Open Water Swim: Mass Start Practice

Session Overview

This 45-minute open water session builds the skills and confidence needed to handle a competitive mass swim start. You will practise positioning, drafting, and maintaining your stroke under race-like pressure. Ideal for intermediate triathletes preparing for their first open water race of the season.

What You’ll Need

• Wetsuit
• Open water swim safety buoy
• A training partner or small group (recommended for mass start simulation)
• GPS watch (optional)

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Start with 10 minutes of easy swimming, mixing freestyle with backstroke or breaststroke. Focus on relaxed breathing and getting comfortable in the open water. Gradually increase your effort to around 60% over the final 3 minutes.

Main Set

The main set simulates race start scenarios repeatedly to build confidence and composure in crowded water.

• 3 x mass start sprints: 30 seconds all-out from stationary, rest 60 seconds between each
• 4 x 3-minute efforts at race pace, starting from a tight group position, rest 60 seconds
• 2 x 5-minute efforts at 85% effort, sighting every 10 strokes, rest 60 seconds
• 1 x 10-minute continuous swim at race pace, practising acceleration through the first buoy turn

Cool-Down (5 minutes)

Easy backstroke or breaststroke for 5 minutes. Exit the water and spend 5 minutes stretching shoulders, hips, and calves.

Coaching Notes

• Expect physical contact during mass start sprints — keep elbows wide and breathe every two strokes
• Avoid sprinting the entire first 3 minutes; control your effort and settle into race pace by the first buoy
• If swimming solo, push off hard from a float and immediately sight a target to simulate the start chaos
• RPE for mass start sprints: 9-10. Race pace efforts: 7-8. Continuous swim: 7