In Category 1 races, swimming matters most

In 2015, the Triathlon Ireland Category 1 Super Series proved how important the swim leg is at the elite level. The days when a strong biker or runner could have a bad swim and recover during the race are gone. To get out of the water minutes behind the fastest swimmers is to move from racing to taking part in the race. 

In previous seasons, it has been possible for the likes of Bryan McCrystal to turn up for a pedestrian swim, then put in a monster bike leg before completing the formality of the run leg and win races. In this way he became national champion. These days are gone. Strong bikers will still win races in middle and long distance events, but for shorter Category 1 events, they have had their day.

Draft legal triathlons require a super fast swim. If not, you miss the front group who will work together on the bike to put time on those still in transition or in the water. This change means we are now looking for truly all round triathletes. You must now be able to swim fast, be a strong biker and be a fast runner to have any chance of featuring in Category 1 races.

Existing triathletes hoping to compete in Category 1 need to work hard in the pool. They need to work to be able to swim at front group speed or there is little point taking part. Indeed, many of the Category races held in 2015 did not feature a large field of Category 1 triathletes because of this. The mandatory nature of 1015’s Category 1 list meant many triathletes went from racing National Series events where a bad swim or two was not a huge factor in a season, to a situation where it was not possible to have a bad swim in any race. This caused a degree of shock to many. Indeed, many Category 1 triathletes would prefer to return to racing National Series. To those willing to race Category 1 in 2016, it is going to mean a lot more time focusing on improving the swim leg, especially on coping with fast starts.

The importance of the swim leg raises three points:

1.    Younger triathletes, especially those who are sponsored and/or are on teams, who can train in the pool up to seven days a week, have an advantage over other triathletes who are trying to retain a life/work/training balance. The podium places at most Category 1 events have mostly featured triathletes who are still in their teens or early 20s. How can Triathlon Ireland address the fact that many Cat 1 triathletes cannot put in the hours required for the swim leg and are not training in clubs where there is anyone else with who to train at the speeds required? Some clubs have a number of Category 1s, others have one or none. Perhaps training camps are needed to address the imbalance.

2.    Triathlon Ireland is yet to accept that triathletes whose swimming ability simply cannot cope with the speeds required to compete effectively at Category 1 (e.g. older triathletes who cannot learn new tricks) should not be forced to be Category 1 triathletes. Triathlon Ireland has made it mandatory for them to compete in Category 1, but they are only taking part. These are, in most cases, excellent bikers and runners, good enough to feature in National Series events in which they are excluded from the competition. Is it fair to retain triathletes in Category 1 just so they can make up the numbers? If this continues, these triathletes will end up racing National Series events anyway with no points. Perhaps it is time to have Category 1 and Category 2 triathlete categories. They could take part in the same race, but Category 2s would actually be in a race category they can be competitive in.

3.    It has become harder to fall into triathlon and find you can complete at the elite level nationally. Good club runners and cyclists are, for the most part, just not good enough swimmers. For this reason we must look to swimming clubs to find the next generation of triathletes. We need swimmers who can bike and run. Not bikers or runners who can learn how to complete a decent swim leg.