During the Timed Event's initial swim, what is allowed regarding face position?

During the Timed Event's initial swim, what is allowed regarding face position?

• A. The face may be in or out of the water.
• B. The face must be above water at all times.
• C. The face must be submerged during the entire swim.
• D. The face must be above water only when exiting the water.

Answer: (A)

During the Timed Event's initial swim, you may keep your face either in the water or above it. This portion is focused on covering the distance within the time limit, so breathing and stroke rhythm are allowed to be natural—you can rotate your head to the side to breathe, or briefly keep the face submerged to reduce drag. Requiring the face to stay above water the entire time would slow you down and limit breathing options, while submerging the face the whole swim would make breathing impractical. The important idea is to swim efficiently and within the time constraint, using the breathing pattern that works best for you.

During the Timed Event's initial swim, you may keep your face either in the water or above it. This portion is focused on covering the distance within the time limit, so breathing and stroke rhythm are allowed to be natural—you can rotate your head to the side to breathe, or briefly keep the face submerged to reduce drag. Requiring the face to stay above water the entire time would slow you down and limit breathing options, while submerging the face the whole swim would make breathing impractical. The important idea is to swim efficiently and within the time constraint, using the breathing pattern that works best for you.