The sport of triathlon – especially at the full Ironman distance (1978) and at the Summer Olympics (2000) – is a far more recent athletic endeavor than open water swimming that has its roots even well before the first English Channel crossing (1875) and the first Olympic open water swimming race (1896).
The sport of triathlon has incorporated much more equipment (wetsuits, high-tech bicycles, and running gear) than the simple bit of equipment used by open water swimmers (swim briefs, goggles, swim caps).
But the rapidly growing area of technology is where we see a gradually increasing differential between triathlons and open water swimming.
One example is the acceptance and incorporation of smart goggles among triathletes and the specific non-acceptance and official rulings against smart goggles among open water swimmers.
FORM developed the first and most popular type of augmented reality (AR) swim goggles (called FORM Smart Swim Goggles) that are now widely used by triathletes and other multi-sport athletes. The FORM Smart Swim Goggles are officially approved by World Triathlon, other associations (e.g., Super League Triathlon and Professional Triathletes Organisation), national governing bodies (e.g., USA Triathlon), and event directors have approved the smart goggles for use in competition.
Dan Eisenhardt, the CEO and founder of FORM and a former competitive swimmer, explains, “The race approval from the governing body of the sport, World Triathlon, catches swimming up to both running and cycling for the use of technology in competition. It will enable professional and amateur athletes to pace themselves and manage their efforts, particularly at the start of the race. The FORM goggles let athletes see their real-time stroke rate and quickly assess how far they’ve swum and how far they still have to go. All of this is done in the in-goggle AR display so the athlete can execute their race plan more precisely.”
“Whether you are using FORM Smart Swim Goggles in a pool workout or out in the ocean during training, I can see how the visible-but-neither-intrusive-nor-disruptive data can help swimmers – of any level or ability – to feel more engaged in their workouts, more knowledgeable their pace, and more connected figuratively to the outside world,” commented Steven Munatones. “Sometimes, I can get lost in my thoughts or truly zone out as I swim back and forth in a pool or up and down the coast here in Southern California. I know my pace drops off and I lose focus on what I should optimally be doing.
I assume other open water swimmers face the same issues. Of course, for many open water swimmers simply swimming at a comfortable pace and losing yourself in deep – or superficial – thoughts is preferable. There is no better way to leave the stress and problems that we face on dryland than by swimming, especially in open bodies of water. But, if we are training for a specific competition or crossing, I feel it is often best to have a specific plan for each workout. Some workouts can be swum at a variable pace; the pace of other workouts can be progressively faster; some workouts are meant for recovery purposes. But knowing the pace and distance for each workout, I feel, is optimal. Even if the smart goggles cannot be used in a competition, marathon swim, or channel crossing.
I know I can ‘go through the motions’ during a pool or ocean workout. That is totally acceptable for me, at my age and based on my particular goals. But sometimes, I just want to know how fast I can really go and how far I am swimming during specific points during an ocean swim, especially if I feel the currents are strong or the conditions are difficult. In these cases, I look up at the pace clock at the side of a pool – or right in front of my eyes with FORM’s smart goggles.
This ability to easily obtain information is so convenient – and I do not feel like I am cheating in any way.
In fact, if I think about the traditions of marathon swimming or channel swimming, we simply have different old-school ways to provide information to swimmers. Among triathletes using FORM’s technology, they can simply peer straight out of their goggles and their eyes will catch the pace and distance metrics. That is so convenient – and the data can be stored and analyzed later.
In contrast, among channel swimmers, we look up at our escort kayakers or crew members and they feed us data by writing information on a white board or simply shouting data to us. The crew tells the swimmer the exact distance they have swum and how much further they need to swim, all via the GPS technology. They can also give other information from water temperature to expected changes in wind or weather. We can have pace swimmers or paddlers to either side of the swimmer. These forms of assistance also similarly help connect us mentally and emotionally to our team and the rest of the world.
FORM’s smart goggles simply makes it more convenient and easier to obtain this information.But unlike the governing bodies in the sport of triathlon, the governing bodies in the sport of open water swimming have a different, completely opposite perspective.”
These types of smart goggles are not permitted in World Aquatics (formerly, FINA) events. The World Aquatics Technical Open Water Swimming Committee is currently looking at different types of technology, but the general (and specific) rule of thumb is that any information-gathering device must be a one-way transmission only. That is, if a watch, vest, goggles, or any piece of equipment that allows the athlete to receive information during the event, that equipment is considered to be an unfair advantage and is disallowed.
Under the Marathon Swimmers Federation rules for unassisted marathon swims, “wearable electronic devices that transmit information to the swimmer beyond the time of day and elapsed time” are prohibited. The rules of MSF are posted here.
Two vastly different ways to look at the same piece of equipment in the open water. Two different sports (triathlon versus open water swimming), two different approaches, two different rules.
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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