Award Date

5-1-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences

First Committee Member

John Mercer

Second Committee Member

James Navalta

Third Committee Member

Graham McGinnis

Fourth Committee Member

Woosoon Yim

Number of Pages

28

Abstract

Triathlon is a popular sport which attract participants from all over the world. In general, triathlon is a safe sport with risk of death being about 1.74 deaths per 100,000 participants (Harris et al., 2017). The swimming portion of the race can be dangerous, posing particular risks due to open water conditions and the physical demands of the event. This study investigated the effects of wetsuit use on core temperature in warm open-water swimming (27.9–28.3°C). Four experienced triathletes (2 males, 2 females; age 49.50 ± 7.83 years) completed two 700-meter open-water swims at a submaximal pace—once wearing their personal full-sleeve wetsuit with a maximum thickness not exceeding 5 mm, and once without a wetsuit. Core temperature was continuously monitored using ingestible temperature pills recording at 15-second intervals. Results revealed significant differences in core temperature responses between conditions. Maximum core temperature was higher in the non-wetsuit (NWS) condition (37.76 ± 0.32°C) compared to the wetsuit (WS) condition (37.29 ± 0.26°C; p = 0.024). Similarly, average core temperature was greater in the NWS condition (37.55 ± 0.29°C) versus WS (37.04 ± 0.30°C; p = 0.019). However, the rate of temperature change was significantly higher in the WS condition (0.00060 ± 0.00036°C/s) than in NWS (0.00027 ± 0.00030°C/s; p = 0.02), indicating more rapid heat accumulation with wetsuit use. These findings suggest that while overall core temperature may be higher in non-wetsuit swimming, wetsuit use accelerates temperature rise, which could pose a greater risk of heat stress in prolonged efforts. Individual variations and non-linear temperature changes highlight the need for more detailed analyses of thermoregulatory responses.

Keywords

Heat stress; Thermoregulation; Triathlon

Disciplines

Biomechanics | Medical Physiology | Physiology

File Format

pdf

File Size

1785 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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