Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Mako Wetsuit Review

So I broke one of my golden rules and used the Mako Extreme wetsuit ($750) in a race without training in it first. I arrived late 20 minutes before the start of a mid-week swim/run event and threw it on for the first time.

My first impression of the Mako was that it was super easy to get on. It shouldn't really be an evaluating factor but it was nice not to struggle with a wetsuit for 10 minutes just to put it on. Especially when you're running late! It was equally easy to take off in T1. Which IS a performance advantage.

I had ordered an XL, which was my size from the online sizing chart and it fits well. I really like the long arms. Too often wetsuits will pull up too far up on the wrist but this one I was able to pull it over my shoulders properly and still cover the wrist completely.


The other thing I noticed was the flexibility around the shoulders and forearms. I've personally never had a problem feeling constricted in a wetsuit but I often hear from athletes that they feel like long-sleeved wetsuits work against them when they are lifting their arms out of the water. This will be used as a reason to go sleeveless (which is always a much slower option). The Mako was the most flexible suit I've experienced around the shoulders.

The other peculiarity of the Mako is you pull the zip down on the back to secure and up towards the neck to take it off. I prefer this method as I find it less awkward to rip off getting out of the water running up the beach but some people don't like it or aren't used to it.

The only potential negative I found was some pretty bad wetsuit rash around the neck after swimming in it. There are two seams around the neck area which I haven't seen in some other suits but if you're extra generous with the Bodyglide to avoid abrasion that resolves the problem.

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