In this years Ironman Cozumel I wore the XTERRA Velocity-M Speedsuit, and this is my review of how the Speedsuit performed during the event.
Because Ironman Cozumel is a warm water race I had to do little research before deciding what speed suit to go with. The main reasons that I wanted to go with the XTERRA Velocity-M Speedsuit over other speed suits were because I had read great reviews, got a personal recommendation from one of my friends (who’s a pro Ironman athlete), and because the Velocity-M Speedsuit is WTC, USAT, and ITU legal.
When I was first trying to decide what size XTERRA Velocity-M Speesuit I contacted Xterra to get an idea for how accurate the sizing was. I was advised that the suits were snug, and because I was smack in the middle of the Medium/Large and Large, I went with the Large.
The XTERRA Velocity-M Speedsuit showed up at my door in a large heavy duty plastic bag only a few days after shipping, and after I realized what it was I quickly tried it on to make sure that it would fit well for Ironman Cozumel (I was only a couple weeks out). It was a good thing I went with the Large because the suit fit great!
Unlike a wetsuit, a speed suit compresses down very small, and is a non-issue when traveling. You could literally put it comfortably in the cargo pocket of a pair of shorts.
When I put the Speedsuit on for Ironman Cozumel it fit nice and snug over my triathlon suit. The compression of the speed suit made my muscles feel very elastic and springy around my core and shoulders.
In the water the Speedsuit made me feel what I can only describe as tight and smooth. I actually felt thinner in the water which made my glide feel longer and more efficient. Coming from my bodybuilding background swimming for me isn’t always easy, and I have to work really hard, but when I had the Speedsuit on I felt like a compact bullet or torpedo in the water.
As for results… My Ironman Cozumel swim (with XTERRA speed suit) was 12 minutes faster than my Ironman Canada swim (with wetsuit) only three months earlier. There are obviously a number of factors that come into play that could have made me faster, but I can’t do anything but highly recommend getting the an XTERRA Speedsuit for your next warm water triathlon!
If you have any questions about the speed suit you can contact me directly or you can get more info at: XTERRA’s website here.
