So, I'm a running enthusiast who brought a road bike at the start of the summer. My long term goal (12months<) is to compete in a triathlon, and figured I'd get the cycling rolling before attempting to do anything with swimming. I haven't swum properly in many a year, but consider myself atleast competent.

I have, however, just seen in my local paper that there is a triathlon being held in my town in a week and a bit's time. It's less than a sprint - a 400m swim, a 10 mile bike, and a 5k run - and quite a chilled out affair. I can easily manage the bike and run phases, but I have no clue how feasible the swim is - let alone combined with the other two phases.

I'm a reasonably fit guy, capable of running about a 21 minute 5k etc, but have no swimming experience. I will be doing this purely for the hell of it, in no way competitively.

My question is purely, oh experienced triathletes, will it be possible to add in a 400m swim in a week from scratch, or will I be dead in the water?

Cheers for any help...