The inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe event, scheduled for Sunday 22 September 2013 and the first full-distance Ironman event in California since 2001, is rolling out the Ironman SwimSmart initiative.
In early May, Ironman brand owner World Triathlon Corp (WTC) announced the North American introduction of SwimSmart ‘to improve athlete satisfaction and reduce athlete anxiety during the swim portion of the race.’
According to WTC, the program has been lauded by triathlon experts. It has created several alternative swim start formats, pre-race/in-water warm-ups and a number of additions along the swim course including numbered course buoys, anchored resting rafts, increased professional swim course personnel and additional rescue boat and personal watercraft.
Thanks to the positive results and feedback from one of these initiatives, the new rolling starts that have been implemented recently at Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Lake Placid, the race organizers in California have decided to modify the start for Ironman Lake Tahoe next month.
“The rolling starts at the Coeur D’Alene and Lake Placid Ironman events have both received tremendous feedback,” said Tim Johnson, the swim director for many Ironman events in North America. “I saw this new format for myself in Lake Placid and it was so nice to see athletes getting into the water with people of their own ability and start swimming smoothly.
“I can honestly say I have never seen as many people swimming in the same direction with significantly reduced contact. I believe we have really helped calm peoples anxiety levels at these events, which has resulted in a safer swim and made for a more pleasurable experience.”
WTC notes that the numbers back Johnson’s observations. At last year’s events in Coeur d’Alene and Lake Placid, 84 athletes failed to finish the swim or meet the 2:20 cut-off time. This year that number was down to just 17 for the two events. While, in Lake Placid it took 12 minutes for the entire field of 2,500 athletes to enter the water.
There will be three start times for the athletes in Lake Tahoe: pro men at 06:25 PT, pro women at 06:30 and age group athletes at 06:35. The age group athletes will cross under a timing arch on the water’s edge at self-selected times based on their predicted swim finish time.
As the first full-distance Ironman event in California since 2001, Ironman Lake Tahoe saw registration fill in just 19 hours for the race on Sunday 22 September 2013. The inaugural race includes a swim in the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe, a bike course that winds its way up to Brockway Summit before descending and finishing in Squaw Valley, the home of the 1960 winter Olympics, all followed by a run along the Truckee River that includes one of the most scenic lake vistas in the world.
Ironman Lake Tahoe will be a P-2000 race with a US$75,000 professional prize purse. Additionally, the race will offer 50 age group slots to the 2014 Ironman World Championship taking place on 11 October 2014.
www.ironmanlaketahoeCA.com
www.ironman.com
