Q: What is the most challenging part of a triathlon swim for a beginner?

A: I am sure every beginner's answer is going to be different here. But I think all answers have one thing in common: the challenge is the unknown. You just don't know how you will react in a big crowd of thrashing people in a fluid medium, regardless of your swimming ability. Even though I was a Division I college swimmer, I still didn't know what to expect in my first triathlon. It took a lot of years of racing to get comfortable with people swimming over top of me. As a beginner, you shouldn't be worried about a top podium spot on that first race. Once you know how you will react in a big crowd of people, then can you come up with strategies to optimize your open water swimming. You will learn a lot in a hurry, and that is what makes triathlon such an exciting sport!

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