Many will be unsure if you can swim backstroke in a triathlon, as you always see triathletes swimming freestyle(front crawl).
Backstroke is the choice of stroke for many leisurely swimmers. You can keep your face out of the water, making it a less intimidating and intense than other strokes.
While the risk of hitting your head on the wall is high for beginners, with a bit of practice, correct use of the flags and more proficiency, it can become a very relaxing way to move through the water.
So even if someone can’t swim freestyle, they may be tempted to enter a triathlon and plan to get through the swim with backstroke, to prevent them from having to learn freestyle.
The problems with backstroke
Unfortunately, there are some issues with backstroke in triathlon.
The first is that the universal sign of an open water swimmer being in danger is rolling on their back and lifting an arm in the air to call for help. This means that it is very difficult to discern a backstroke swimmer from someone in distress. As a result, backstroke is banned at most lifeguarded open water venues.
The other issue is that you can’t see where you’re going when swimming backstroke. While this is also an issue in the pool, you will have a black line, backstroke flags and/or landmarks to ensure you know when you’re approaching the wall.
In open water you have no such luxury, and will be weaving all over the shop. When championship events are held in outdoor pools, the very best athletes in the world will weave around the lane when swimming backstroke. It’s just impossible to have a stroke that is well balanced enough to swim in a straight line. It’s hard enough with freestyle and frequent sighting.
What do the rules say?
Okay, so backstroke isn’t the best idea for a triathlon swim, I think we’ve established that by now. But what if you want to do it anyway? What do the competition rules say?
Generally speaking, backstroke will either be banned, or you will need to ask permission from the race officials.
In July I was sat in a transition area at 4AM with other volunteers and officials, chatting away. One of the technical officials (referees) told us an anecdote about someone who was swimming backstroke, and swam right into the side of the dock the event was held in.
As someone who had read the competition rules for a podcast only a few days before, I decided to be that guy. If only to help keep us awake. I clarified that backstroke is permitted if the athlete gains permission from the race official.
I was told, in no uncertain terms, that permission would be denied. I believe this stipulation is in place for pool events where it may be permissible for someone to swim backstroke.
Conclusion
Ultimately, backstroke is not only a slow, inefficient way to compete in triathlon, it is also likely to be banned at your event.
If swimming freestyle is intimidating, then I recommend choosing breaststroke.
