How to Choose Goggles for Swimming and Winning!

2022-08-09
 How to Choose Goggles for Swimming and Winning!

Open water competitions or triathlon races are not the best time to test swimming goggles. An athlete needs reliable, perfectly fitted gear to focus on the joy of swimming and winning! Interview with Mateusz Matusiak – triathlete, athlete, and sports event organizer at SNG Wild Ducks club.

How to Choose Swimming Goggles?

How do you choose goggles for open water swimming, triathlon, or pool sessions?

Mateusz Matusiak: Personally, when selecting goggles for training, I prioritize comfort and convenience. During races and intense training sessions, we often step out of our comfort zones, so at least the goggles should be comfortable [smile].

The first and perhaps oldest method of selecting goggles involves pressing them against your face without the strap to see if they fit and hold properly.

  • If they come with interchangeable nose bridges, try each one to find the right fit. If not, you’ll need to test a few models of molded goggles.
  • For open water swimming, the same principles apply, but the field of vision in the goggles becomes especially important. It’s ideal to have photochromic lenses, which adapt to the lighting conditions. This feature eliminates concerns about weather changes. For example, on sunny days, the lenses adjust to block out the bright light, offering a more convenient and reliable option during unpredictable weather conditions, like in long-distance swims where lighting can vary throughout the event.

In Poland, a great example is the famous Malbork triathlon, where the long-distance (IM) race starts at 6:00 a.m., almost in the dark. By 6:30 a.m., participants may already face glaring morning sunlight [smile].

Open Water Swimming Goggles?

What can happen to your goggles during an open water/triathlon race?

Mateusz Matusiak: During the swimming stage of a triathlon, many unexpected things can happen at several key moments.

  • When it comes to sunlight, as I mentioned earlier, in long-distance races of 3800 meters or more (Ultratriathlon), the lighting conditions can change. These swims often last from around 50 minutes to several hours on the longest courses.
  • For both long and medium distances, the antifog system becomes crucial to prevent your goggles from fogging due to changes in body temperature during the swim. Fogged goggles in triathlon won’t help with proper navigation, which could lead to covering unnecessary extra distance during this stage.
  • A good strap with an easy and quick adjustment system is 100% useful, especially if another competitor accidentally removes your goggles during the so-called "washing machine" effect – the crowded water start in open water swimming. This can also happen at other moments.

Most races in Poland are organized with a "rolling start," where small groups of competitors begin in intervals of a few seconds. This helps to avoid the "washing machine," but there are still "bottlenecks" at turning buoys where accidental goggle removal by another swimmer can occur.

In my opinion, a simple and efficient system for putting on and adjusting goggles is equally important in these situations.

Check Your Goggles Before the Race !

What should you consider when choosing goggles to suit your individual needs?

MM: First and foremost, make sure they are comfortable for you [smile]. Nowadays, many people ask questions on specialized forums before purchasing any product. In my opinion, you need to test the product. Goggles will behave differently in a store when you try them on and in the water during your first and subsequent training sessions.

Does the distance a swimmer or triathlete plans to cover affect the choice of goggles? Is it possible to foresee all potential problems before the race?

MM: As I mentioned in the first question, for shorter distances, we can roughly predict conditions like the weather. However, during longer swims, this becomes much harder. That’s why photochromic goggles, for instance, can be an ideal solution.

Training and Open Water Competitions

Do you train and compete with the same goggles? Or do you have separate goggles for races and training? How often do you replace your gear, and why?

MM: Yes, I use the same model for both training and competing. To be clear, I have several pairs of the same model of goggles. I train with one pair, while fresh, unused goggles are reserved for races.

I usually replace my training goggles when the coating on the lenses wears out to the point where the antifog no longer works [smile]. For races, I buy one pair per race season, as I compete multiple times in a season. For training, I typically purchase two pairs for the preparation season along with one antifog spray.

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Mateusz Matusiak is a well-known figure in Łódź – an athlete, triathlete, and sports event organizer associated with SNG Wild Ducks, a group of amateur athletes centered around the Stacja Nowa Gdynia facility.

A review of the VORTEX MIRROR goggles and the photochromic FALCON PHOTOCHROMIC goggles by Mateusz is also available in the latest issue of AQUA SPEED Magazine!

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