From the kick to the aerobic foundation: recent reports show how water resistance and race resilience are connected.
Once the main season is over, the question inevitably arises in triathlon as to what the focus of the next few months should be: is it primarily about grinding out endurance for hours on end, or is later performance decided by fine technical details in the swimming pool? Recent reports from swimming and endurance sports provide clear insights into the mechanisms that make the difference both in the water and over long distances on land.
According to expert reports from SwimSwam, swimming speed is by no means generated merely by powerful arm strokes and kicks at the surface. A substantial part of performance is decided underwater. The so-called dolphin kick – often referred to as the fifth stroke – is used by elite swimmers to carry the momentum generated off the start and turn. Underwater, athletes can glide faster for a short period than their maximum surface swimming speed.
The core point here is reducing drag. During the dolphin movement, the arms remain extended overhead, hands together, and the head locked between the arms to form a clean streamline. According to SwimSwam, it is crucial that the movement is initiated from the chest and hips rather than by simply bending the knees. If this extended position is lost, even a powerful kick is rendered ineffective.
That technical details such as streamline, arm stroke, and kick work must be trained continuously is also demonstrated by clinic concepts such as the camps described by SwimSwam, where coaches like Sergio Lopez or Bill Dorenkott work specifically on body position, turns, and breakout phases.
Results from open water swimming prove that pure technique alone is not enough in open water. As SwimSwam reported on the World Cup in Cancun, Australian Moesha Johnson dominated the season undefeated by combining technical consistency with aggressive tactics: she secured the bonus for the fastest first lap in every 10-kilometre race, which shaped her entire racing approach. Florian Wellbrock also prevailed there in a tight 10-kilometre field against top athletes such as Domenico Acerenza and David Betlehem.
A similar picture of extreme demands emerges on the long distances on land. According to analyses by tri-mag.de, Magnus Ditlev is now only a good 19 minutes away from the seven-hour mark following his world-best time at Ironman Florida (7:19:17 hours). His split times – 3:51:16 hours over 180 kilometres on the bike and a marathon in 2:33:31 hours – illustrate the interplay between aerodynamics, equipment, and physiological limits.
At the same time, the long course forgives no overpacing, as Slowtwitch reports from the 2026 Ironman World Championship in Hawaii: Solveig Løvseth collapsed there while leading roughly one kilometre before the finish line, allowing Taylor Knibb to pull past. In the men's race, Vincent Luis secured victory after Ditlev dropped back with walking breaks during the marathon. Anyone who wants to succeed in triathlon therefore needs a solid energetic and physical foundation to avoid such blow-ups.
For your daily training routine, these observations mean two things: do not neglect the glide phase in the water in favour of purely churning out metres, and build your endurance systematically.
Efficiency is also increasingly moving into focus for age groupers in the equipment sector. According to Slowtwitch, manufacturer Roka emphasises in its Gen.3 suit that aerodynamic savings (up to 6 watts) were optimised specifically for speeds between 16 and 24 miles per hour – a range in which typical age-group athletes operate, whereas purely pro-level developments often only take effect beyond 24 miles per hour.
Your takeaway: Use the wall on every push-off for a tight streamline from your core and hips, instead of unfocusedly churning out metres in the pool.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.