One of the most common myths (and perhaps biggest fears) in triathlon is that you need to be an excellent swimmer in order to compete or even complete a race. While this is partly true, it’s not entirely true.
True: you do need to be able to swim to take part in triathlon. It would be incredibly stupid to think that you could just rock up to an event without any prior ability to swim at all.
False: you have to be an excellent swimmer to complete the event, or even compete at the top end of your age group (or pro field).
Let’s start by talking about swimming as a sport. Of the three sports that make up triathlon, it’s the most technique focussed and therefore the most difficult to do well at. If you put more power out during a bike or run workout you will usually end up moving faster. With swimming, if you start trying to power through your stroke, you will find that you create a lot more splash, end up very out of breath, and don’t actually move any faster.
That being said, swimming is also (mercifully) the shortest of the triathlon disciplines. If you can minimise your losses in the swim as much as you can, there’s a chance that over the bike and run portions you can claw back that time, and even make up more time. An additional bonus of being a slightly slower swimmer, and better on the bike and run, is that you spend a large amount of your ride time overtaking people, which is a huge boost to your ego!
If you look at the professionals, a lot of the front pack and lead swimmers have been swimming for years. Lucy Charles-Barclay is undoubtedly the most prominent example, having narrowly missed out on selection for the Olympics before switching to triathlon. However other excellent swimmers who usually lead out the swim include Andrew Horsfall-Turner and Stephanie Clutterbuck, both of whom have had eye-wateringly quick splits in the water this year, and both of whom were competitive national swimmers well into their late teens or early twenties. Swimming is a sport that does take a lot of practice, and those who started in childhood, like those mentioned above, do have a distinct advantage. That being said, the likes of Laura Phillip and Kat Matthews, neither of whom would be considered front pack swimmers, have both shown that you can become a fairly decent swimmer later in life with a bit of effort.
So what about the professionals who make it work without being a front pack swimmer? There are, as a matter of fact, plenty to choose from to give hope to those who find themselves willing the swim to be over. Sam Long, The Big Unit, has been very open about his struggles with swimming, and yet this year alone he has already claimed two Ironman 70.3 victories. Daniela Kleiser, famous for her superb run form, has managed a string of top five results this season in some very competitive fields, despite being more of a land athlete. Fan favourite Lionel Sanders is another athlete who would be considered a chase pack swimmer, yet has countless victories and podiums to his name. Danielle Lewis won an emphatic victory at Ironman Lake Placid last year, and Leon Chevalier has managed two top 5 finishes in the World Championships.
In short, yes, you need to be able to swim the distance in the required time to complete a triathlon. A fast swim time would also set you up nicely for the rest of your day. But it certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t be competitive in the sport if swimming is not your forte. Remember, it’s about who gets to the finish line first, not who comes out of the water first!