Are you wondering whether you should add a pull buoy to your swimrun kit?

There’s no right or wrong answer because it all comes down to personal preference, however, there are some serious benefits to using a pull buoy during a swimrun race.

In this article we’ll take you through the pros and cons of using a pull buoy during a swimrun race.

Pros of racing with a pull buoy

Reduce Drag

During the swim legs of any swimrun race, you lose some buoyancy in your legs because you are swimming with shoes on and they add drag, weighing your legs down. By using a pull buoy, you will add more buoyancy to your legs, helping to even your body out and keep your legs higher in the water, reducing drag and making the swim legs just a little bit easier.

Assist with recovery

Swimrun is a hard sport, especially on your legs. Going from swimming to running and repeating multiple times is hard even on the fittest of athletes. Using a pull buoy during the swim legs of the event can help your legs recover and give them a chance to recover from your previous run leg before hitting the next run leg.

Cons of racing with a pull buoy

You have to carry it through the run legs

One of the biggest disadvantages of using a pull buoy during a swimrun race is that you have to carry it throughout the whole duration of the race. Yes, that even means during the run legs.

While you’re not going to run with the pull buoy in between your legs, you do need to carry it in some way. The most common way swimrunners carry their pull buoy during a race is by threading some elastic/rubber cord through the buoy to make a couple of loops and putting your leg through it. This way means you can put the pull buoy in between your legs for the swim legs and then turn it to the outside of your thigh from run legs.