Teamwork In The High Seas

Penny Palfrey announced Team Palfrey, 15 highly experienced and professionals who will escort and protect her from the shores of Cuba to the coast of Florida later this month.

Her medical team includes Dr. Bill Korey, an emergency room physician who has also swum around Manhattan Island, and Barbara Held, a former firefighter and paramedic who spends her retirement years observing for the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation and swimming across the Catalina Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, Tampa Bay and other marathon challenges.

Her escorts on kayaks will include long-time stalwart Jeff Kozlovich from Hawaii, Jesse Gros of Insight Adventures, and Colin Kozlovich, a big-wave surfer from Hawaii.

Her husband Chris Palfrey, Dan Boyle and Brooke Bessert will be rotating a number of duties from preparing feeds, rotating Shark Shields and the myriad duties requires on the escort boats together with her four escort pilots.

She has raised a boatload of funds, organized an international crew, coordinated the logistics involving 4 different countries, put in the training, and will be heading her way to the Cayman Islands this week as a featured guest of the Flowers Sea Swim. While on Grand Cayman, she will make her final preparations before entering Cuba to literally push off Cuba for a 103-mile journey across the Gulf Stream to the Keys of Florida.

Palfrey took nearly 41 hours to swim 67 miles in the Cayman Islands in 2011. This year's challenge across the Florida Strait will be 36 miles longer. But if she catches the Gulf Stream just right in its northerly direction, and the conditions are reasonably calm, it is possible for her to traverse the waterway safely as the global marathon swimming world watches her progress here.

Whatever the conditions may be and whatever she may encounter en route, her 15-member escort team will take good care of her day and night, and perhaps another day and night more.

With Susie Maroney's Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Sexy, Stylish And Sustaintable Swimming

"When our great grandfather started this company 72 years ago, the oceans and beaches were cleaner places. Four generations later, in a world with polluted water and dirty beaches, Eco Swim by Aqua Green is answering a call to restore our oceans’ health. By making our swimsuits using fabrics made from recycled materials, we are reducing our carbon footprint in the sand so that our beaches can be enjoyed by the next four generations," explained Samantha Waldman.

Eco Swim by Aqua Green is a swimsuit manufacturer where sustainability meets cutting-edge design. Its swimwear are made from sustainable materials as its employees participate in beach and waterway clean-ups that remove tons of trash from the oceans. Eco Swim by Aqua Green is a company that aims to create great swimwear while building a better world.

It is a fourth-generation family-owned swimsuit manufacturer in Pennsylvania that participants and leads various ecological initiatives to reduce human's carbon footprint in the sand. Some of these initiatives include simple changes such as a corporate ban on purchases of styrofoam, recycling of all paper, plastics, light bulbs, and color cartridges. More complicated efforts include asking its fabric supplies to use sustainable fabric.

With a long-term goal, they keep getting better. "Our vision is to be the most sustainable swimwear manufacturer on the planet. We’re not there yet, but with every sunrise we try harder."



Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Marilyn Korzekwa Wakes Up To Achieve Her Dreams

With another season of channel swimming coming up in the Northern Hemisphere, we are reminded of Dr. Marilyn Korzekwa's heroic efforts in her 16 hour 28 minute crossing of the English Channel in 2011.

For her efforts, the 54-year-old Half Century Club member was awarded the Channel Swimming Association's Van Audenaerde Cup for Greatest Feat of Endurance during the season.

"The greatest feat of endurance encompasses everything: age, length of swim, weather conditions. The person who battled on against all odds in spite of what was thrown at them. The time taken is clearly one aspect, but 20 hours on a flat calm day would not in our view beat 16 hours in a Force 4.

And you had 12 hours in F4 and occasionally F5 and you had 13 hours of a head wind. In our view you had the hardest swim of the year," described Michael Read, President of Channel Swimming Association.

But her road to the French shoreline was a long time coming.

"I've been swimming since age 2, competitively since age 13. I swam across Lake Ontario in 1983 and also north-to-south against the powerful Niagara River current in 1984. I was quoted in 1984 saying my next big swim would be the English Channel. But then life happened. I got married, had children, but always kept swimming at least twice a week. Last summer, a friend challenged me to swim 26 kilometres in Muskoka. When I finished it, I felt I could have swum further...and realized I could still do another big swim at my age," wrote Dr. Korzekwa.

"The English Channel is part of world history and swimming tradition. My grandmother lived in England and took me to the beach on the channel, so it is also nostalgia and familiar. What really cemented the idea in my mind is pacing Kim Middleton across the channel in 1989. I just "woke up" last September and realized time was running out.

Time may have been running out, but Dr. Korzekwa keeps on moving forward. "Even the pilot wouldn't oblige [me quitting] by saying that Beaufort Force 6 winds (24-26 knots between 3 and 5 pm) are not an automatic end to the swim if the swimmer is still making forward progress on the GPS."



Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Stay In Touch With Dan Martin On The High Seas

Dan Martin will have a constant Internet connection across the Atlantic Ocean so his family, friends and fans can stay in touch with him and he can inform the world of his progress as he strokes from America to England.

He tweeted about the swim leg of his Global Triathlon, "We will have internet on the boat and will be tweeting probably more than I do now! Photos and videos too I hope."

Martin standing on left of his training partners from San Francisco Bay.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Traversing Across America Via Rivers And Roads

Kate Greene, winner of the Adventure Swim Contest sponsored by Jamie Patrick, is on her way on her open water swimming adventure across America.

Greene's plan is flexible, but you already has two swims off her list.

She swam in Percy Priest Lake to Bear Island in Tennessee on swim #1 and crossed the Mississippi River on swim #2. She is currently on her way across America where she will swim in Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, Clinton Lake in Kansas, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Salton Sea in the southern California desert with a grand finale in Aquatic Park in San Francisco Bay on June 29th.

In the Great Salt Lake, Greene will swim with Gordon Gridley and Josh Green. But for the rest of her swims, she's "pretty much expecting to swim solo on most of the other swims, but would be happy to have others join me."

The month-long series of swims for a writer who learned how to swim via YouTube videos is "a pretty great adventure. I've never done a trip like this in terms of length, planning effort, and physical exertion. I'm also excited to meet people who swim and play in and around these waters. I feel like meeting new people in different places is always an adventure."

For most of the trip, the energetic science and technology journalist will be joined with Jill Schepmann who came up with the concept of a road trip as a cross-country swim. Now that the adventure is underway, she - like many other swimmers and endurance athletes - can be obsessive. "When I first started to swim and really started to feel like I could understand it, I thought about swimming constantly. And since I've been training and planning this trip, I've been thinking about it quite a lot too...about 22 hours a day..." she commented with a wink.

And, like many things in the open water world now, technology has been a vital part of kick-starting her adventure. From knowing the Adventure Swim Contest even existed to connecting via Facebook and getting around via GPS. "I'm not even sure I have the basic skills to do this trip without the all these technologies (the Internet, a laptop and mobile phone). I first heard of Jamie's contest through Twitter, so there's that. From that point on, so much of the preparation has been done on an Internet-connected laptop and with phone calls. I get to collect my thoughts on swimming on my blog and then share it with people through Facebook and Twitter. It's all connected."

Her swims and observations are here.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Road to Cap Gris Nez, A Journey By Trent Grimsey

Trent Grimsey is stepping up from his dominant position in 1-2 mile ocean swims to the ultimate proving ground, the English Channel.

A fast pool swimmer and top professional marathon swimmer has begun to prove himself in colder waters from South Africa to Canada.

His road to Cap Gris Nez will take him from his native Australia on a journey of acclimatization and preparation like few others.

June 12th – Fly to Italy (10,143 miles/16,323 km)
June 17th – Participate in the 36 km (22 mile) Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli
June 19th – Fly back to Australia (10,143 miles/16,323 km)
July 17th – Fly to San Francisco (7,416 miles/11, 935 km)
July 22nd – Fly to Montreal, Canada (2,543 miles/4,093 km), drive to Roberval, Quebec
July 26th – Participate in the 10 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean (FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup)
July 28th – Participate in the 32 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean (FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix)
August 4th – Participate in the 34 km Traversée Internationale du lac Memphrémagog (FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix)
August 6th – Fly to Macedonia (4,488 miles/7,222 km)
August 11th – Participate in the 30 km Ohrid Lake Swim Marathon (FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix)
August 12th to 28th – Cold water training in Europe
August 29th – Fly to England
September 7th to 14th – Attempt the English Channel

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Trent Grimsey Swimming After Petar Stoychev's Record

Many great Australian swimmers have tried, but none have succeeded in Trent Grimsey's latest attempt to set the world record in the English Channel.

Tammy van Wisse, Shelley Taylor-Smith and Ky Hurst have tried, but this season 3-time Australian open water swimming champion will give it a whirl between September 7th and 14th under the guidance of International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Pilot Michael Oram.

Grimsey is confident that he can beat the current world record of Petar Stoychev which currently stands at 6 hours, 57 minutes and 50 seconds.

Grimsey has the speed and stamina, but he is going to have to acclimate and get some luck on his side for favorable conditions during his window. "[Regarding acclimatization to cold water], I am leaving Australia in July to head over to Canada and compete in both the Grand Prix and World Cup races there. These are cold water races, similar to what the Channel will be. After these races in Canada, I'll travel to Macedonia to compete in the last Grand Prix race. Then I'll start my last training block in Europe before I take on the Channel. I have also started putting on weight and will continue to put on weight right up until the date I swim." [Note his travel and preparation schedule here.]

Stoychev has set the Channel bar extraordinarily high, but Grimsey shows the confidence of someone who visualizes achievement as part of his daily training regimen. "I think I have what it takes to break the record because when I have my mind set of something, I will do everything in my power to achieve it. It's every marathon swimmer's dream to hold this record. I'm going to give myself every possible chance to break it. I have a very good team of people around me that are very helpful and supportive which definitely makes things a lot easier."

At the same time, he is realistically humble and understands the whims of Mother Nature. "I'm under no illusion as to how hard this will be. I know the English Channel is very unpredictable and good conditions don't come around very often. It was Petar's third attempt when he broke the record. Come my tide in September I am going to be the fittest I have ever been and just hope and pray I'll get good conditions."

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

How To Get Girls In The Open Water

Leslie Andrews, a former Disney and ESPN executive, wrote a commentary called How To Get Girls in Sports Illustrated Magazine on how the game of golf can attract more women to the game.

Andrews writes, "Golf is more of a social activity for most women, not a game or sport. Dig around and find a social angle for the girl or woman in your life. Encourage the girl or woman in your life to take up golf with a friend or two - women will be far less likely to quit if they have a buddy to play with."

The author of Even Par: How Golf Helps Women Gain the Upper Hand in Business continues, "Go with her the first time. Think of this as akin to teaching a kid how to ride a bike. Get her going and jog alongside, holding the seat until you're sure she's on her way. Then let go, and watch her enjoy the trip."

When we observe the global community of open water swimming, from San Francisco to Sydney, Japan to Jamaica, Rio to Rome, the doors are wide open for women - the fastest growing demographic in the sport. The ambiance of inclusion and the traditional supportive role of mentors in the open water world set the stage for the mixing of the genders in the open water community.

Both genders are comfortable and confident in their swimsuits among mixed company, no matter the age, shape or size. Smiles, passion and a sense of adventure are the passports to entry. In lakes, bays and oceans, men and women socialize, train and race together on friendly terms.

The camaraderie and collegiality before and after training sessions and competitive races among those swimmers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities lead to a situation that is both comfortable and inviting to all.

Fins nor not, wetsuits or not, marathoners or not, men and women are more focused on the dynamic elements of the open water. In the water and out, men and women freely and cheerfully share advice on starts, feeding, equipment, coaches, pilots, paddlers, techniques, tactics and training.

There are, on occasion, a few generic differences that are observed. While men (and competitively-minded women) regularly smash into one another at the starts and turns in races, driving adrenalin levels skyward as they refuse to give each other any ground, not all women are so intent to gain the upper hand. Sometimes, we have observed two women who inadvertently swim into one another in a race stop. They stop, look at one another, mutually apologize and ask if each other is OK. With a smile and nod, the two compatriots take off knowing they are part of the growing global community.

Men and women, boys and girls...all part of a greater whole in the open water swimming world...where everyone is on even par.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

The Long And Short Of The Nubble Light Challenge

The Nubble Light Challenge is one of the most northerly ocean swim in the continental USA.

The 2.4-mile ocean swim in York, Maine starts on Long Sands Beach, continues through the "gut", the channel between the lighthouse island and the mainland, and finishes with a sprint to Short Sands Beach.

The race takes place on July 14th and is a charity swim for the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.



Photo courtesy of Maine Aerials. Video courtesy of DivergingSoul Media Production.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Great Names In The Open Water Swimming Community

Furiously Fast Flotsam is a great name in the open water swimming community.

The duo of Phyllis Ho and Kenn Lichtenwalter will team up in a two-person relay to swim around Manhattan Island on June 23rd. Both Ho and Lichtenwalter are avid open water swimmers from New York who both volunteer and compete in numerous swims with NYC Swim.

As they fly down the Hudson River on the last leg of their Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, they will surely live up to their name.

Rules governing relay swims around Manhattan Islands are posted here.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Haley Anderson Loving Life In The Pool and Open Water

"I hate walls. I hate turns," says northern California native Haley Anderson. An unusual statement to say the least from the reigning NCAA champion in the 500-yard freestyle, a gut-busting 4-minute swim that requires 19 flip turns.

But the personable 20-year-old has good reasons for her dislike of walls and turns.

She is one of the world’s fastest open water swimmers…and her career is just beginning.

"I feel more relaxed in the open water. I love the open water. I like getting ready for anything in the open water and like the need to be ready to adjust to conditions, currents and the competition. I grew up near a lake [Folsom Lake] in northern California. My sister and I would always walk over for a swim. You can just swim and swim without worrying about walls or turns."

While Anderson knew open water and its challenges and allure from an early age, it took her a while to find herself back on the shoreline as she focused on the pool and developed into a top age-group swimmer emerging and high school star. The fast-improving junior at the University of Southern California studying communications and occupational therapy is really coming into her own in the pool and open water. "I love USC. I have grown up here and matured. I have improved every year here under my coaches Dave Salo, Kevin Clements and Catherine Vogt. The Trojans take such pride in their school, from the students to the professors. You can be walking down the street in your USC shirt and people just come up to you and talk. It is like being in a big family."

And one of her family members is Ous Mellouli who will join her in their quest to qualify for the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics. Mellouli, already a gold medalist in the 1500, is branching out like Anderson with hopes to be racing in the Serpentine in front of an unprecedented worldwide TV audience. "Ous works out so hard and he is so confident in himself. He is tough as nails. We workout together and it is good to have someone to talk to about open water swimming. It’s not easy, but that is what is fun about open water – you can talk about the races afterwards with others. It is important to discuss what happens out there with someone who understand what you are going through."

Anderson has been through a lot in her relatively short open water swimming career, from being fast-tracked onto the USA Swimming national open water team to completing a 25 km in the cold water (16°C) at the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Championships in lac St-Jean in Canada. With the qualifying swim in Portugal and the Olympics in London, the cooler side of the open water plays to her strengths. "I am totally fine with the cold water. It doesn’t bother me."

Nothing much seems to bother Anderson whose DNA seems grounded in optimism and good-nature. She always emerges from the water – cold or warm, rough or calm, pool or open water – with a big smile on her face. "I’m always happy and I love to race."

The hard-working Anderson is certainly ready to race come June 9th with an Olympic berth on the line in Portugal.

Watch for her bright smile at the start … and the finish ... on Portuguese television here on June 9th.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Thomas Lurz, German Consistency At The Top In Open Water

Way back in the pre-Olympic marathon swimming era at the 3rd FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships held in Dubai in 2004, Thomas Lurz was making a name for himself as a 25-year-old world champion open water swimmer.

In the river through the heart of Dubai, he won a dramatic come-from-way-behind victory over Alan Bircher of Great Britain who had built-up an early 400-meter lead in one of the most dramatic international races ever held.

And, remarkably, 8 years later, humble, soft-spoken 33-year-old is still leading the charge with a focus and precision true to his German roots.

Leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, the bronze medalist in the marathon swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics trains full-time with the German military that supports Olympic athletes. He is renowned for being a very tough workout swimmer that enables his success in international competitions.

"I swim around 7,000 - 8,000 meters per workout or about 80 km a week in a swimming pool," he explains. "Occasionally, I swim more like 105 km a week, but this isn't very often, only a few weeks in a year."

Like a typical pool swimmer that he once was, Lurz uses a variety of equipment and interval sets to develop an ability to average less than 1:07 per 100 meters for 10,000 meters - without the benefit of walls or turns. "We do around two hard kicking sets per week, but also I do kicking sets and pulling sets in nearly every training session which helps with recovery...it's easier to swim with pull buoy."

But easy does not enter his workout vocabulary much. "I have done many hard workouts in my life. I don't know exactly which one was the hardest, but I have done a 15,000-meter straight freestyle set in a 50m pool without stopping. I also did a 10 x 800 freestyle set and 60 x 100 freestyle, trying to go under 1:02 every 100 meters." With those kinds of sets, it is no wonder he has been leading the pack at international competitions for nearly a decade.

While every swimmer has their inner team and support crew, Lurz's inner circle is truly family. "My brother [Stefan Lurz] will be in London with me as the German open water head coach. I also have tattoos: one with the Olympic rings and one with the birth date of my father who died in 2007. He always supported me a lot."

With such a support team, great things are expected in London for the long-time German open water swimming superstar.

Results from the 2004 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships:

1. Thomas Lurz (GER) 1:54:38.0
2. Alan Bircher (GBR) 1:54:44.8
3. Danill Serebrennikov (RUS) 1:55:02.8
4. Evgueni Kochkarov (RUS) 1:55:03.2
5. Christian Hein (GER) 1:55:04.7
6. Damian Blaum (ARG) 1:55:07.9
7. Maarten van der Weijden (NED) 1:55:11.3
8. Nagy-Pal Levente (HUN) 1:55:11.7
9. Jarrod Ballem (CAN) 1:55:12.4
10. Carlos Pavao (BRA) 1:55:13.6
11. Josh Santacaterina (AUS) 1:55:14.8
12. Grant Cleland (AUS) 1:55:16.8
13. Jakub Fichtl (CZE) 1:55:42.6
14. Parua Massimliano (ITA) 1:55:56.6
15. Petar Stoychev (BUL) 1:56:06.3

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Cape Point vs. Cape of Good Hope, One Perspective

Two open water swimming landmarks in South Africa include Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.

Lewis Pugh has used both to sight off of when he has swum in the ocean near the tip of the African continent.

"While Cape Point is structurally more impressive, I prefer the Cape of Good Hope," explains the legendary aquatic adventurer. "I just love its name."

And he has good reason for having that opinion.

"When I did the first swim around it Tony Sellmeyer, Kevin Anderson and Gill Stramrood, a big Great White Shark darted underneath us. We all put our heads up simultaneously and sprinted to the support boat, which had a Shark Shield on it. Luckily it disappeared as quickly as it came. For us it is, and will remain, a Cape of Good Hope and Good Luck."

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

If Pool Swimming Is Physics, Open Water Is Biology

The world of physics involves the study of matter to understand how the universe behaves, is ruled by laws, measures and formulas.

Although physicists continue to explore fields covering the minute to the gigantic from Newtonian mechanics to quantum mechanics, the rules of physics are clear and absolute.


Conversely, the world of biology, a natural science concerned with the study of life, can have many exceptions and differences. Evolution, the albino, and the splitting of an egg to create identical twins are just a hint of the myriad variances found in living organisms.

In physics, you know what to expect, but in biology you can be surprised. So too with pool and open water swimming.

In the pool, you know what to expect and in the open water, you know to expect the unexpected.

In a 400m freestyle in the pool, the race is 8 lengths with 7 flip turns and a defined start and finish. You swim straight over a black line between parallel lane lines in a temperature-regulated, chemically-balanced stable environment. Pool swimming is clean and well-defined like physics.

Conversely, in an open water swim, you can run into jellyfish, waves, winds and currents ... or not. You will not swim only 5,000m in an open water 5 km, but you are not exactly sure how much - or even what the water temperature or wind direction will be. Turns can be 45°, 90° or 180°, done clockwise or counterclockwise, or in a large pack or solo. Open water swimming is often unpredictable and dynamic like biology.

So are you a physicist or biologist - or a physicist-turned-biologist - or vice versa? Do you like the controlled, confined world of physics and stability of the chlorinated concrete world of pool swimming? Or do you enjoy the unpredictability and the unexpected of the open water world?

Do you like to wake up and conduct your affairs in a specific order according to a regular timeline where uniformity is consistent? Or do you enjoy life not knowing exactly what will happen or when where flexibility is required? Do you enjoy swimming in a controlled modification of Mother Nature or swimming in her whimsical self?

What kind of swimming you do prefer: pool or open water?

Controlled or dynamic? Established or evolving? Defined or Darwinian? Within or outside your comfort zone?

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Swimming Storm Surf

For the most capable swimmers willing for a ride of their lives, some of these coastal waters look almost swimmable, albeit quite gnarly:

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Palmy Manly Swim, Australia's Longest Open Water Race

The Palmy Manly Swim is the longest open water swim in Australia, a 28 km swim from North Palm Beach in Sydney to Manly’s Shelly Beach. 20 English Channel swimmers and open water swimmers from Australia, the USA, the UK and Europe will take on the 19°C (66°F) water on June 2nd.

Race organizer English Channel swimmer Iain McGregor describes the Palmy Manly Swim as "a true classic for Australia’s East Coast.

It will pass 16 of Sydney’s iconic surfing beaches including Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Avalon, Narrabeen, Dee Why, Curl Curl and Freshwater before finishing at Manly’s Shelley Beach."

The participants will include McGregor and English Channel swimmers Stuart Johnson and Collie Kinsella, as well as 2012 English Channel aspirants including Ben Hutt, Wyatt Song, Tori Gorman, Wayne Arthur and Alistair March.

For the list of the longest marathon swims in the world, visit here.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Survey Of Open Water Swimmers

52 Americans from 7 states, averaging 39 years old, participated in Jamie's Swim Camp in northern California.

Their open water experience included the Lake Tahoe swims, English Channel solos and relays, Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, Catalina Channel solos and relays, swims throughout San Francisco Bay, Pennock Island Swim, swims in lakes in Switzerland, Utah, Minnesota, New York, Italy, Japan, Deer Creek Open Water Marathon Swim, Maui Channel solos and relays, Hawaii Ironman and other Ironman triathlons, ice swims, Farallon Islands relays, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Strait of Gibraltar, Swim Around Key West, Boston Light Swim, Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, Little Red Lighthouse Swim, Ederle Swim, 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, and numerous other shorter swims and events around the world.

They were asked a number of questions in an online survey. Below is a brief summary of their answers:

Q1. Have you ever been hypothermic?
A1. Of a number who had been hypothermic, only one was hospitalized although one had swum in water down to -1°C. Most quickly warmed up and one described the state of hypothermia as a temporary inconvenience. But they swim together in cold-water conditions and limit their time in water at or below 10°C.

Q2. Have you ever been hyperthemic?
A2. A vast majority had never experienced hyperthemia. Of those who have, cramping was the result and hydration is the means of prevention.

Q3. Do you believe pain is part of marathon swimming?
A3. Most agreed with this question with a wide range of answers included the following:
A small part but more achey, not pain.
How that pain is allowed to influence the swim depends on the person, and how it is managed.
I believe pain - good pain - is an important part of any endurance sport.
Most of it is mental pain you have to deal with too.
Pain from muscle soreness, yes. Pain that leads to injuries, no. If you are in that kind of pain, you probably were not properly prepared for the swim.
It seems that for lots of us, it is.
I think pain is different from fatigue, tiredness, soreness, and shouldn't be a factor in a marathon swim with proper training. There are different goals when we are doing marathon swims whether it's just completing the swim or trying to push ourselves with maximum effort to finish the swim. I think the only type of pain could be pain out of our control such as a (jellyfish) sting, cut (on rock), etc. Everything else, we have the ability to properly train and prepare for so we don't have to experience pain.
Yes, to a degree. Soreness, cramps, jellyfish stings, cold, nausea, negative thoughts, etc are things we learn to overcome. Not anymore than pain is part of life.
Training is hard, particularly for older bodies.
The key for me is to have maintainable speed and to avoid tendonitis from training.

Q4. How often does pain play a part of your training or marathon swims?
A4. Most agreed with this question, but the answers varied:
Every swim I do involves some sort of pain.
Right now, it's fairly rare. But it used to be much more before I had surgery.
I am not normally in pain, but feeling uncomfortable is normal. I love the quote, Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Not very often.
Rarely. Never had a swimming injury. Just normal sore muscles.
I don't think marathon swim training starts until 3 hours into a swim. Around 3 hours discomfort (pain) settles in. That is when you begin to train the mind to manage the pain.
I don't think it has to be, but I'm often plagued with tendonitis and other low-grade pain. This past year I tore an ankle ligament (not in the water) and swimming was more painful than usual.
I push my body and heart rate in sets but not pain.
I think experiencing pain during training makes it easier to deal with it on the big day. I have been to this place before and I know what I need to do to get past it.
My strength has always been that I can endure a high level of discomfort for an extended period of time.
I have had shoulder pain on longer training swims and some mental struggles.
Good pain, the term I use to describe exercise discomfort (sore muscles, burning lungs, lactic acid buildup, etc.) is part of every training or marathon swim, and necessary for improvement. Bad pain, pain associated with injury (joint pain), still plays a significant role (15% of training swims and every marathon swim) for me since I have a shoulder injury, and needs to be monitored accordingly.
Almost always.
I try to keep training through illness and injury. My work is very physical. Bangs, bumps, bruises, muscle stains, and lacerations are common, but training must go on. It toughens me mentally, and forces me to solve problems. Sometimes adjustments to stroke technique have to be made.
Daily.
If there is pain in training, I'm training too hard and need to cut the intensity. Or I have increased my weekly training distance too fast. In a long swim it is not pain, but tiredness. The only time I had pain was tendonitis from over-training.
Sometimes.
All marathon swims and some training swims.

Q5. Can you describe the pain that you have felt?
A5. The range of answers were very descriptive:
The worst pain I've felt is from the wind outside while I'm waiting to get into the ocean.
It was at around 7 am in January, below freezing. We rode a slow Zodiac to the jump point. When I got into the water, it was warmer than my current temperature. It was so warm that my chest was hurting.
I started getting pain in my shoulder that felt grinding. The doctor informed me it was Calcified Bursitis. I had it surgically removed. Recovering from that surgery was just as painful, but it has gotten better. Now I get pain less frequently and intensely, but its manageable.
I have not felt bad pain. Good pain - the pain you feel once your shoulders are exhausted and your body is drained - is what I feel.
This question is like asking me to describe what milk taste like. Pain felt painful.
No pain. Just sore muscles.
Shoulders get tight and an overall achy feeling starting in the shoulders runs through my upper body.
The good thing about pain is that we forget how bad it feels. I try not to dwell on the pain or remember.
Chafing from my suit, sunburn cuts and side aches.
There is physical pain (muscular, digestive) but negative thoughts can be the hardest to get through: Can I do this? Am I good enough?
You swim through discomfort regardless of how bad it gets. You must mentally remove yourself from the physical discomfort.
However, pain is the result of an injury and should be dealt with properly.
Tenderness in my right shoulder.
Good pain is challenging to manage, but it's the kind of pain you know will feel rewarding after the workout. This is typically burning or sore muscles or lungs on fire. Bad pain is more of a pinching or shearing sensation and it is much more difficult to bear.
Shoulder pain and jellyfish stings.
The night after a marathon swim is sleepless for me. I typically suffer with a low-grade fever for a couple of days, GI distress, soreness everywhere. If salt water, mouth and sinus burn lasts a few days as well.
Shoulder and core muscle soreness.
Tendonitis in shoulders.
Shoulder pain.
Mental, wrist, shoulders and lower back pain.

Q6. Do you believe injuries are part of marathon swimming?
A6. Over 50% answered no. Those that answered yes are noted below:
If you overdue it, yes.
They are for me.
It is bound to happen to the best of us sooner or later. It can be a part of marathon swimming (especially shoulder issues) but we can do our best to learn what our bodies need by proper nutrition, gradual mileage build-up, stretching, etc.
Injuries are a part of all sports.
Yes, unfortunately, I believe they are for many marathon swimmers. However, there are those lucky ones who, either by way of incredibly smart training and/or excellent joint genetics, can come away from marathon swims unscathed.
For the most part, yes.

Q7. What do you eat and drink during your marathon swims? How often?
A7. The answers were relatively varied, although some standard brands used in the endurance sports world were commonly used: Started out with hot chocolate in 1987, then Gatorade and Gu, then Cytomax, then E Gel, back to Gu and warm tea.
Gu Brew, Gu and warm water.
A blend of grape juice, pineapple juice, Hammer Strawberry/Vanilla Perpetuem, and water.
I eat gel packets.
Every 30 minutes I drink Cytomax. Every 45-60 minutes I take an energy gel. If I start to cramp a bit or my muscles start to get tight, I'll drink every 20 minutes.
When I swam 10 miles, I had Gu and water.
I plan to use Generation UCANN every 20 min, supplementing every few hours with solid foods and adding electrolytes.
I eat mainly chocolate Gu, red Gatorade, warm tea with sugar and Maxim, and plain water. Sometimes I'll have a chocolate balance bar, too.
Gels, PowerBars and Hammer products seem to work well.
Perpetuem/Heed every 30 minutes or 20 minutes warmed if my crew deems necessary.
Perpetuem and water every 20 minutes for first 6 hours and then 15 minutes thereafter. GU and Fig Newtons as needed.
About every 45 minutes.
I drink 6-8oz GU Brew or Roctane Drink every 30 minutes and one GU gel every hour.
Hammer Products (Perpetuem and Gels), Cliff Shot Blocks, Drip Drop Sport Beans, Angel Mints and Coke (when needed).
Mostly Gu, but I haven't been consistent.
I am now using Hammer Perpetuem. In fresh water, I add Endurolytes to the mix. 20 minute warm feeds in cold water or 30 minutes cool feeds in warm water.
I drink a custom-blended, high carbohydrate drink made by Infinit Nutrition every 30 minutes.
Drink Maxim every hour following Freda Streeter's plan.
Hi 5 every 30 minutes.

Q8. If you could start your career over again, what age would you start marathon swimming?
A8. The answers provided a glimpse of the priorities of life from various perspectives:
No take backs, it's been perfect.
As early as possible.
I started at the right time in my life, around 37. Family obligations would have been taken priority anyway before that time.
Now that my kids are older and more independent, its a little easier to be able to train appropriately.
I would not have changed anything. I started swimming in the open water at age 9 and continued through age 15. It brought me so much confidence and respect for the ocean. It transformed who I am as a swimmer - both in the pool and definitely in the ocean.
13. I wouldn't have wasted so much time working on insignificant workouts that don't have much relevance to what I'm doing now.
Wouldn't start over. Happy with the way things went.
I like my progression into the sport of swimming. It’s not something I think of as how I could be faster, rather how can I survive the next goal. I don’t think this type of swimming helps speed in anyway. I could be wrong, but I spent my youth trying to go fast and now I can still enjoy swimming by trying to go long. The competitiveness has taken new form and become more internal than external. Marathon swimming began when I swam Catalina at 45. Age has helped me appreciate the subtle lessons I learn about myself swimming long.
I've been swimming distances in open water since I was a kid, so wouldn't change much about my open water swimming. I wish I had swum in the pool throughout high school and college, that would probably have made a really positive impact on my speed, but I'm pretty happy with where I am as a swimmer.
I think my pool career to open water was a smooth transition. It would have been nice to do more in my teenage years but I am happy with the way things have gone! No regrets.
20.
I started at 57 and would have liked to start at 30.
Early 20's at least.
I would have started at 14, in high school for 10Ks. For longer swims over 25K, 18.
I wouldn't change a thing.
18.
18, though if I'm honest, I probably didn't have the discipline required at that age.
A couple of years out of college swimming, so 25.
In my 20s instead of my 40s and 50s.
Around 18.

Q9. What is the most difficult swim you would LIKE to do? What is the most difficult swim you think you COULD do?
A9. The swim between Ireland and Scotland seems to fascinate several Americans as does the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and the English Channel:
Manhattan Island Marathon Swim because you need speed. I think I could do Bering Strait.
I believe I can do any swim, but I would like to give a Farallon Islands solo attempt a try.
My dream is to one day to do a 6-day 90-mile stage swim across the length of the Great Salt Lake. I would also like to complete the Triple Crown.
I have broken down the barriers of what I thought I could do with swimming and I like to continually challenge myself. My biggest goal so far has been the 6-mile swim in July. I am very excited to do that, and my next thought is to possibly train for a 10-mile swim.
North Channel and the North Channel.
'd like to test my limits more and hope to be able to afford to train for and complete some longer swims. I'd really like to do Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the English Channel, and the North Channel.
I think I am capable of doing longer marathon swims, but just need to choose and go for it. I do not want to do anything longer than 35 km or about 10 hours. I think ultra marathons are a completely different category than I want to be involved in. I need my sleep too.
English Channel and the Cook Strait, The cost and complexity of travel of those makes them just about out of reach.
English Channel is the hardest I'd like to do. I have no idea what would be the the most difficult swim I could do. I would have to at least attempted it to determine if I couldn't do it. What swim do I have no interest in doing? North Channel.
For me, both of those are the Catalina Channel.
North Channel and North Channel.
There are many swims that I would like to do, and they all seem to be difficult in different ways. I know that I could attempt to swim anything I wanted to with proper training and the BELIEF in myself - no limits.
10-day stage swim of the New Jersey coastline and any Triple Crown swim.
I'm intrigued by the cold ones: North Cahnnel, Farallon Islands, Monterey Bay. I also love the idea of stage swims.
North Channel and North Channel.
English channel a month before my 57th birthday will be difficult enough. I think it is very doable for me.
North Channel and Cook Strait.
North Channel and North Channel.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

A Swimming Race Like No Other, Men's Olympic Swim-off

A swim-off is the ultimate head-to-head battle in swimming.

A swim-off is a pressure-packed race between two athletes in order to break a tie conducted in a preliminary heat in pool competitions. The winner earns the right to compete in the finals.

In an unusual situation in Portugal's Setubal Bay next week, the 2012 FINA Olympic 10km Marathon Swimming Qualifier will essentially be a swim-off between teammates from each country.

The award? A spot in the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim finals in London.

So while a typical swim-off is a short-distance race (50m or 100m) in a pool with the carrot of being able to swim in a pool finals, this open water swimming swim-off in Setubal Bay is a number of 10,000-meter mano-a-mano contests held simultaneously between athletes (and teammates) from numerous countries. 15 hard-working athletes will earn the right to represent themselves and their country in the Olympic finals in front of tens of thousands of fans in the Serpentine in London - the rest will go home. Such is the competitive and cruel world of sports.

So while they are swimming against their fellow teammate, they are also competing against the world and must finish in the top 15 to go to the Olympics.

The following 62 men are entered and ready to enter this battle: no lanes, no lines, no walls...no mercy.

Damian Blaum vs. Luciano Sales Rubio (ARG)
Matthias Schweinzer (AUT)
Sergiy Fesenko (AZE)
Allan Do Carmo vs. Lucas Kanieski (BRA)
Petar Stoychev vs. Ventsislav Aydarski (BUL)
Richard Weinberger vs. Francois Xavier Desharnais (CAN)
Lijun Zu vs. Yuanpeng Lang (CHN)
Kurt Niehaus (CRC)
Tomislav Soldo vs. Josip Culina (CRO)
Iacovos Hadjiconstantinou (CYP)
Rostislav Vítek vs. Jan Pošmourný (CZE)
Santiago Enderica Salgado vs. Ivan Enderica Ochoa (ECU)
Mazen Aziz vs. Ahmed Gad (EGY)
David Davies vs. Daniel Fogg (GBR)
Benjamin Schulte (GUM)
Tin Yu Ling vs. Yeung Lee (HKG)
Csaba Gercsak vs. Gergely Gyurta (HUN)
Divase Mandar Anadarao (IND)
Chris Bryan (IRL)
Michael Dmitriev vs. Yuval Safra (ISR)
Nicola Bolzonello vs. Valerio Cleri (ITA)
Yasunari Hirai vs. Yuto Kobayashi (JPN)
Yuriy Kudinov (KAZ)
Said Saber vs. Mohammed El Mehdi Essadiq (MAR)
Ivan De Jesus Lopez Ramos vs. Luis Ricardo Escobar Torres (MEX)
Marcel Schouten vs. Ferry Weertman (NED)
Kane Radford vs. Jonathan Pullon (NZL)
Ahmed Gebrel (PLE)
Arseniy Lavrentyev vs. Vasco Gaspar (POR)
Gabriel Moldoveanu (ROU)
Troyden Prinsloo vs. Chad Ho (RSA)
Stefan Sigrist vs. Jovan Mitrovic (SUI)
Saleh Mohammad (SYR)
Oussama Mellouli (TUN)
Igor Snitko vs. Igor Chervynskiy (UKR)
Erwin Maldonado vs. Johndry Segovia (VEN)

Watch the swim-offs and Olympic qualification races live on Portuguese television here on June 9th.

Photo by Jim Miller shows Mark Warkentin and Yuriy Kudinov in a close battle.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

A Swimming Race Like No Other, An Olympic Swim-off

A swim-off is the ultimate head-to-head battle in swimming.

A swim-off is a pressure-packed race between two athletes in order to break a tie conducted in a preliminary heat in pool competitions. The winner earns the right to compete in the finals.

In an unusual and exciting situation in Portugal's Setubal Bay next week, the 2012 FINA Olympic 10km Marathon Swimming Qualifier will essentially be a swim-off swim-off between the 2 representatives from each country.

The award? A spot in the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim finals in London.

So while a typical swim-off is a short-distance race (50m or 100m) in a pool with the carrot of being able to swim in a pool finals, this open water swimming swim-off in Setubal Bay is a number of 10,000-meter mano-a-mano contests held simultaneously between athletes (and teammates) from numerous countries. 15 hard-working athletes will earn the right to represent themselves and their country in the Olympic finals in front of tens of thousands of fans in the Serpentine in London - the rest will go home. Such is the competitive and cruel world of sports.

So while they are swimming against their fellow teammate, they are also competing against the world and must also finish in the top 15 to go to the Olympics.

The stakes, the pressure and the pay-off could not be higher.

The following 41 women are entered and ready to enter this battle: no lanes, no lines, no walls...no mercy.

Inha Kotsur (AZE)
Nadine Williams vs. Zsofia Balazs (CAN)
Xue Li vs. Yanqiao Fang (CHN)
Karla Sitic (CRO)
Alexandra Philippa Panayides vs. Irene Kyza (CYP)
Nataly Caldas Calle (ECU)
Laila El-Bassiouni (EGY)
Ophelie Aspord vs. Corali Codvelle (FRA)
Wing Yung Natasha Terri Tang vs. Fiona On-Yi Chan (HKG)
Anna Olasz vs. Eva Risztov (HUN)
Yumi Kida (JPN)
Rania El Abdi vs. Omaima Moufid (MAR)
Heidi Gan (MAS)
Lizeth Rueda Santos vs. Alejandra Gonzalez Lara (MEX)
Maaike Waaijer vs. Linsy Heister (NED)
Charlotte Webby vs. Cara Baker (NZL)
Natalia Charlos (POL)
Daniela Pinto vs. Angélica André (POR)
Jessica Roux vs. Natalie du Toit (RSA)
Anna Guseva vs. Ekaterina Seliverstova (RUS)
Zupan Teja (SLO)
Ellen Olsson (SWE)
Olga Beresnyeva vs. Al'Ona Berbasova (UKR)
Haley Anderson vs. Ashley Twichell (USA)
Yanel Pinto vs. Carla Díaz (VEN)

Watch the swim-offs and Olympic qualification races live on Portuguese television here on June 9th.

How close will it be? The individual country swim-offs can be as close as this shoulder-to-shoulder finish between Jessica Roux and Natalie du Toit of South Africa.



Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Landmarks At The London Olympics

What kind of landmarks are the Olympics going to see during the marathon swimming races in the Serpentine?

Unlike other open water races, the swimmers will hear, see and feel a crush of humanity, the pressure of tens of thousands of spectators ringing the compact course. Never before have open water swimmers been faced with swimming in a fish bowl the size of the Serpentine with all eyes gazing upon them.

Looking down the lake from Serpentine Bridge, the swimmers can glimpse the Houses of Parliament. Buckingham Palace is a bit lower down, but they will not be able to see the royal residence from the water. The turn buoys they will see will be the biggest, coolest elements on the lake with bright Olympic logos

"They will be able to see people...lots of people around the lake...in one of the most accessible 10km events for spectators ever, never mind the Olympics," explains Colin Hill, H2Open Magazine's Ambassador of the Year and Marathon Swimming Technical Operations Manager for Olympic 10km Marathon Swim. "With one area set aside for ticketed spectators, the rest of the lake is free to view. It’s in the heart of London close to Buckingham Palace with good underground access such as Knightsbridge & Hyde Park Corner."

He adds, "Of course the swimmers are not the first ones to swim in the Lake created by King George II for Queen Caroline. The Serpentine Swimming Club have been going since strong 1864."

And so will the Olympic marathon swimmers on August 9th (women) and 10th (men).

Note: Water temperature in the Serpentine today is 20°C (68°F).

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

The Hardest Is Open Water Swimming

On August 10th, Dave Cornthwaite will undertake the hardest segment of his Expedition1000 project: a 1000-mile swim down the lower Missouri River running through the middle of America.

"It will be the toughest expedition I have ever taken on," predicts the British adventurer, author and motivational speaker who will do 25 expeditions of at least 1,000 miles in length, each one using a different method of non-motorized transport.

On Cornthwaite's planned 50-day stage swim, he will drag all of his gear with him on a small raft as he is joined by a crew of supporters on stand-up paddle boards. Self-contained and self-sufficient, it will just be him, smiling and enjoying life with a pleasant sense of humor, and his merry group of supporters.





Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Millennium Club To Be Formed In Aquatic Park

David Maloney is planning to become the first person to complete 1,000 RTF (Round Trip Flag) swims within Aquatic Park.

The open water swimming stalwart has consistently volunteered over the years as an escort rower for the Bay2Breakers swim, Alcatraz swims, Bridge to Bridge swims, swims from the 49er's Stadium to the South End Rowing Club, Giants Stadium to Aquatic Park and several others.

With his unprecedented achievement, the Millennium Club will be formed on June 10th.

"I publicly want to thank the entire current South End Rowing Club Board of Directors led by President Patrick Allen, and the entire previous SERC Board of Directors led by Kim Howard-Peinado for their support of me in this quest, and for the tireless volunteer leadership they provide to the club as a whole."

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Limited Spots Filling Up Fast For Jamie's Swim Camp

Jamie's Swim Camp 2013 will held in Lake Tahoe, high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The first 120 people to submit an application will receive an invitation.

The 2013 Jamie's Swim Camp III - The Lake Tahoe Edition - will sell out. Make your decision fast here ... because many others are.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Swimming In Front Of A Million People

The Great North Swim, a ½-mile, 1-mile and 2-mile event in Windermere, England, will be televised by BBC Live this year.

With an estimate 1 million+ viewers expected, it is the UK's largest outdoor swimming event that takes place over 3 days on June 22nd - 24th.

The biggest swim in front of the biggest audience in England's biggest lake: real big-time entertainment.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source

Hopes For Heidi, Games For Gan?

At the upcoming FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier in Setúbal Bay, Portugual, there are dozens of athletes whose road to the Olympics are back stories that exemplify the global nature of the sport of open water swimming.

A relative newcomer to the sport from a country with beautiful beaches, Heidi Gan of Malaysia is an example of the hopes and opportunities that the Olympic marathon swim has given to dozens of emerging swimming nations around the world.


Gan, a pool swimmer who turned to the open water with dreams of making it to the Olympics, made her first major splash at the international level when she won both the 5 km and 10 km swim at the 2011 SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games). She further honed her skills and demonstrated her potential when she placed in the top 10 in the 5 km and 10 km at the 2012 Australian Open Water Swimming Championships.

After her victory in the Southeast Asian Games, she said, "I have marks all over my body from the jellyfish stings. To me, every sting was a jolt that kept me going. The 10,000 meters is a long race and, sometimes, these ‘jolts’ keep me awake.

My coach (Matt Magee) told me after the race that he even saw a turtle swimming alongside me. Fortunately, I did not see it. I would have surely panicked. Everything’s new to me."

A native of Malaysia, she described her open water swimming training to the New Strait Times as "...it's mentally challenging and tough but it is the type of training I require for [Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier]." And she will need that toughness to place in the top 15 among these competitors in order to make it to London:

Inha Kotsur (AZE)
Nadine Williams and Zsofia Balazs (CAN)
Xue Li and Yanqiao Fang (CHN)
Karla Sitic (CRO)
Alexandra Philippa Panayides and Irene Kyza (CYP)
Nataly Caldas Calle (ECU)
Laila El-Bassiouni (EGY)
Wing Yung Natasha Terri Tang and Fiona On-Yi Chan (HKG)
Yumi Kida (JPN)
Rania El Abdi and Omaima Moufid (MAR)
Heidi Gan (MAS)
Lizeth Rueda Santos and Alejandra Gonzalez Lara (MEX)
Maaike Waaijer and Linsy Heister (NED)
Charlotte Webby and Cara Baker (NZL)
Natalia Charlos (POL)
Jessica Roux and Natalie du Toit (RSA)
Anna Guseva and Ekaterina Seliverstova (RUS)
Zupan Teja (SLO)
Ellen Olsson (SWE)
Olga Beresnyeva and Al'Ona Berbasova (UKR)
Haley Anderson and Ashley Twichell (USA)
Yanel Pinto and Carla Díaz (VEN)

The list of Olympic hopefuls in the 10 km marathon swim are posted here.

The list of pre-qualified Olympic marathon swimming finalists are here.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source