyperventalated in my 1st tri and last year in my 3rd season. I breast-stroked until I calmed down. After the second experience I started getting in the water early for a pretty long warm up. It takes away all the anxiety for me.

My first tri was in a 60F lake. I had been swimming for 3 months prior so I figured I was ready. Felt great for about 30 seconds, freaked, couldn't breathe, and ended up doing the elementary backstroke for most of it. Finally calmed down enough to try freestyling to the beach only to hyperventilate so I'm completely dizzy and lost when I get to dry land. My fiance had to direct me to the transition area because I was lost and running sideways.

Good times :-)