Short Sleeve Tri Suit and the swim

When discussing the Fusion Speed Suit one of the most common topics is around wearing a short sleeved triathlon suit when swimming. So let's take a look at some of more frequent questions.

Can I wear the Fusion Speed Suit when swimming? How does it perform?

Yes, absolutely. The suit is designed for you to be able to swim in it, fully zipped up. Either under a wetsuit or stand alone. It is designed not to restrict your range of movement i.e. in much the same way as a wetsuit is. We suggest when putting your suit on it should be much like a wetsuit. Ending up with a nice and snug, but comfortable, fit. An additional tip, once again like a wetsuit, is to give the sleeves an extra half a hitch up prior to swim just to ensure fabric is not being stretched around the shoulders.

Below you can see pro athlete, and one of triathlon's best swimmers, exiting the swim at Escape from Alcatraz with Speed Suit fully zipped up under his wetsuit during the swim.

Can I wear a sleeved tri suit when racing?

In a race where wetsuits are permitted, yes absolutely. As per the Andy Potts image above wear it fully zipped up and under wetsuit. 

In a race where wetsuits are not permitted you should check with your race organisers. Different sets of rules may apply in different countries. 

Note (update 5 February 2016), Ironman have announced the "swimwear rule has been changed. During non-wetsuit swims, swimwear sleeves, or race kits worn under sleeveless swimwear, may now extend from shoulders to elbows." See announcement on Ironman website here.  

So in non-wetsuit races where the rules do not permit wearing anything below the shoulders what is the solution? Many of you may have already seen it when watching the Pro's at events such as Kona. It involves folding the top half of the Speed Suit down prior to putting on a Swim Skin, then post swim taking Swim Skin off and simply putting arms in the sleeves and zipping up. Canadian athlete Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches put together the following nice little video showing how this is done.

Thanks for having a read and of course any questions or if you would like to discuss further please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Also special thanks to Antoine for video and images.

For Fusion Speed Suit options and more info see Men's or Women's.