Swimrun 101: Swimrun Gear
Welcome to episode 176 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!
Welcome to the latest drop in our ad hoc Swimrun 101 series. This edition is all about Swimrun gear. We will break down the essential pieces of the Swimrun kit and give you our latest thinking on what you need to have a great Swimrun experience in both training and racing. While we can literally talk about this stuff forever, we will do our best (no promises) to keep it to our best wisdom nuggets.
Gear are the most common questions that we get in our inbox and DMs. We figured that we should put all of our advice on gear in one place and here we are. Without further ado, here is our gear breakdown. Make sure to check out our website for way more details on all things gear.
Goggles:
Use whatever open water goggles tickle your fancy. Optimize for goggles designed for open water since that’s what you’ll be swimming in during Swimruns.
Pull Buoy:
Use one. Use as large a buoy as you can handle. Use one in training and racing. We love the Ark Sports Keel series of pull buoys but there are a bunch of brands making mondo pull buoys for Swimrun.
Swim Paddles:
This is a very nuanced topic but we recommend using paddles for Swimrun. We have an entire episode dedicated to this that we recommend that you listen to for our best thinking on swim paddles.
Wetsuits:
We would argue that this is the most important piece of the Swimrun kit and the one worth spending some money on to help ensure that you have a positive Swimrun experience in training and racing.
We know that we usually say that you can use an old triathlon wetsuit and keep it very economical for your first Swimrun. But it’s been pointed out to us that folks doing that these days is pretty unrealistic. So our new blanket advice on wetsuits is to, at the very least, rent, borrow, or buy an entry level wetsuit for training for your first race. Lots of places to do that but at this point there are a lot of good/great entry level suits that won’t break the bank…plus all those free sources are still in play.
Check out our gear talk episode on wetsuits for way more detail on the subject.
Undergarments:
The one item that we definitely recommend is using a Kangaroo top/bra for storage. Several brands make these now and some come with added thermal qualities for cold races.
This is another area where it’s very individualized and a lot of room for nuance. Make sure to check out our Gear Talk episode all about Swimrun undergarments.
Socks:
Our advice is pretty straight forward here. Use thin, high polyester content, thin, low water absorption/retention socks and you should be fine. We prefer knee high socks for a tiny bit of insulation but mostly for protection from nicks and scratches from transitions, foliage, wild life?
Shoes:
Our blanket statement still applies here from our original Gear Talk episode about shoes. See what trail shoes you already have in your stable that might fit the bill and Swimrun in those to start. Fitting the bill would be ones that have good grip, drain well, and don’t get waterlogged.
Miscellaneous Gear:
Finally, there are a lot of little bits/miscellaneous gear that rounds out the Swimrun kit. Here’s a list of items we consider essential:
Tether (teams only)
Collapsible Cup
Soft Flask
Strong hair ties
Waterproof storage for electrolyte tabs/keys/etc.
We hope that you find this info helpful as you embark (or continue) on your Swimrun journey. One of the beauties of this sport is that there is no one right way to do anything and there’s plenty of room for exploration and testing. Embrace that beauty but keep track of what the majority of teams are doing and you’ll get your kit sorted out.
Enjoy!
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That’s it for this week’s show.
If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star rating and review since that’s the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.
Thanks for listening and see you out there!
- Chip and Chris