Ederle Swim today, NYC to Sandy Hook, NJ
October 20, 2009 at 1:05 pm | In Mid-Atlantic OW Races & Events, News, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentTags: Gertrude Ederel Swim, Hannah Borgeson, Nancy Steadman Martin, NYC Swim
A small group of brave souls are plugging along in today’s Gertrude Ederle swim, from the Battery in NYC to Sandy Hook state park in NJ, via New York Harbor. The swim had to be postponed from Saturday until today due to weather conditions, but it’s still no day at the pool out there. Here’s what the swimmers are enjoying:
Water temps: 54-60 degrees F.
Weather conditions – sunny, winds 10-15 knots, gusting to 20, with 2-3 foot seas.
Currently in the lead by about a half mile are Hannah Borgeson (37) and Nancy Steadman Martin (55). Way to represent, ladies! You can follow their progress via Twitter and/or GPS tracking.
The swim is in honor of Gertrude Ederle, first woman to swim the English Channel, who made this swim herself before conquering the Channel.
USMS 2010 Open Water Championships Info
October 6, 2009 at 3:59 pm | In News, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentTags: Open Water race, open water swimming, USMS
Get out your calendars: the 2010 USMS open water championships schedule is posted. All the events will take place in inland bodies of water (lakes & reservoirs, that is). No ocean swims.
I’d say this swim was wetsuit legal: video from Lake Windermere
September 18, 2009 at 1:48 pm | In Open Water Races, Video | Leave a CommentTags: Great North Swim, Lake Windermere swim, open water swimming
6,000 swimmers. 2 days. 1 mile. Video from England’s Lake Windermere swim. Say, that’s worth a trip to the land of bangers & mash.
What it takes to win: a Chris Greene update
September 7, 2009 at 8:53 am | In Chris Greene Lake Cable Swim, OW Training, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentThis year 19-year-old Abby Nunn won both the 1- and 2-mile events at the Chris Greene Lake cable swim. According to Lane 9 News, “Nunn, a 2008 graduate of Deep Run High School, trains under Coaches Geoff Brown and Brent St. Pierre and has been practicing seven times per week, averaging 8,000 yards per practice.”
That’s 56,000 yards a week, right? Back in May, I was feeling pretty happy with myself for doing 70,000 yards for the month.
Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service swim rescheduled for Sept 13
September 3, 2009 at 12:39 pm | In Mid-Atlantic OW Races & Events, News, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentAnd there’s still time to sign up if you couldn’t make the August date but you’re free on September 13.
Key information:
1K and 1 mile ocean swims, parallel to beach
ages 13 & older
USAT license or single-day pass required
wetsuit legal
benefits the non-profit Virginia Beach Lifeguard Association
VBLS swim application here (PDF file)
Here are the details about the rescheduled swim from Capt. Tom Gill:
The plan for the make-up 1Mile or 1K swim is as follows.
If you are registered and CONFIRMED you are swimming in the September 13th race, no further action is required.
If you ARE registered and have yet to confirm you are swimming, please do so by e-mailing me that you would like to swim on the 13th.
If you have NOT registered and would like to do so, a copy of the original application is attached. Disregard the dates and just note whether you are swimming the 1K or the 1Mile. No late fees will apply regardless of when the application is submitted, but T-shirts are not guaranteed for entries coming in next week.
Race Day Registration & Check-In will run from 9:00AM – 9:45AM at 17th Street.
The Swim will start at 10AM! This is because the crowds are lighter, the Tide will be in our favor and the bathrooms will be open.
Free Parking will still be available at the Breakers Hotel Parking Lot.
The 1K Race will be a repeat of the first race starting at 17th St. and finishing at 25th St.
The 1 Mile Race will start at 17th St. and finish at 31st St.
We look forward to seeing many of you on the 13th and I will do my best to keep any bad weather away during that weekend.
VA Beach 5K/1K cancelled
August 22, 2009 at 10:42 am | In Mid-Atlantic OW Races & Events, News, Open Water Races | 1 CommentTags: VBLS 5K & 1K
Due to conditions generated by Hurricane Bill, the VBLS swim scheduled for tomorrow in VA Beach has been canceled.
Waves are expected to be over 10 feet today, and still “overhead” tomorrow, with accompanying potential for dangerous conditions such as rip currents.
Right now (11:30 AM) red flags are flying on the lifeguard stands, and it looks like no one is in the water except surfers. For a peek at conditions, check out the webcam at Waterman’s.
Bud Beatty results
August 11, 2009 at 9:50 am | In Mid-Atlantic OW Races & Events, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentTags: Bud Beatty Memorial Swim, MD open water swim
Results from the Bud Beatty 2 mile swim in MD this past weekend: the winner was Abigail Nunn (winner, as you may recall, of this year’s Chris Greene 1 & 2 mile races) in 45:27. They had a nice turnout, with 82 swimmers finishing.
Smith Mountain Lake all ages 5K & 1 mile, 9/26 & 27
August 11, 2009 at 9:46 am | In Mid-Atlantic OW Races & Events, Open Water Races | Leave a CommentTags: Smith Mountain Lake Swim
At Smith Mountain Lake in south central VA. 5K on Saturday, 1 mile on Sunday (plus 1/2 mile for 10 & under).
No license required. Warm water conditions (80-ish degrees).
Past results suggest heavy turnout of the sub-18-yr-old crowd, so expect fast races.
More details to come, or see www.lakeswim.net
Happy belated anniversary, Gertrude Ederle
August 10, 2009 at 11:24 am | In OW swim stories, Open Water Races | 1 CommentTags: Ederle Swim, Gertrude Ederle, Highlands NJ
Whoops, I missed it. This past Thursday, August 8, was the 83rd anniversary of Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel swim. By mere coincidence, I happened on that day to be in Highlands, NJ, where Ederle first learned to swim. Two days earlier I visited the Gertrude Ederle Park, maintained by the Highlands garden club.
Though the view is partially obscured by buildings, the sandy spit of land in the top left of the photo below is Sandy Hook. The Manhattan Island Foundation’s 17.5-mile Ederle Swim, which will take place this year on October 17, commemorates Ederle’s swim from Manhattan to Sandy Hook in 1925; her record of 7:11.30 stood until 2006.
Oddly, the commemorative plaque doesn’t mention the NY-NJ swim. I suppose being the first woman to cross the English Channel is the accomplishment Ederle is famed for, but her “hometown” swim was no paddle in the pool.
We took the ferry from Highlands to Manhattan and back again, covering much the same course as the Ederle swim. The Hudson pours into the Atlantic here, and the water is a confusion of currents and tides and chop and swells and boat wakes and floating debris, plied not only by the high-speed ferries, but also by enormous container ships, cruise ships, and all manner of commercial and recreational craft.
Well, it wouldn’t be fun if it were easy.
And then there’s the other Bay Bridge swim
July 28, 2009 at 2:55 pm | In Chesapeake Bay Swim, Open Water Races, West Coast OW races & events | Leave a CommentTags: San Francisco Bay Bridge open water swim, Ti2Y swim
We’ve been thinking about some fun “challenges” for open water swimming (like the 50-state Life List, where you aim to complete an open water race in every state. Yes, Alaska has one: the Pennock Island Challenge ((and by the way, if anyone’s swimming that this year, we’d love a race report!)). Triathlons count too.) I have 48 to go…
So here’s a challenge for the continent-spanning OW swimmers out there: we’ll call it the “Bay 2 Bay Challenge.” Swim the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim and the Ti2Y 1.5 mile Bay Bridge Swim in San Francisco. If you already have the GCBS under your belt, er, Speedo, there’s still time to put the Ti2Y on your calendar for ‘09.
Here’s the details, from the race organizers:
5th Annual Ti2Y 1.5 mile Bay Bridge Swim
Saturday September 26, 2009
This challenging 1.5 mile course begins off the shores of Treasure Island and ends in San Francisco at Rincon Park. A swift ferry ride from the Port of San Francisco shuttles you off the coast of Treasure Island where the course begins. Swim parallel to the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge and finish at Rincon Park.
This is the only open water swim on the Bay Bridge side of Alcatraz. Expect choppy waters around 57-64 degrees and amazing views of the San Francisco skyline. The numbers are limited to 400 swimmers so sign up now. Register at http://www.active.com. Any questions email ti2y@ymcasf.org.
A few more details:
wetsuit legal? Yes, both wetsuit, and, for the bold and bare-loving, a “skin” category too.
qualifying swim or time required? No time required—but the organizers say this is NOT an event for a novice/first-time OW swimmer (cold, choppy waters and current to be expected).
USMS or USAT sanctioned? No license needed for this swim.
If you complete the Bay 2 Bay Challenge tell us your story! Or heck, we’d welcome a race report on the Ti2Y anyway.
Subscribe to Open Water Swim RSS feed (click orange box)- St. Croix Coral Reef Five-Mile Swim
- Ederle Swim update
- Ederle Swim today, NYC to Sandy Hook, NJ
- And don’t bother cooling down, either
- Beware the swift and deadly strike
- An interview with Steven Munatones
- Why they do it
- USMS 2010 Open Water Championships Info
- Race Report: Nanticoke River Swim 2009
- I’d say this swim was wetsuit legal: video from Lake Windermere
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