Thanks for recap. This was my first 70.3. I’m a strong ocean swimmer and expected to finish the swim in about 33-35 min. I got out in 57 min and couldn’t process what was going on. Serious brain freeze during the swim and disoriented up the exit ramp. My Garmin hit 52.6 deg F on the turn around. Had no idea I was swimming against the Gulf Stream. Three guys I raced with were DNF. Brutal swim, brutal conditions. 1700 registered for the race. 1110 finished. 35% DNF rate can’t be normal for something like this.
I am a two time IM...only DNF I had in a TRI was the 101 in Lake County 33 percent DNF due to heat...I was the last to give up. Had a current issue in the Xtreme Man (a half IM) delay of start put us against a very strong Long Island Sound out going current...even the pros had very slow times.
I am confused.....you are not very clear as to what happened. I have done many Ironman triathlons. Was it the current? Why this year and not in the past? I think the race organizers were not in top of this?
I was there, finished the swim in 1:06 (expected low-to-mid :40’s). My watch had the water temp at a 52.5 degree average. Your description is accurate and your imagery captured the vibe. The sheer panic and yelling of some of the swimmer on the course is something I’ll never forget. I emailed Ironman my concerns on Monday but no response as of today, social media is a better platform for calling these things out so thank you for taking the time to create and post this!
Dude thank you for posting this! I was there racing with friends. It was WILD. Jammed down to the turnaround and then turned the corner right into a wall of current and got carried into the pile of people that got pushed toward the moored boats but fought like hell and eventually made it to that first upstream buoy. So many people were losing their shit so once I had 2 fingers on the buoy I tried to help some others get their hand holds too. I remember seeing a bunch of people grabbing at a paddle board and the boarder was yelling “get off you’re gonna flip it over!” and I just kept thinking “what a shitshow” I hope they have enough guards and nobody drowns. I eventually continued on but it was like an all-out sprint to the next buoy and the next. For context, I’ve done full IM France-Nice swim in 1:21. I was planning to do the swim in 40-42min, and self-seeded with a friend in the 45-50min start group. I ended up finishing that f%@king swim in 1:37. Longer than the full I did. GNARLY. But there was no way I was gettin pulled out. Then I got out of the water actually amped for the bike and run like f@&k it lets DO this! and then they pulled my chip right on the exit ramp saying I missed the cutoff time. I was like “are you KIDDING me??” It was garbage that they didn’t let people continue if they wanted to. Other than being pissed the whole time during the swim about how irresponsible it was to set the swim time at the start of flood tide, physically I felt great and wasn’t even cold when I got out. Know I would’ve EASILY made the bike cutoff. Looking back though after emotions calmed down I’m just really glad no one f@&king died.
Don't blame Morro Bay. As a local, I can tell you, this is how it is in the bay. Should have been timed at slack tide. But even so, if there was a very high and low tide that day, the flow would have been gnarly. We're sad to see Ironman go, but it apparently isn't a good venue for the event. Contestants, if trained in open ocean and surf, may have had an easier time outside the bay that day. Us locals are bummed and sorry it was such a blowout. Non-triathlete here. Best wishes for a better venue next year.💪
I am not a "competitive swimmer" but was a rescue swimmer. This is so dangerous to not ensure racers have the correct suit for the water. At this point, if i remember correctly, this is dry suit temperature. Absolutely irresponsible.
The start time was off - 1 hour later would’ve had them swimming in slack tide with almost no current whatsoever. I was a swim support volunteer in a canoe helping pull them from the water.
The Ironman company's various owners have nearly never taken responsibility for these kinds of things. It's not their fault that there was such a high dnf rate, but decisions in venues, timing, etcetera, seem to be all money-based and with little forethought towards circumstances such as what happened here.
good commentary and video of the swim. thankfully i didn't sign up for this year's race ;-) but did volunteer as a kayaker....felt really bad for so many first timers that hung onto the kayak until they could be taken out by boat or jet ski. the turn around buoy was at one of the deepest and more narrow points of the bay so the incoming tide was like a freight train through that point. i was finding it difficult to stay with a swimmer who was determined to keep going....but he was going absolutely nowhere and, in fact, we were both just barely making forward progress. yes, it was quite a day. nothing but huge kudos to all who gave their best effort and to those who finished!
I was part of a really and only did the swim. Last year my time was 35 min, this year 67 min. When she said “I’ve never had to dig deeper” I felt that. I’m a seasoned swimmer and that was tough.
I’m a sailor, and we have to deal with the same current issues, it’s a much bigger deal than people think. Not only does it slow you down, but you can’t even slow down to take a break because you’ll start to go backwards. Demoralizing and dangerous
Not to make light of some comments or attitudes about this but let's not overlook the fact that...PEOPLE COULD HAVE DIED!!..I'm sure there were some people in the water that were definitely thinking that. We have all had an incident in open water where something has gone wrong, a cramp, exhaustion, when that feeling of "uhoh, I'm in trouble" hits, it's already too late. "Footage of a kayak not moving"...If rescue boats can't get to the swimmers??..what happens? Sounds like Morrow Bay got very lucky with no deaths. They were ill prepared for this situation. Someone made a bad decision in the name of "business" and will lose their future responsibilities and rightfully so. Most of us aren't full-time trainers that do this for a living, it is a hobby and a passion. They recklessly put people in harm's way. SMH...Morrow Bay will be removed from the racing venue.
Yes, I had at Fargo Marathon in 2014 where we had 80 Degrees and 80--90% humidity where I was almost hit/killed by a ambulance in a skinny reroute area of a race becuase a guy in his mid/late 50's--early 60's almost died forcing himself to keep up with 4 hour group or becuse group was slowing down jus faster hen 4 hour group. Dumb part is other guy he ran in long sleeve 1/2 zip a black and red color tech thing we got for doing full distance and was made of a thicker tech material and he wore black compression shorts. Now dumb part is at 10th anniversary of Mickelson Deadwood Marathon and 1/2 Marathon in 2011 and 1/2 where Half is more popular same guy was lined up next to me wearing same shorts and his race tech tee, an all black breathable deal with big non breathable logo on shirt. Anyhow Same Guy rom Fargo he was running faster then me and race was 70 F for 90% of race in my just over 2 hours where near end around 9 miles in jumped in 10 minutes to 90 F. I was running and wisly slowed down running even fully stopping drink stations for water and sports drink as well as water on my hat. Guy was not yet done when I finished, and I assumed when trail went into Deadwood/Lead guy bailed as soon as he could going in a gas station or a gambling hotel asking for help but I found him near end bent over almost falling on side of rail holding a fence meant to keep people from going onto house property and I called paramedics over who were treating a person who stopped sweating and had won women's side and had whipped second ambulance over grabbing stretcher for guy. At this time when emps were going 109 F around 2 hours and 40 minutes the Mickelson Deadwood Marathon I got an emergency text saying race was cancelled so only 10 people including 1 lone women finished at the time race was stopped for Marathon. Only a week later one guy way later became 11 Marathon finisher and was put on 1/2 Marathon as Dead last early on by mistake becuse he wore a hydration vest and could skip last 2 and firs 2 water stops of 4.5 miles total skipped and is only guy in both Marathon and 1/2 Marathon results for Mickelson Deadwood races who did not pay for both races on same day, becuse old version of system the Race event Company running event, there website used could not remove mistakes only add more info.
Local here…two things contribute to those conditions. 1) a weather pattern brought colder than usual water temps. It swept down from Alaska more vigorously than usual and yeah, global warming is a factor. Water temps used to be normal at 54-55 by late Spring. 2) The bay was due to be dredged. When the tide goes out, shallower water turns it into a river, anyway. The Army Corps of Engineers dredges Morro Bay on a regular basis and they just finished a few weeks ago as I write this. They largely focus on the area from the entrance to about 300 yards past the starting buoy in your images. This moves the strong current deeper but it still can be a challenge if you’re paddling, let alone swimming. I guess when you schedule an Iron Man a year in advance, it’s hard to predict tides? I’ve seen people give up and paddle to the shallows on the sand spit, get out and walk to tow their canoe or kayak against the current.
I raced, started in the 30-33 group, and finished in 38 min. Ironman announced water temp as 57.6 F in pre-race transition. Now, it's plausible that they were able to find a spot in the bay, two hours prior, at low tide, that actually was 57. The problem was, we raced later at 6am, when the tide was flooding in, and the NOAA buoy in the harbor was more like 54F. Many confirmed this temp, data is on the web. It was clear from the days leading up to the race that anytime the tide was coming in or high, it was very cold like that. Ironman had posted temps ~54F on Friday and Saturday mornings, at the Info Table - they knew. The problem for Ironman is that USAT Recommendations for long course is to shorten the race for 53-56F (RD is not bound to this Recommendation, though). So, going full-distance swim was a bit of a nod to the strong swimmers, who would complain bitterly of a shortened swim. But, super rough day for many - bad look for IM.
Thank you for sharing this! I had a quick swim out from the start (20mins); then I thought I lost my mind when I wasn’t making forward progress after the turn. I swam for an hour in place… Thank you for putting this out there @Alec
I kayaked there last summer and didn't know about the currents in the bay. It was exactly how your sister described on the way back, a treadmill. Our group finally gave up walking back for the truck to load our gear.
they should have ran the course entirely southbound on the incoming tide (would make for some fast times). have the finish somewhere near the public launch ramp, especially considering they are using temporary docks. lack of knowledge on the organizers part, probably won't make that mistake again.
Thank you for commenting on this. It feels like IM is scrubbing negative comments from the social media posts I have seen. This was my first 70.3 attempt and to have my day end within an hour was demoralizing. I’m a beginner and slow swimmer and I tried to pick a venue that would give me a decent chance of finishing the swim on time. Since Oregon was sold out by the time I wanted to sign up, I had to choose between Oceanside and Morro Bay as the most local choices. I took one look at Oceanside and knew that was probably above my abilities. I felt more confident in Morro Bay since the swim course was advertised as a “salt water lake” and I had my friend’s very positive experience with the swim last year. We both DNFed on the swim and he has multiple 70.3s and a full under his belt. I know I shouldn’t be bothered by what internet strangers say, but even having fellow participants call us whiners or very unprepared is a bit irritating. Just looking at the numbers, you have to concede something went wrong. Experienced IM triathletes not finishing the swim and the finishers having much slower swim times isn’t typical. Ah well, back to the drawing board for me. I at least did have some wins. I had been worried about the cold, but turns out I can tolerate it better than I expected. At no point did I want to give up. I just felt some fatigue at the end and frustration when it seemed like I wasn’t going anywhere. It became really difficult to sight the next buoy when the watercraft began to surround us and I felt lost on where to head to try to get away from the current. Hoping for better luck next time.
i was in a kayak as swim support...felt so bad for first timers but would encourage you to consider Indian Wells tri in dec. a great swim in a reservoir...ride was perfect but i was told it could be windy which definitely would've been a bummer.
My mom and I used to park out there and watch the otters and the boats coming in and out of the bay. That current is way strong! Glad everyone is ok, props to your sister and those who made it. The race should have an alert about strong currents if it doesn’t already
I kayaked in the bay in an El Niño year and had to be rescued. Paddling hard and going nowhere or backwards. Thanks for sharing how difficult the bay can be even though it appears easy.
I was able to finish the swim but they took my timing chip when I got out. I was in the water for an hour and 38 minutes. I normally can comfortably swim that distance at a relaxed pace in 48 minutes. At one point it took 30 minutes to complete 200 meters or so. I feel really bad for all the first timers that DNFed. What really sux is that they advertised the swim as a "saltwater lake". I hate swimming in the ocean because I know how difficult it can be and only signed up because of their promoting the swim as protected and lake like.
I did Ironman Canada a couple of times. One year the swim was in the 50’s. They had hot tubs at the swim finish to warm up if needed. Having a neoprene hoodie under u swim cap and having arm warmers ready for the bike helped a lot. Tough day for u sister. Glad she ok.
I'm not a person that does Ironman but I have spent a lot of summers at Morro Bay and Montana De Oro with our horses riding in the surf. I know exactly how fast the current changes. We road to Morro Bay from Montana De Oro one day. It was beautiful day and we turned to head back to Montana De Oro and the current got so bad we couldn't hear a thing nor talk to each other. Our horses got so agitated we had to get to the first trail off the beach. I've never seen the current change so fast in all the summers we've spent there. I can totally see it in those competitors faces how bad things were. Its good that nobody died in the race but I'm sure EMS had there hands full.
I didn’t do this race, but I did a 70.3 in Couer D’Alene Idaho a few years ago, and I live locally. That particular year we had an abnormally cold winter and very cold spring. The lake was questionable until 2 days before the race, even then it was right on the cutoff of too cold which was 60 degrees. Leading up until race day, Ironman was sending updates about the water temperature, and the requirements for the swim to happen at all, and the required temperature for a modified swim. I know it’s different than an ocean/bay swim, but lake CDA is huge and incredibly cold most of the time. Ironman absolutely failed these athletes and they are lucky they didn’t have a worse outcome.
I would never count on Ironman openly informing about what happened or posting about it. Consider the Death of an Athete at Ironman Hamburg last year on the bike course. It was on full on display as he colllided head on with the motor cycle, that was going on the wrong side of the road. In the US-stream the commentators stayed quite as per the request of Ironman, while the German commentators in the German stream discussed the issue and eventually stopped the broadcast. A shitshow. Unfortunately not only a single occurance.
I sailed for decades in the Chesapeake Bay and never understood the pirate movie phrase, “We sail with the tide.” That is until I tried sailing out of Boston Harbor on an incoming tide.
I'm familiar with that bay and the currents can get ridiculous. It may not have been entirely predictable but it sounds like they certainly could have had a better idea of what was going on and could have handled things much better. Really interesting video!
people that are the type to say "should have trained harder" are internet contrarian trolls, the stupidest and least involved are the loudest on the internet. Need to ignore such dumb takes it not a real life take
Great video. I went to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, swimmer/water polo player/paddler, very familiar with water temps in mid 50s - low 60s... very tough if a person has not trained for it... hypothermia is deadly and sneaks up quickly. The organizers should always have a "Local Knowledge Consultant" who understands temps, tides, times, velocity, changing bottom conditions, etc... it would be nice to hear IM admit their oversight.
Not me seeing the thumbnail and expecting someone has passed away to learn this is a swim competition video, stays for the whole video and learns about swim comps! Thanks YT algorithm! 💖
Why is this race in May??? Water is always cold , but way colder now! Should have shortened the swim. I guess Ironman will figure it out when no one signs up this race ever again.
Sad this happen. But, rest assured there have equally bad (or worse) swims in IM race I've experienced or witness. The one that comes to mind is the 2002 IM Utah when a storm hit during the swim. And, then there is the recent IM Ireland. Not to mention, the 2007(?) IMAZ bike where 50 mph gusts with steady 20 plus mph winds devastated the bike segment. In a lot of ways, I wish there were better ways to determine dangerous conditions. There are no guarantees in ultra endurance races and whose popularity has (thankfully) continue to increase compared to when I started in 1985. For that I am thankful, but at the same time ... perhaps, just perhaps... there may be an smidgen of assumption that IM's are not challenging since so many are successfully completing the races in spite of cruel mother of nature or perfect conditions. All I can say is that if anyone failed to complete the swim, the best course of action is to make it a learning experience and proof that if you finish an IM (even if only a 70.3) it is a finish well earned. "Fail Forward" BTW, Congrats on your sister's race.
The first year that Morro Bay had their local tri they had a similar problem. They learned the lesson it seems and adjusted something since I've not heard of issues since. Coming in a few years later I was curious to see if IM listened and adjusted based off that local knowledge. It seems they didn't do enough. I lived in SLO for about 4 years and surfed at the rock all the time. I have thought about doing this race but just the sheer temp of the water that time of year is gnarly. I can't imagine folks being in that in a tri wetsuit for an hour plus. You need a 4/3 to keep warm that long! Honestly, I wasn't surprised to see this happen.
11 years ago I did IM Tahoe. Brutal swim. We were created with ice on the tires from overnight chill. So the swim was cold the air colder. During the swim it was ok, you were warm from effort. But people broke toes from the rocks (it was a 2 looper, soon the shallows there were rocks). Biggest issues was T1, maybe people couldn’t warm up. I put on all my clothing. Everything. Managed to make the bike cut off - a lot didn’t, it was at altitude also so just added to the challenge. Was my longest IM, finished in the dark. Thanks for the recap and thoughts.
I know a person who was at said event doing 70.3 or half Ironman race and people dropped out. She nearly fell on her bike and dropped out soon after. She did finish a 70.3 Ironman in Idaho in Mormon part where basically you did not stop for gas in any city/town outside of bigger city in area of Idaho they stayed in becuse if not Cult Mormon with multiple wives as Latter Day Saints and regular Mormons with one wife even get excluded, you will die.
Ironman Florida a couple years ago was brutal in the swim too with a rip current and super high winds, temps in the 50's, hundreds of DNF's, but at least the water wasn't in the 50's it was actually warmer in the water. This looks brutal on another level. I hope this doesn't put the new people off Ironman.
Anyone who thinks this is easy has never gone past their waist in the pacific ocean in California before, we would wear 4/3 mm wetsuits in the summer in NorCal and 5mm dive suits or whatever crazy bs you had in the winter with booties and occasionally gloves. Not to mention the current at my home break is so bad it can take 10 mins just to paddle out a few hundred feet.
I did trirock in San Diego Bay and the same thing happened. Training the swim took 45 minutes, I got out of the water over an hour and a half! I was in the first wave and we didn't even get half way before the guards turned everyone around. It sucked.
lol I did a Olympic marathon in the Hudson River about 20 years ago we all got washed down the river! lol we got out of the water and we were all wondering, ok are we disqualified? Then people started screaming at us to go! So we ran up the beach and started biking, as long as no one got hurt it’s just one of the hose things.
I am a local and it's very true about the current during tide changes, harbor patrol warns everyone (tourists) kayaking to stay away from mouth of Morro Bay. So sad officials are so ignorant of Morro bay has large differences of low and high.. even sea otters stay close to shore😂😂😂
Do you have any info on the 70.3 in Cork 2023 that killed two people due to poor organization and not wanting to cancel despite the weather conditions being really bad? I've only just heard about it and it's terrifying that Ironman isn't really addressing it.
Did this race last year and this year. World of difference on the swim. I trained to finish with a PR of sub 6 hours this year and thanks to the swim that did not happen. Just glad I finished. Ironman should be issuing partial refunds or discounts for future events to those that DNF'd the swim. This was totally foreseeable.
I was a participant and I pulled the plug on the swim…that current was just crazy. I hope IM can figure out a solution with the swim course…because all those DNFs is not good for business. Morro Bay is such a great race venue…it would definitely suck if IM end up not hosting a race there.
Finally someone who decided that his life is more important than trying to finish a race while battling open ocean current. If you swim in the ocean, you have to be able to care for your own safety. If there is current, you don't fight it straight on but try to escape in a 90° angle. Of course ironman screwed up, but you remember not to trust an organizer with your life!
@@sebastiansowieso8179 the reason why I pulled out was because I knew I wasn’t going to make the cutoff time…got to the turnaround buoy around 15 mins but I only advanced around 150 yards swimming back and it took me 30 mins. Been racing for 14 years and I’ve never swam against a strong current like that before. Hopefully this race will still be around so I can do a redeem race in 2026.
I grew up in the area and know how cold and rough the ocean can be around Morro Bay. Even strong swimmers can get in serious trouble there . Maybe the organizers should have talked to the local surfers.
Well, I will say this. I've not done this race. I've surfed a lot on the CA coast and done Alcatraz. Going into Alcatraz I was really expecting to swim some in cold water going nowhere. I think that helped a ton. Perhaps people doing this race need to prepare mentally a little more. That said, it sounds like it was a particularly knarly riptide.
Back in the late 80's, I raced a few races where I pee'd in my wetsuit (while swimming) to stay warm. Apologies to those near me at USTS Shelburne & Hamlin Beach SP - them water's were cold! How about TriFed '88 Nats in Wilkes-Barre where water temps were in the 70's, and the high was in the lower 60's with the rain. I could not feel my feet for the first 5K of the run. Fun times.
That tide is off the hook!! I couldn't get back to the drop in by the PG&E outlet, inexperienced surfer, I couldn't go left or right, just getting rinsed over and over! They were all yelling 'Shark bait" from the parking by the rocks! Just making "life' memories! Peace!
I was lucky, I got pushed ahead in the corrals so I was in the water earlier than I thought I'd be, and I think I missed some of the current, which seemed to get stronger as the morning went along. Still, to put it in perspective, it only took me only ten minutes more to do a full IM swim in Sacramento a few months earlier than it took me to do this half-IM swim at Morro Bay. The rest of the day I kept encountering people with the IM wrist band on and we'd exchange haunted looks like "dude, the swim, WTF."
Honestly, one of the reasons I always choose lake or river races and I train in the Puget Sound for OWS. Just too unpredictable and dangerous. And the swim should be at least shortened in this temperature.
I’ve paddled boarded all up and down that bay many times that tide is no joke , I have done the morro bay Olympic tri in the fall , they set the swim closer to the outlet and u do two loops so not really affected by the tide … the 70.3 course would for sure be tide dependent and u would be fuxked if it was against u to say the least … swimming on a treadmill ooofa
Life in California is tough. You need a thick wetsuit and you have to say bro and dude a lot. When I lived in San Francisco I used to swim in the bay. I didn't wear a wetsuit, only my French Speedo. I remember swimming 4 hours when it was 47. The 50s isn't cold if you are acclimated to it. But cold water swimmers physically resemble walruses or whales. If you are a typical low-fat runner or cyclist type and train in a pool 52.6 is going to be a problem, even in a wetsuit.
Ironman getting a rep for putting swim legs on without due care for the racers. Look at Ireland last year. Ironman don't seam to care about the people just getting there entre fee and making profit.
I didn’t even have to watch your video to already know that the tides are stupid strong. Do you not see the boats on the morays turn about face into the currents.. as a fisherman you sometimes on a 1 ft low tide to a 5-6’ high..it is a river. That is literally channeled. But how didn’t people who supposedly train for this not know how powerful the tides are. Or maybe they were the smart ones who said hell no!!!! That’s suicide
@@cjcurtis8944 sorry, my comment was aimed at Alex, who claimed the race startred at different time in 2023 (it didn't, 6am both years). Yes of course the tides are different every day and year.
I did at Black Hills 100 in 2014 a 50 mile, then the shortest distance you could do for race. Well stream that year were full from spring rains in particular I asked how deep in pre race slide show because of being only 5 foot 2 inch or 157.5 cm tall and single water crossing was rushing fast becuse it rained all night. Now scarry part at water stop was only a guy who was photographer for racing company helping do bare minimum for race was at water crossing, now I was going on way out video you see me have to go on rope line and help a women in her 50''s have 107 pounds/49 kilograms of ballots me so she could cross and I bounced my tailbone on a rock when she got out yet I managed to hang on using my knowledge of what to do during events like this using my legs in hanging on o rope as well when I first butt bounced. Now on way back I saw much later on in Photo part of race company website in a group or 2 just before me was a guy doing final year of 100K and he on way back messes up and ends up going down river caught on camera but eventually deleted from companies race photos, fortunately black guy who was in around 5--10 year going to be dying from an uncurable cancer so him dyeing/missing forever family did not considered a need for a lawsuit. Guy is probably dead and buried in river as nobody found him or his body when searching later. Almost nobody did Tatonka 100 which uses first 50 miles on same Black Hills Centennial trail and would have been nobody except 3 crazy people on early fat tire bikes and of them only 1 finished becuse man made bridge or a crossing later on was under water and one person was tall enough to carry his bike over and have head above water.
This is just stupid! All the info to make a good decision was there in plane sight. The start should have been moved to 8:00 am. High Tide was at 9:00 am that day and would have been slowing down around 8:00 am and slack tide at 9:00am. The slower swimmers would of had amost no tide. The race was started when the current was the strongest for the day
Crazy , I had the same problem with a mile swim in uk, the organiser had not got a clue ? We was so late to get in the water that we missed flat water & the tide was moving out fast 😮 & to top it all swim hats were black & only 2 rescue boats one at the front & one collecting at the back /. That was a tough mile swim & many turned back . Finally myself & others decided the organiser should be thrown in the river 😂 Thankfully he is not sanctioned now to do any more Events.
Scratch this event OFF my list forever, lol. I never sign up if there is a chance of a swim against the current, way too many variables. No upstream river swims either, ever. If these events can’t be in a lake, then I don’t go. This issue at Moro Bay has happened at other locations too. Ironman Louisville has an upriver against the current swim portion for some unknown reason. Pass.
Dude it was happen here to in Philippines 🇵🇭 Ironman 70.3 Alveo Davao 2023 the swim water super freaking strong like your stroking 25X your not moving athlete shouting and holding in voya swim line to save there life because if they start the swim on 05:20 in morning the current was good will the water super calm but because they don’t start in 5 o’clock in morning it’s start 6 I think so the water is started moving 5 minutes after the ProMen and PROWOMAN started following to the Asian elite and age grouper depends what zone you are so I was in last zone bro sad to say the Coast Guard told me to get out in the water because lot of athlete was get out in the water and because the swim time was not recorded because they follow the safety of the athlete so I decided to get out on the water and ride on the. Boats because of organizer fault.
The fastest pro swim was 25 mins - about 10-12% slower than usual. I don't mean to hate on those athletes, they really had a tough time, but too many easy swims with wetsuits and people usually get away with doing the bare minimum training for a swim. Train for a 40 minute swim, not a 1:20 swim, because if you have a rough day, it could get really bad. Also - stupid race director. If you know you have competitors training for a 1:20 swim - cancel the damn swim, better that than blood on your hands.
Thumbnail seems like clickbait to make you think someone drowned, which isn't the case. Sounds like a tough race, congrats to those who finished. But again, noone drowned so let's chill.
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Thanks for recap. This was my first 70.3. I’m a strong ocean swimmer and expected to finish the swim in about 33-35 min. I got out in 57 min and couldn’t process what was going on. Serious brain freeze during the swim and disoriented up the exit ramp. My Garmin hit 52.6 deg F on the turn around. Had no idea I was swimming against the Gulf Stream. Three guys I raced with were DNF. Brutal swim, brutal conditions. 1700 registered for the race. 1110 finished. 35% DNF rate can’t be normal for something like this.
Crazy. One point, Gulf Stream is in the Atlantic, coming out of Gulf of Mexico. Took me a second to figure out where you were.
33-35min given the conditions you witnessed? Or under regular / calm conditions??
If the latter you're probably not a good ocean swimmer?
I am a two time IM...only DNF I had in a TRI was the 101 in Lake County 33 percent DNF due to heat...I was the last to give up. Had a current issue in the Xtreme Man (a half IM) delay of start put us against a very strong Long Island Sound out going current...even the pros had very slow times.
I trained at Ledbetter in SB with 3 sunrise swims a week.
I am confused.....you are not very clear as to what happened. I have done many Ironman triathlons. Was it the current? Why this year and not in the past? I think the race organizers were not in top of this?
I was there, finished the swim in 1:06 (expected low-to-mid :40’s). My watch had the water temp at a 52.5 degree average. Your description is accurate and your imagery captured the vibe. The sheer panic and yelling of some of the swimmer on the course is something I’ll never forget. I emailed Ironman my concerns on Monday but no response as of today, social media is a better platform for calling these things out so thank you for taking the time to create and post this!
Dude thank you for posting this! I was there racing with friends. It was WILD. Jammed down to the turnaround and then turned the corner right into a wall of current and got carried into the pile of people that got pushed toward the moored boats but fought like hell and eventually made it to that first upstream buoy. So many people were losing their shit so once I had 2 fingers on the buoy I tried to help some others get their hand holds too. I remember seeing a bunch of people grabbing at a paddle board and the boarder was yelling “get off you’re gonna flip it over!” and I just kept thinking “what a shitshow” I hope they have enough guards and nobody drowns. I eventually continued on but it was like an all-out sprint to the next buoy and the next. For context, I’ve done full IM France-Nice swim in 1:21. I was planning to do the swim in 40-42min, and self-seeded with a friend in the 45-50min start group. I ended up finishing that f%@king swim in 1:37. Longer than the full I did. GNARLY. But there was no way I was gettin pulled out. Then I got out of the water actually amped for the bike and run like f@&k it lets DO this! and then they pulled my chip right on the exit ramp saying I missed the cutoff time. I was like “are you KIDDING me??” It was garbage that they didn’t let people continue if they wanted to. Other than being pissed the whole time during the swim about how irresponsible it was to set the swim time at the start of flood tide, physically I felt great and wasn’t even cold when I got out. Know I would’ve EASILY made the bike cutoff. Looking back though after emotions calmed down I’m just really glad no one f@&king died.
Thank you bro. Hope Ironman sees this. I was there. Shoutout to all my warriors in the water with me 🤝
Don't blame Morro Bay. As a local, I can tell you, this is how it is in the bay. Should have been timed at slack tide. But even so, if there was a very high and low tide that day, the flow would have been gnarly. We're sad to see Ironman go, but it apparently isn't a good venue for the event. Contestants, if trained in open ocean and surf, may have had an easier time outside the bay that day. Us locals are bummed and sorry it was such a blowout. Non-triathlete here. Best wishes for a better venue next year.💪
I am not a "competitive swimmer" but was a rescue swimmer. This is so dangerous to not ensure racers have the correct suit for the water. At this point, if i remember correctly, this is dry suit temperature. Absolutely irresponsible.
@@DisDatK9 they are so lucky it didn't end in a mass casualty situation. Thanks for confirming.
I scuba dive I'm Morro Bay and coast and 6 mill is normal, I have dry suit but few of us use except dead winter.
The start time was off - 1 hour later would’ve had them swimming in slack tide with almost no current whatsoever. I was a swim support volunteer in a canoe helping pull them from the water.
A Connecticut one time event "XTremeMan" delayed start time of 30 minutes had the same current issue in the Long Island Sound...double swim time...😢
The Ironman company's various owners have nearly never taken responsibility for these kinds of things. It's not their fault that there was such a high dnf rate, but decisions in venues, timing, etcetera, seem to be all money-based and with little forethought towards circumstances such as what happened here.
good commentary and video of the swim. thankfully i didn't sign up for this year's race ;-) but did volunteer as a kayaker....felt really bad for so many first timers that hung onto the kayak until they could be taken out by boat or jet ski. the turn around buoy was at one of the deepest and more narrow points of the bay so the incoming tide was like a freight train through that point. i was finding it difficult to stay with a swimmer who was determined to keep going....but he was going absolutely nowhere and, in fact, we were both just barely making forward progress. yes, it was quite a day. nothing but huge kudos to all who gave their best effort and to those who finished!
I was part of a really and only did the swim. Last year my time was 35 min, this year 67 min. When she said “I’ve never had to dig deeper” I felt that. I’m a seasoned swimmer and that was tough.
I’m a sailor, and we have to deal with the same current issues, it’s a much bigger deal than people think. Not only does it slow you down, but you can’t even slow down to take a break because you’ll start to go backwards. Demoralizing and dangerous
Not to make light of some comments or attitudes about this but let's not overlook the fact that...PEOPLE COULD HAVE DIED!!..I'm sure there were some people in the water that were definitely thinking that. We have all had an incident in open water where something has gone wrong, a cramp, exhaustion, when that feeling of "uhoh, I'm in trouble" hits, it's already too late.
"Footage of a kayak not moving"...If rescue boats can't get to the swimmers??..what happens? Sounds like Morrow Bay got very lucky with no deaths. They were ill prepared for this situation. Someone made a bad decision in the name of "business" and will lose their future responsibilities and rightfully so. Most of us aren't full-time trainers that do this for a living, it is a hobby and a passion. They recklessly put people in harm's way.
SMH...Morrow Bay will be removed from the racing venue.
Yes, I had at Fargo Marathon in 2014 where we had 80 Degrees and 80--90% humidity where I was almost hit/killed by a ambulance in a skinny reroute area of a race becuase a guy in his mid/late 50's--early 60's almost died forcing himself to keep up with 4 hour group or becuse group was slowing down jus faster hen 4 hour group. Dumb part is other guy he ran in long sleeve 1/2 zip a black and red color tech thing we got for doing full distance and was made of a thicker tech material and he wore black compression shorts.
Now dumb part is at 10th anniversary of Mickelson Deadwood Marathon and 1/2 Marathon in 2011 and 1/2 where Half is more popular same guy was lined up next to me wearing same shorts and his race tech tee, an all black breathable deal with big non breathable logo on shirt. Anyhow Same Guy rom Fargo he was running faster then me and race was 70 F for 90% of race in my just over 2 hours where near end around 9 miles in jumped in 10 minutes to 90 F. I was running and wisly slowed down running even fully stopping drink stations for water and sports drink as well as water on my hat. Guy was not yet done when I finished, and I assumed when trail went into Deadwood/Lead guy bailed as soon as he could going in a gas station or a gambling hotel asking for help but I found him near end bent over almost falling on side of rail holding a fence meant to keep people from going onto house property and I called paramedics over who were treating a person who stopped sweating and had won women's side and had whipped second ambulance over grabbing stretcher for guy. At this time when emps were going 109 F around 2 hours and 40 minutes the Mickelson Deadwood Marathon I got an emergency text saying race was cancelled so only 10 people including 1 lone women finished at the time race was stopped for Marathon. Only a week later one guy way later became 11 Marathon finisher and was put on 1/2 Marathon as Dead last early on by mistake becuse he wore a hydration vest and could skip last 2 and firs 2 water stops of 4.5 miles total skipped and is only guy in both Marathon and 1/2 Marathon results for Mickelson Deadwood races who did not pay for both races on same day, becuse old version of system the Race event Company running event, there website used could not remove mistakes only add more info.
Local here…two things contribute to those conditions.
1) a weather pattern brought colder than usual water temps. It swept down from Alaska more vigorously than usual and yeah, global warming is a factor. Water temps used to be normal at 54-55 by late Spring.
2) The bay was due to be dredged. When the tide goes out, shallower water turns it into a river, anyway. The Army Corps of Engineers dredges Morro Bay on a regular basis and they just finished a few weeks ago as I write this. They largely focus on the area from the entrance to about 300 yards past the starting buoy in your images. This moves the strong current deeper but it still can be a challenge if you’re paddling, let alone swimming.
I guess when you schedule an Iron Man a year in advance, it’s hard to predict tides?
I’ve seen people give up and paddle to the shallows on the sand spit, get out and walk to tow their canoe or kayak against the current.
I raced, started in the 30-33 group, and finished in 38 min. Ironman announced water temp as 57.6 F in pre-race transition. Now, it's plausible that they were able to find a spot in the bay, two hours prior, at low tide, that actually was 57. The problem was, we raced later at 6am, when the tide was flooding in, and the NOAA buoy in the harbor was more like 54F. Many confirmed this temp, data is on the web. It was clear from the days leading up to the race that anytime the tide was coming in or high, it was very cold like that. Ironman had posted temps ~54F on Friday and Saturday mornings, at the Info Table - they knew. The problem for Ironman is that USAT Recommendations for long course is to shorten the race for 53-56F (RD is not bound to this Recommendation, though). So, going full-distance swim was a bit of a nod to the strong swimmers, who would complain bitterly of a shortened swim. But, super rough day for many - bad look for IM.
Thank you for sharing this!
I had a quick swim out from the start (20mins); then I thought I lost my mind when I wasn’t making forward progress after the turn. I swam for an hour in place… Thank you for putting this out there @Alec
Thanks man for posting this, I was pulled out by the coast guard
Stay away from swims that aren’t in a lake, that’s my rule!
wow if i wasn’t and EMT and didn’t know what a manta-mat was, i would’ve thought that person was being taken away in a bodybag
Thanks for the info! I work CSI and assumed it was a body bag.
I kayaked there last summer and didn't know about the currents in the bay. It was exactly how your sister described on the way back, a treadmill. Our group finally gave up walking back for the truck to load our gear.
they should have ran the course entirely southbound on the incoming tide (would make for some fast times). have the finish somewhere near the public launch ramp, especially considering they are using temporary docks. lack of knowledge on the organizers part, probably won't make that mistake again.
First 70.3 was definitely crazy because of this. Glad I trained swimming so hard managed a 46 minute swim but the tide on the swim turn was ridiculous
Thank you for commenting on this. It feels like IM is scrubbing negative comments from the social media posts I have seen.
This was my first 70.3 attempt and to have my day end within an hour was demoralizing. I’m a beginner and slow swimmer and I tried to pick a venue that would give me a decent chance of finishing the swim on time. Since Oregon was sold out by the time I wanted to sign up, I had to choose between Oceanside and Morro Bay as the most local choices. I took one look at Oceanside and knew that was probably above my abilities. I felt more confident in Morro Bay since the swim course was advertised as a “salt water lake” and I had my friend’s very positive experience with the swim last year. We both DNFed on the swim and he has multiple 70.3s and a full under his belt.
I know I shouldn’t be bothered by what internet strangers say, but even having fellow participants call us whiners or very unprepared is a bit irritating. Just looking at the numbers, you have to concede something went wrong. Experienced IM triathletes not finishing the swim and the finishers having much slower swim times isn’t typical.
Ah well, back to the drawing board for me. I at least did have some wins. I had been worried about the cold, but turns out I can tolerate it better than I expected. At no point did I want to give up. I just felt some fatigue at the end and frustration when it seemed like I wasn’t going anywhere. It became really difficult to sight the next buoy when the watercraft began to surround us and I felt lost on where to head to try to get away from the current. Hoping for better luck next time.
i was in a kayak as swim support...felt so bad for first timers but would encourage you to consider Indian Wells tri in dec. a great swim in a reservoir...ride was perfect but i was told it could be windy which definitely would've been a bummer.
My mom and I used to park out there and watch the otters and the boats coming in and out of the bay. That current is way strong! Glad everyone is ok, props to your sister and those who made it. The race should have an alert about strong currents if it doesn’t already
I kayaked in the bay in an El Niño year and had to be rescued. Paddling hard and going nowhere or backwards. Thanks for sharing how difficult the bay can be even though it appears easy.
I was able to finish the swim but they took my timing chip when I got out. I was in the water for an hour and 38 minutes. I normally can comfortably swim that distance at a relaxed pace in 48 minutes. At one point it took 30 minutes to complete 200 meters or so. I feel really bad for all the first timers that DNFed. What really sux is that they advertised the swim as a "saltwater lake". I hate swimming in the ocean because I know how difficult it can be and only signed up because of their promoting the swim as protected and lake like.
Got a free race entry! Ironman heard our complaints!
I did Ironman Canada a couple of times. One year the swim was in the 50’s. They had hot tubs at the swim finish to warm up if needed. Having a neoprene hoodie under u swim cap and having arm warmers ready for the bike helped a lot. Tough day for u sister. Glad she ok.
I'm not a person that does Ironman but I have spent a lot of summers at Morro Bay and Montana De Oro with our horses riding in the surf. I know exactly how fast the current changes. We road to Morro Bay from Montana De Oro one day. It was beautiful day and we turned to head back to Montana De Oro and the current got so bad we couldn't hear a thing nor talk to each other. Our horses got so agitated we had to get to the first trail off the beach. I've never seen the current change so fast in all the summers we've spent there. I can totally see it in those competitors faces how bad things were. Its good that nobody died in the race but I'm sure EMS had there hands full.
I didn’t do this race, but I did a 70.3 in Couer D’Alene Idaho a few years ago, and I live locally. That particular year we had an abnormally cold winter and very cold spring. The lake was questionable until 2 days before the race, even then it was right on the cutoff of too cold which was 60 degrees. Leading up until race day, Ironman was sending updates about the water temperature, and the requirements for the swim to happen at all, and the required temperature for a modified swim. I know it’s different than an ocean/bay swim, but lake CDA is huge and incredibly cold most of the time. Ironman absolutely failed these athletes and they are lucky they didn’t have a worse outcome.
Glad you spoke up. The organisers were sloppy.
I would never count on Ironman openly informing about what happened or posting about it. Consider the Death of an Athete at Ironman Hamburg last year on the bike course. It was on full on display as he colllided head on with the motor cycle, that was going on the wrong side of the road. In the US-stream the commentators stayed quite as per the request of Ironman, while the German commentators in the German stream discussed the issue and eventually stopped the broadcast. A shitshow. Unfortunately not only a single occurance.
You make a fair point. But to clarify, the motorcyclist died; the athlete survived.
I tried to sail out of the bay during the wrong time... i was sailing forward through the water and getting passed by the rock.
I sailed for decades in the Chesapeake Bay and never understood the pirate movie phrase, “We sail with the tide.” That is until I tried sailing out of Boston Harbor on an incoming tide.
I'm familiar with that bay and the currents can get ridiculous. It may not have been entirely predictable but it sounds like they certainly could have had a better idea of what was going on and could have handled things much better. Really interesting video!
It's Morro Bay, when is the water ever warm there?
people that are the type to say "should have trained harder" are internet contrarian trolls, the stupidest and least involved are the loudest on the internet. Need to ignore such dumb takes it not a real life take
Great video. I went to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, swimmer/water polo player/paddler, very familiar with water temps in mid 50s - low 60s... very tough if a person has not trained for it... hypothermia is deadly and sneaks up quickly. The organizers should always have a "Local Knowledge Consultant" who understands temps, tides, times, velocity, changing bottom conditions, etc... it would be nice to hear IM admit their oversight.
Damn that's crazy! Props to your sis for persevering and congrats to your friend for winning! I ain't gonna lie, I probably would've dnf'd!!
Not me seeing the thumbnail and expecting someone has passed away to learn this is a swim competition video, stays for the whole video and learns about swim comps! Thanks YT algorithm! 💖
Why is this race in May??? Water is always cold , but way colder now! Should have shortened the swim. I guess Ironman will figure it out when no one signs up this race ever again.
I live in MB and I legit had the same question regarding start time and slacktide days prior. It didn't make sense. Scary.
Sad this happen. But, rest assured there have equally bad (or worse) swims in IM race I've experienced or witness. The one that comes to mind is the 2002 IM Utah when a storm hit during the swim. And, then there is the recent IM Ireland. Not to mention, the 2007(?) IMAZ bike where 50 mph gusts with steady 20 plus mph winds devastated the bike segment. In a lot of ways, I wish there were better ways to determine dangerous conditions. There are no guarantees in ultra endurance races and whose popularity has (thankfully) continue to increase compared to when I started in 1985. For that I am thankful, but at the same time ... perhaps, just perhaps... there may be an smidgen of assumption that IM's are not challenging since so many are successfully completing the races in spite of cruel mother of nature or perfect conditions. All I can say is that if anyone failed to complete the swim, the best course of action is to make it a learning experience and proof that if you finish an IM (even if only a 70.3) it is a finish well earned. "Fail Forward" BTW, Congrats on your sister's race.
I hope they comp the DNF’s for another Ironman
I live in the area and that current is 100% predictable. So are the changes in water temperature with the incoming and outgoing tides.
The first year that Morro Bay had their local tri they had a similar problem. They learned the lesson it seems and adjusted something since I've not heard of issues since. Coming in a few years later I was curious to see if IM listened and adjusted based off that local knowledge. It seems they didn't do enough. I lived in SLO for about 4 years and surfed at the rock all the time. I have thought about doing this race but just the sheer temp of the water that time of year is gnarly. I can't imagine folks being in that in a tri wetsuit for an hour plus. You need a 4/3 to keep warm that long!
Honestly, I wasn't surprised to see this happen.
11 years ago I did IM Tahoe. Brutal swim. We were created with ice on the tires from overnight chill. So the swim was cold the air colder. During the swim it was ok, you were warm from effort. But people broke toes from the rocks (it was a 2 looper, soon the shallows there were rocks). Biggest issues was T1, maybe people couldn’t warm up. I put on all my clothing. Everything. Managed to make the bike cut off - a lot didn’t, it was at altitude also so just added to the challenge. Was my longest IM, finished in the dark.
Thanks for the recap and thoughts.
I know a person who was at said event doing 70.3 or half Ironman race and people dropped out. She nearly fell on her bike and dropped out soon after. She did finish a 70.3 Ironman in Idaho in Mormon part where basically you did not stop for gas in any city/town outside of bigger city in area of Idaho they stayed in becuse if not Cult Mormon with multiple wives as Latter Day Saints and regular Mormons with one wife even get excluded, you will die.
Signing a waiver of death does not excuse Ironman corporation from willful negligence. This is criminal
Motto bay seems like one of the most inappropriate places to do the swim. Central coast is really rough. Congrats to anyone trying!! Way to go.
Ironman Florida a couple years ago was brutal in the swim too with a rip current and super high winds, temps in the 50's, hundreds of DNF's, but at least the water wasn't in the 50's it was actually warmer in the water. This looks brutal on another level. I hope this doesn't put the new people off Ironman.
Anyone who thinks this is easy has never gone past their waist in the pacific ocean in California before, we would wear 4/3 mm wetsuits in the summer in NorCal and 5mm dive suits or whatever crazy bs you had in the winter with booties and occasionally gloves. Not to mention the current at my home break is so bad it can take 10 mins just to paddle out a few hundred feet.
I just loved the videos you make, You really make awesome and hardworking videos
Faack that's scary. Great footage bro and perspective
I did trirock in San Diego Bay and the same thing happened. Training the swim took 45 minutes, I got out of the water over an hour and a half! I was in the first wave and we didn't even get half way before the guards turned everyone around. It sucked.
lol I did a Olympic marathon in the Hudson River about 20 years ago we all got washed down the river! lol we got out of the water and we were all wondering, ok are we disqualified? Then people started screaming at us to go! So we ran up the beach and started biking, as long as no one got hurt it’s just one of the hose things.
I've seen the tide come through the entrance to the bay and there were withwater rapids.
Isn’t World Triathlon currently delaying the start of the Olympic Tri in part due to the current? Not just water quality?
I am a local and it's very true about the current during tide changes, harbor patrol warns everyone (tourists) kayaking to stay away from mouth of Morro Bay.
So sad officials are so ignorant of Morro bay has large differences of low and high.. even sea otters stay close to shore😂😂😂
Do you have any info on the 70.3 in Cork 2023 that killed two people due to poor organization and not wanting to cancel despite the weather conditions being really bad? I've only just heard about it and it's terrifying that Ironman isn't really addressing it.
Did this race last year and this year. World of difference on the swim. I trained to finish with a PR of sub 6 hours this year and thanks to the swim that did not happen. Just glad I finished. Ironman should be issuing partial refunds or discounts for future events to those that DNF'd the swim. This was totally foreseeable.
i heard that they did offer folks entry into another 2024 race or free do-over for 2025 in MB
12:42 There's Lafayette College too in Easton, PA.
I was a participant and I pulled the plug on the swim…that current was just crazy. I hope IM can figure out a solution with the swim course…because all those DNFs is not good for business.
Morro Bay is such a great race venue…it would definitely suck if IM end up not hosting a race there.
Finally someone who decided that his life is more important than trying to finish a race while battling open ocean current.
If you swim in the ocean, you have to be able to care for your own safety. If there is current, you don't fight it straight on but try to escape in a 90° angle.
Of course ironman screwed up, but you remember not to trust an organizer with your life!
@@sebastiansowieso8179 the reason why I pulled out was because I knew I wasn’t going to make the cutoff time…got to the turnaround buoy around 15 mins but I only advanced around 150 yards swimming back and it took me 30 mins. Been racing for 14 years and I’ve never swam against a strong current like that before.
Hopefully this race will still be around so I can do a redeem race in 2026.
Let’s remember the 2 poor souls that died in cork Ironman last year , rough conditions etc etc , R I P.
Ironman cancelled their contract with Morro Bay 🙃
I grew up in the area and know how cold and rough the ocean can be around Morro Bay. Even strong swimmers can get in serious trouble there . Maybe the organizers should have talked to the local surfers.
Well, I will say this. I've not done this race. I've surfed a lot on the CA coast and done Alcatraz. Going into Alcatraz I was really expecting to swim some in cold water going nowhere. I think that helped a ton. Perhaps people doing this race need to prepare mentally a little more. That said, it sounds like it was a particularly knarly riptide.
Back in the late 80's, I raced a few races where I pee'd in my wetsuit (while swimming) to stay warm. Apologies to those near me at USTS Shelburne & Hamlin Beach SP - them water's were cold! How about TriFed '88 Nats in Wilkes-Barre where water temps were in the 70's, and the high was in the lower 60's with the rain. I could not feel my feet for the first 5K of the run. Fun times.
That tide is off the hook!! I couldn't get back to the drop in by the PG&E outlet, inexperienced surfer, I couldn't go left or right, just getting rinsed over and over! They were all yelling 'Shark bait" from the parking by the rocks! Just making "life' memories! Peace!
Pay Ironman to change something!
Ironman is a money generating operation with zero love for the sports.
Not talking about all the amazing volunteers.
Bro. Why the hell aren't you moving to Nashville to become a country singer???
I was lucky, I got pushed ahead in the corrals so I was in the water earlier than I thought I'd be, and I think I missed some of the current, which seemed to get stronger as the morning went along. Still, to put it in perspective, it only took me only ten minutes more to do a full IM swim in Sacramento a few months earlier than it took me to do this half-IM swim at Morro Bay. The rest of the day I kept encountering people with the IM wrist band on and we'd exchange haunted looks like "dude, the swim, WTF."
Maybe think about doing this sum-up for all races and without the hum and ding that others produce. Great job!
MB local here… i guess it never dawned on the organizers to look at a tide chart and swim the other direction 😂😂
Honestly, one of the reasons I always choose lake or river races and I train in the Puget Sound for OWS. Just too unpredictable and dangerous. And the swim should be at least shortened in this temperature.
Awesome recap, thanks
Epic failure on Ironmans part. Did the race director ever even look at a ride chart
I’ve paddled boarded all up and down that bay many times that tide is no joke , I have done the morro bay Olympic tri in the fall , they set the swim closer to the outlet and u do two loops so not really affected by the tide … the 70.3 course would for sure be tide dependent and u would be fuxked if it was against u to say the least … swimming on a treadmill ooofa
Did the race director s not know about how the currents work in the bay . Maybe a little more research by the race directors.
Ironman doesn't give a flying F... You sign a waiver so yeah. Game over.
Life in California is tough. You need a thick wetsuit and you have to say bro and dude a lot. When I lived in San Francisco I used to swim in the bay. I didn't wear a wetsuit, only my French Speedo. I remember swimming 4 hours when it was 47. The 50s isn't cold if you are acclimated to it. But cold water swimmers physically resemble walruses or whales. If you are a typical low-fat runner or cyclist type and train in a pool 52.6 is going to be a problem, even in a wetsuit.
Great job recapping
I just wish they would have warned us. The turnaround was like entering a river... I immediately knew what it was and it was a complete surprise.
Ironman getting a rep for putting swim legs on without due care for the racers. Look at Ireland last year.
Ironman don't seam to care about the people just getting there entre fee and making profit.
Hey people the water is too cold there even in summer I lived in SLO and would go the Avila beach and most people barely went into the water
Should have made the race one way with the current. Or adjusted the route to not fight the current dead on at least.
Great coverage from the Bradah News Network
Morro Bay 70.3 When half is actually a full ironman lol
Must be a California thing, bro, dude, bro dude. Thanks for the info. about the race.
Shit, I did full Im swim in 1h 20m at 21deg c. That’s nasty for a 70.3
Thank you for a great video
If you have never been cought in current you can't understand.
I didn’t even have to watch your video to already know that the tides are stupid strong. Do you not see the boats on the morays turn about face into the currents.. as a fisherman you sometimes on a 1 ft low tide to a 5-6’ high..it is a river. That is literally channeled. But how didn’t people who supposedly train for this not know how powerful the tides are. Or maybe they were the smart ones who said hell no!!!! That’s suicide
last year's race also started at 6:00am, same time
Tides are different day to day.
@@cjcurtis8944 sorry, my comment was aimed at Alex, who claimed the race startred at different time in 2023 (it didn't, 6am both years). Yes of course the tides are different every day and year.
I did at Black Hills 100 in 2014 a 50 mile, then the shortest distance you could do for race. Well stream that year were full from spring rains in particular I asked how deep in pre race slide show because of being only 5 foot 2 inch or 157.5 cm tall and single water crossing was rushing fast becuse it rained all night. Now scarry part at water stop was only a guy who was photographer for racing company helping do bare minimum for race was at water crossing, now I was going on way out video you see me have to go on rope line and help a women in her 50''s have 107 pounds/49 kilograms of ballots me so she could cross and I bounced my tailbone on a rock when she got out yet I managed to hang on using my knowledge of what to do during events like this using my legs in hanging on o rope as well when I first butt bounced. Now on way back I saw much later on in Photo part of race company website in a group or 2 just before me was a guy doing final year of 100K and he on way back messes up and ends up going down river caught on camera but eventually deleted from companies race photos, fortunately black guy who was in around 5--10 year going to be dying from an uncurable cancer so him dyeing/missing forever family did not considered a need for a lawsuit. Guy is probably dead and buried in river as nobody found him or his body when searching later.
Almost nobody did Tatonka 100 which uses first 50 miles on same Black Hills Centennial trail and would have been nobody except 3 crazy people on early fat tire bikes and of them only 1 finished becuse man made bridge or a crossing later on was under water and one person was tall enough to carry his bike over and have head above water.
Swim was brutal!! Fun times though. now maybe people will train harder for the swim next time haha
2 people died in cork ironman swim last year
Ironman caused these deaths
Swim should never have gone ahead
All that damn global warming heating up the water. Big Oil
This is just stupid! All the info to make a good decision was there in plane sight. The start should have been moved to 8:00 am. High Tide was at 9:00 am that day and would have been slowing down around 8:00 am and slack tide at 9:00am. The slower swimmers would of had amost no tide. The race was started when the current was the strongest for the day
Crazy , I had the same problem with a mile swim in uk, the organiser had not got a clue ? We was so late to get in the water that we missed flat water & the tide was moving out fast 😮 & to top it all swim hats were black & only 2 rescue boats one at the front & one collecting at the back /. That was a tough mile swim & many turned back . Finally myself & others decided the organiser should be thrown in the river 😂
Thankfully he is not sanctioned now to do any more Events.
Scratch this event OFF my list forever, lol. I never sign up if there is a chance of a swim against the current, way too many variables. No upstream river swims either, ever. If these events can’t be in a lake, then I don’t go. This issue at Moro Bay has happened at other locations too. Ironman Louisville has an upriver against the current swim portion for some unknown reason. Pass.
Seems water was below 54, so swim should have been canceled
Dude it was happen here to in Philippines 🇵🇭 Ironman 70.3 Alveo Davao 2023 the swim water super freaking strong like your stroking 25X your not moving athlete shouting and holding in voya swim line to save there life because if they start the swim on 05:20 in morning the current was good will the water super calm but because they don’t start in 5 o’clock in morning it’s start 6 I think so the water is started moving 5 minutes after the ProMen and PROWOMAN started following to the Asian elite and age grouper depends what zone you are so I was in last zone bro sad to say the Coast Guard told me to get out in the water because lot of athlete was get out in the water and because the swim time was not recorded because they follow the safety of the athlete so I decided to get out on the water and ride on the. Boats because of organizer fault.
The fastest pro swim was 25 mins - about 10-12% slower than usual. I don't mean to hate on those athletes, they really had a tough time, but too many easy swims with wetsuits and people usually get away with doing the bare minimum training for a swim. Train for a 40 minute swim, not a 1:20 swim, because if you have a rough day, it could get really bad. Also - stupid race director. If you know you have competitors training for a 1:20 swim - cancel the damn swim, better that than blood on your hands.
Damn it’s 300+ athlete was DNF omg
Greetings,
How much more weird video can be??!!🇺🇲🍾🎉🇺🇲
Thumbnail seems like clickbait to make you think someone drowned, which isn't the case. Sounds like a tough race, congrats to those who finished. But again, noone drowned so let's chill.
Sure
Sure