Wetsuit Strippers?
1488
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1318 days
brittda posted 1 year ago.
I have only seen strippers at an IM length---nothing at local sprints .....I dont personally wear a wetsuit for shorter distances.
736
Member
808 days
Red5 posted 1 year ago.
Use them, it's much quicker.
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Bryan
Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
1125
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897 days
UFTriGator posted 1 year ago.
Red5;64937 wrote:
Use them, it's much quicker.
+1.....there's no reason not to use them if they're there. I've never seen them at anything shorter than HIM, though. Even the national championship didn't have them last year.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
169
Member
659 days
solidad posted 1 year ago.
I'd use them if they are there. If not, cooking spray around the ankles works. Pull the sleeves off as you run to T1 to get you half way there....
Any other suggetsed products?
173
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813 days
wesmeyer11 posted 1 year ago.
body glide on the wrists and ankles works as well. Use them - it is a hell of a lot faster - I am guessing about 5 - 10 seconds even.
2726
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1280 days
Anton posted 1 year ago.
Body glide..neck ,ankles, wrists. You don't smell like dinner and there is some debate as to the cooking spray degrading the suit over time.
A stripper can have the suit off you in two seconds. (no exaggeration)...providing you are set up right.
As soon as can stand to get out of the water,pull your zipper cord.
Push up your goggles.
Peel the suit off your arms and torso.
Push the suit down below your bum.
Get to an unoccupied stripper.
Sit on the ground in front of them and stick your legs in the air.
They grab and pull and will often give you a hand up.
Grab your suit and head off to T1 removing your cap and goggles on the way.
TIMING CHIP UNDER THE WET SUIT! (not yelling,just making a strong point) I have seen folks put the chip on the outside of the wetsuit leg and when the stripper pulls...the chip goes flying.
Have seen 'em at HIM and IM...but who knows, as more people go to smaller races and demand more for their bucks you might see em...would make cold water sprints faster!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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fittycent posted 1 year ago.
Thanks for the replies - I'll give them a try.
3337
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1324 days
RV posted 1 year ago.
Yup use them - also interesting to see how far the wetsuit will stretch with an aggressive wetsuit stripper. Just keep an eye on your chip - that it doesn't come off. I actually taped around the velcro to be sure it would be there all day.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
398
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1112 days
TBRAVO posted 1 year ago.
Anton has great advice. In my first few races I would run all the way to T1 before I tried to take my wetsuit off. By that time the water was mostly drained out and it was really hard to take off. The sooner you can get your wetsuit off the easier and quicker it is.
Just make sure that whatever you are wearing under your wetsuit is securely fastened…you don’t want to accidentally flash a stripper and get hauled off to jail! :eek:
- T
277
Member
768 days
djrez4 posted 1 year ago.
I must have had crappy strippers at my last race. I was faster through the transition than everyone who stopped to use them. I had my suit stripped to the waist within 10 seconds out of the water and finished when I got to my bike. No problem!
As for the timing chip, they gave us craptastic straps, so I used an extra safety pin on mine. It frustrated the hell out of the nice lady at the finish who tried to help me take it off. :D
-Dave
173
Member
813 days
wesmeyer11 posted 1 year ago.
this may be obvious - but start removing the top of your wetsuit first right after you get out of the water - this gives the strippers the arms to grab onto and then they can easily get the wetsuit off. You may also want to have a few dollar bills handy...oh wait, wrong strippers.
736
Member
808 days
Red5 posted 1 year ago.
In regards to tactical Body Glide placement, not only hit your ankles, but also the top of your feet, the back of your calves, the front of your thighs. All this will aid in the rapid removal of the suit, stripper or not.
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Bryan
Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
325
Member
1605 days
jeslol posted 1 year ago.
Nothing wrong with using them. The elite crew won't bother with them. The strippers will make you get down and sit on your butt to peel off the suit. For some this takes longer than doing it yourself.
If I can get someone to unzip me, that's all I really need. I use a two piece and I can have the top off and the bibs rolled down over my rear by the time I get to the transition. Quick dance to peel the legs off and I'm done.
Red's race report mentions wetsuit strippers (or lack thereof) and it made me wonder if any of you have an opinion about their helpfulness...
Most people seem to take advantage of them, but I've heard others recommend running right past them and taking the suit off yourself. My first race with a wetsuit is very soon and I'm undecided about my strategy in this regard. I've only swum once with my wetsuit (it's got full length arms and legs) and it took me about two minutes to take it off, although I wasn't taking it off as fast as possible.
So, which do you do?