How to break 2 minutes per 100m for triathlon swimming

Breaking the magical 2 minutes per 100m threshold for a long triathlon swim, such as an Ironman or Ironman 70.3, can seem like an impossible task. But with a few simple tweaks, it can be possible. Here’s what to consider.

First, if you are taking on a long-distance triathlon then chances are you will be wearing a wetsuit. Wetsuits give you buoyancy and a better body position. They are also hydrophobic, which means they help you slip through the water more easily – and therefore more quickly.

Choosing a flexible wetsuit

In the video which accompanies this article, triathlon coach Alan Ward helps experienced 70.3 athlete Michelle Farrow choose the right wetsuit for a faster swim.

Michelle has previously worn very thick, buoyant suits, but here tries a much thinner, more flexible wetsuit – The Hypex Pro from the new wetsuit range by Zoggs.

Having more flexibility allows Michelle to have more freedom as she swims – both in the extension through her body and also through her arms. “Extension is important and we need to maximise it,” says Alan. “Both pushing the water backwards, but also extending forwards”.

If you are a strong swimmer too, you may find you don’t need the buoyancy thicker wetsuits offer and in fact a more ‘free’ feeling suit will allow you to maximise your swimming.

Body position is key

Once in the right suit, Alan analysed Michelle’s body position. “Moving side-to-side will create drag and slow you down,” Alan says.

“Imagine putting your arm out of the car window. If your leg is coming out to the side as you swim it’s the same effect,”

A good way to look at this yourself is to swim in open water (in a safe space away from others!) without sighting and see if you swim in a straight line, or if you are snaking or veering off to one side.

Alternatively, ask a coach or club-mate to watch you swim and see if you are in fact swimming straight – and without any obvious splashy arms or legs correcting faults in your stroke!

Creating propulsion

If you have a perfect wetsuit and a good body position, then there’s one thing left – propulsion. The goal is to get good extension and then push the water straight back, using your hand and forearm.

Drills can help here. Some key ones you could try (and some of which Alan used with Michelle in our video) are:

• Single arm drill. Let one arm ‘float’ on the water in front of you and create propulsion by just using one arm. Don’t let it windmill – keep in your usual rhythm and just see how much power you can get through the one arm. Also, are you swimming straight? Imagine pushing the water back as if on a straight train track down the side of your body.
• Single arm drill with arm by the side. As above, but keep the other arm by your side. This prevents you leaning on the front arm and makes you work harder, so is a good progression.
• Try swimming with hand paddles. Only attach them to your hands with the central finger strap though, not the wrist straps. By doing this, you will have to get your hand into the optimum catch position – if you let it slip, the paddle will not catch the water and you’ll definitely feel it creating drag!
• Play with cadence and SWOLF… Try and find the sweet spot between strokes per minute and distance travelled. A tempo trainer can help with this.

In conclusion

Swimming under 2 minutes per 100m over longer swims is possible and if you’re an experienced athlete, there are a couple of things you can do.

Make sure your kit is up to the job first, with the right wetsuit to support your swim stroke,

Next, rule out anything obvious that is slowing you down or creating drag. From there, it’s about targeted training to increase propulsion. Good luck!