Every time it’s the same old story. Both when we find ourselves on the starting blocks by the pools, both if we’re in the open water before a triathlon, the start is what scares us the most and therefore is also what our competition depends on the most.
I don’t think that there is any one of us that, at least once, hasn’t found ourselves terrified thinking about the possibility of a false start while waiting for the start pistol. Today I’ll tell you about a swim-start that’s even more terrifying: that of the open water.
During my first open water competition, I knew it wouldn’t have been easy: I had seen numerous photos and videos of the start which looked like a school of tuna or when a large group of animals are herded into a small cage. When the starting pistol went off, a huge “herd” of athletes were pushed by a huge force and seemed to be moving in a synchronised manner almost as if the movement was a chain reaction from one athlete to another.
I have to admit that imagining myself in a situation like that didn’t exactly make me enthusiastic. It scared me and I feared that I wouldn’t be able to swim amidst the confusion of that magnitude. The situation becomes even more dreadful when thinking of a triathlon where it’s…
