Sleeveless wetsuit for Beach to Battleship?

etrain17

I'm doing Beach to Battleship/nka IM North Carolina in October and my wetsuit is sleeveless. I'm looking for input from people who have done the race as to whether I can get by with just a sleeveless wetsuit or whether I'm going to need a full sleeve suit.

Any input regarding what brand of wetsuits Team IM members like-and places they can be picked up at a discount if possible-would also be appreciated. I hadn't realized what a financial drain an IM can be.

Thanks in advance for the input!

Mike Roberts

Hey Eric,

I'll be at IMNC with you. The water will be pretty cold - late October, Atlantic Ocean. If you have a tendency to get cold, you may very well "need" a full. Expensive sport, but you don't wanna DNF in T1 because of hypothermia. But if you do fine in cold water, you could be OK with sleeveless. Also depends on how long you plan to be in the water. :55 vs 1:23 is a huge exposure difference. If the tide favors us, could be a Choo-like fast swim. If against, could be a long slog.

I've got a 2009 top-of-the-line Zoot that serves no purpose that I'll send you for free if you're within striking distance of 5'10", 150lbs. It's slower than today's super-suits, but it'll keep you warm. If you prefer new or wanna go fast, you cannot beat the quality, service and (amazing) discounts offered by Xterra and Roka. I'm a Roka guy, but others love the Xterra. Look on the Team Discount page in the Store tab above.

MR

Edwin Croucher

Eric, I'm with Mike. I swim in Lake Ontario for my OWS. I started in May when the water temp was a little under 40 degrees. In my suit, I could swim one mile and then the cold started to hit me hard. When I got out, I would have 1 to 2 hours of uncontrollable shivering. I would often do a short run after to try and warm up. After a 3 mile run, I still could not feel my feet. The entry level Xterra is around $160 with our team discount. You will be much faster in a full than a sleeveless. The suit will last many races.

jfields74

I saw a number of people there 2 years ago with sleeveless but it was rather warm that year and the water temps were still in the 74 degree range. The year before though it was much cooler, upper 60's, I believe and the air temp which was a frosty 29 at race start. Based on our weather this year so far, a sleeveless very well may work. Our weather is so inconsistent that it's a total gamble until less than days from the race. I wouldn't chance it not being prepared. I invested in Desoto 2 piece to keep me from having to worry about which top to wear. I have a sleeveless and a full sleeve.

Mike Roberts

I looked up average water temps for Wrightsville Beach, so that you can make a more informed decision:

Race is on October 22.  

Between October 11-20, the average temp is 75.  

Between October 21-31, it's 71.  So, the race will occur during a time where water temps are falling pretty steadily.

How do current temps fare against average?  Typically, temps are 81 between July 21 and 31.  Today's temp is 79, so a little cooler than historical average.  But who knows what it'll be tomorrow or in October.

So, you're probably looking at a window of 69-76, with 72 or 73 being the most likely.  Just depends on a lot of stuff we can't control.  Low 70s, at least for me, can easily be done in a sleeveless.  But if it's legal, I go full because it's that much faster.

Paul Hough

Having just completed IM Switzerland in a marginally wetsuit legal 75.2 degrees with a full, I can tell you that I will never, ever race long course in water over 70 without a sleeveless again. Depending on how you heat up (or not) the speed advantage of a full isn't worth spit if you are zonked before you get out of the water. I was out of gas halfway through and thinking about how thirsty I was. I put down 3 x 20 oz bottles BEFORE 12 miles on the bike but it was too late...the damage was done. I knew I heat up like a nuclear furnace but listened to the prevailing wisdom which is wrong for me.

Pat Koss

In 2013 we wore wetsuits. It was 36 degrees air temp when we waited an hour on the point (so many humans in rubber suits huddled together to stay warm, but I digress) to enter the water. The water was in the 60's and so it felt great. So it can be really cold that time of year. Plus unless they changed things its a fairly long run to the changing tents. I'm with Edwin.

Oh, and watch out for Mary Lee.

etrain17

Thank you all for the insight. The collective wisdom of Team EN members is a great benefit of being part of the team-I really appreciate it! Mike, I really appreciate you generous offer. I'm a bit too tall I'm afraid. Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet down at IMNC.

Here in Lake Erie the temp is 75. Very comfortable in a sleeveless. But what Edwin and Pat said made me think of this years Cleveland Marathon-it was hailing/snowing out, and when I finished I was shivering uncontrollably for about 15 minutes. A lot of energy to waste before your first IM if it's cold out. I think I'll go full. An entry level XTerra sounds like a good fit.

Pat, nice to hear from you again.Mary Lee??

Pat Koss

A great white that is known to have been in the inlet. Happy swimming.

Ralph Moore

I raced that race in 2014 and all I have is a sleeveless suit, the swim was fine in a sleeveless suit. The most annoying part is standing around on the beach waiting for the start because there is little shelter so you tend to cool off, especially if you do a warm up swim and are wet. I took and old sweat shirt and just threw it away at the start because there is no place to leave it. The BEST thing was that Mariah rented a house that was all of 150 feet from the start so we could hang out there and stay warm before the swim. I would chat her up about getting that house if possible. Good Luck, it is a fun race.  As far as the run to the bikes, it is a bit longish but they set up warm showers which is nice if you stop long enough to have one (I did not).

Pat Koss

I have to agree.  that was a favorite race of mine too.

jreville

Eric - I've been out of town and so am a little late for this but wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I think you will be fine with a sleeveless in October. I plan to race in a sleeveless because I'm just as fast in a sleeveless and its easier on my shoulders for 2.4 miles. That being said I own a full sleeve and will have it just in case it gets really cold. I did IMLou last year in a sleeveless and the water temps were listed at 69. Felt great in the water.

In Wilmington there is a local sprint tri I've done 5 years in a row. It is usually the 3rd weekend in September. It has been wetsuit legal only once in those 5 years. It can cool off quick but I expect we'll see water temps in the low 70s on race day. I believe the one year it was cold, the race was actually the first weekend in Nov. The other thing to consider is if it does get cold quick the Roka guys usually have a booth at the IM expo and offer pretty good prices at the end of the year. Look forward to seeing you there.

etrain17

Thanks Jay, that's really good info. That may enable me to hold off on the full sleeve. I look forward to seeing you there as well. It looks like we won't be getting much of a tidal push this year, but I'm really glad I chose IMNC for my first full.