Andrea Fisher writes: A lot of people place themselves at the start of a triathlon in relationship to how fast they swim. The fastest swimmers always line up at the front, and the slower swimmers at the back. However there is a way to pick up some free speed during the swim, and it's all dependent on where you line up.

Think about how drafting works on the bike. If you are in the draft zone of another cyclist you can save up to 30% of your energy expenditure but 'sucking wheel'. (Now, I know none of you would ever do this in a draft free triathlon-it's only meant as an example... right?) Anyhow, you can do the same thing in the swim and it's absolutely legal!

Instead of lining up with other people who you know swim the exact same speed as you, or possibly even slower, try to place yourself so you are swimming with people who are a tiny bit faster. All you have to do is acknowledge that you will need to swim harder than usual during the first 200 to 500 meters, and then the pace will settle down. If you are swimming in the draft zone of a swimmer who is slightly faster then you will swim faster in the end. How? Because it's easier for you to swim fast in the draft of a faster swimmer, just like it is easier to ride fast in the draft of a faster cyclist. So instead of holding an average of say 1 min 30 sec per 100 meters, you could hold an average of 1 min 25 sec per 100 meters. Over the course of an Ironman distance swim that is a savings of 3.5 minutes! And all you needed to do was go out a tiny bit harder at the start and then hold on for the free speed!

Happy swimming and see ya'll at the races,
Andrea Fisher
"Fish"