The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

An Aquatic Walk For Life

2009-12-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

Twenty ocean swimmers from all over the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands contributed to the Walk for Life in a uniquely aquatic way.

While 800 people walked the route along the beach front, the open water athletes swam along the same 3.4K course under strong winds and currents.

In a show of solidarity with their terrestrial colleagues, the athletes swam with pink caps and a pink/white balloons attached to their backs.

Photo courtesy of Ryszard Majewski.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Swim With Dan

2009-12-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

Dan Martin will cross the Atlantic Ocean the hard way - and many say, the right way - no wetsuit, no floating on currents and starting every swim on every new day from the exact same point which he finished the previous day.

In a show of solidarity, the global marathon swimming community is coming to Dan's aid.

For example, Ned Denison of the Swim Ireland and Sally Minty-Gravett of the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club are planning separate, but simultaneous, community swims in support with Dan's Global Triathlon and its charities. In Cork, Ireland, Ned will join over 100 swimmers in the water at exactly the same time (Saturday May 8th 2010 on 4:15 EST or 9:15 am in Ireland) in a charity SWIM WITH DAN effort.

The worldwide support of Dan's swim seems to be picking up steam.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

TV Coverage Of The King Of The Sea Challenge

2009-12-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Globo TV's spectacular television coverage with seven cameras - including helicopter aerial footage - of the King of the Sea Challenge (Rei Do Mar Desafio) can be seen here.

Winner Trent Grimsey pulled a classic stealth move on the third loop.

Trent moved 30 meters to the left of the lead pack - out of eyeshot - and then picked up his pace to 88 strokes per minute with a six-beat kick - to open up a 45-meter lead which he never relinquished.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

A Cause Worth Swimming For - Japan to USA

2009-12-14T01:06:00.000-08:00

Three marathon swimming adventurers have crossed the Atlantic Ocean using the strength of the ocean currents: In 1998, Benoit Lecomte traveled 3,716 miles from Cape Cod, USA to Brittany, France in 73 days, stopping at the Azores Islands. In 1991, Guy Delage swam and floated 2,335 miles alone from the Cape Verde Islands to Barbados. Most recently in 2008, Jennifer Figge traveled from the Cape Verde Islands to Tobago in the Caribbean Sea.

Dan Martin, a British adventurer will attempt his unique attempt on the Atlantic Ocean next year: a swim of 5,800K (3,603 miles) from New York to France admirably following the standard and more restrictive rules of stage swimming.

That is, instead of getting on an escort boat and floating across the ocean when he is resting, sleeping and eating, Dan is going finish each day's eight-hour swim and then mark his position by GPS. His boat will literally drop him back into the ocean to begin the next day's swim at the precise spot he finished the day before.

But Richard Pain has an even greater goal: swimming across the world's largest body of water, Pacific Ocean.

ABC News reported that the Australian filmmaker will swim between Japan and the west coast of the USA in a giant plastic bottle to draw attention to the problems of global warming and plastic pollution.

Richard's swim will take him through the Plastic Vortex, a long-time project championed by open water swimming race organizer, Douglas Woodring.

In an interview with ABC News, Richard said, "My plan is to build a giant recycled plastic water bottle out of thousands of smaller recycled plastic water bottles, and then use that as an enclosure or shark cage to then swim from Japan to America, through what is called the North Pacific Gyre or Great Pacific Garbage Patch. "It's an area, and some estimates vary, at least the size of Texas, full of plastic... down to about a depth of six metres, so it's an environmental catastrophe. Basically there are four currents in that area of the Pacific that circulate in a clockwise direction and they aggregate all this plastic in to this central becalmed area called the gyre."

Richard's plan is bold and visionary, but we can think of a myriad problems besides swimming through the Plastic Vortex that he will have to overcome.

Based on his announced plans of swimming five days per week for 8-10 hours per day with the goal of swimming 40K per day over a six-month period, and assuming the distance between Japan and the west coast of America is 8,800K (5,470 miles), he will swim approximately 800K per month or 4,800K over the six-month period. This will leave him with 4,000K to float along the currents of the Pacific Ocean.

Besides the difficulty in catching these currents consistently across the Pacific Ocean - hopefully in the right direction - Richard will have to carry a tremendous amount of fuel of his escort boat and will have to raise a vast amount of money to underwrite this challenge.

We truly wish him well and admire his sense of mission.

"I think it's time for everyone to do something. Basically my view is if I can do something this crazy everyone else can do something. And on an environmental level the nature of the problem is so immense and the fact it doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any particular country means as a cause it's kind of like the runt of the litter, something that no particular country wants to take responsibility for. So that sounds like my kind of cause."

Photo of Richard Pain by Nick Moir.

Copyright © 2008 by Steven Munatones

Trent Grimsey - King Of The Sea In Rio

2009-12-13T13:51:00.001-08:00

Trent Grimsey pulled away on the third loop at today's King of the Sea Challenge (Rei Do Mar Desafio) in Rio de Janeiro, using a 6-beat kick and a 88 stroke-per-minute tempo.

He resorted to a 92 spm tempo on the last loop to keep his competitors at bay and capture the inaugural King of the Sea title in front of a live TV audience.

The exciting 10K race was a five-loop course on the planned Olympic 10K Marathon Swim course in Copacabana Beach with a 100-meter run in soft sand between each loop.

Trent was dead-last during the first two loops, but he was unflustered and was simply bidding his time until his killer third loop. "Tactics played a big part of this race. It is 10K, so it is a long way. I made my break on the third loop when [the leaders] were closer to shore."

Third-place Alexander Studzinski said, "I did not see him, but every time we ran on the beach, my legs cramped up. [Second-place] Chad [Ho] and I were swimming together, but Chad got me on the run [to the finish]. But we worked well together and tried to catch Trent at the end."

Chad agreed it was a good race, "I felt good the whole way and I'd like to come back next year."

Fourth-place Luiz Lima, a crowd favorite, nearly closed the gap on the top three with a furious finish, but he was gracious in defeat. "This is good for Rio and I really had fun. We should do more events like this." Trent, like the other invited athletes, summed up everyone's impressions, "I'd love to come back to Rio. It's a great spot for a great race. I'll be 28 [years old] by 2016..."

The results were as follows:

1. Trent Grimsey (Australia), 1:35:03
2. Chad Ho (South Africa), 1:35:34
3. Alexander Studzinski (Germany), 1:35:36
4. Luiz Lima (Brazil), 1:35:37
5. Filipe Alcântara (Brazil), 1:35:45
6. Glauco Rangel (Brazil), 1:36:21
7. Ivan Lopez (Mexico), 1:36:22
8. Fabio Lima (Brazil), 1:36:23
9. Daniel Katzir (Israel), 1:36:32
10. Carlos Pavão (Brazil), 1:36:44

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Rei Do Mar Desafio - A Template For Success

2009-12-13T12:54:00.001-08:00

There are an increasing number of open water races around the world that offer everything: interesting and challenging courses, live television coverage, exposure via archived online streaming, competitive elite fields, age-group and fitness swimmer heats, convenient hotel accommodations, 50-meter pools for pre-race training, comprehensive safety procedures and onshore entertainment.

The Great Swim Series in Great Britain, the Flowers Sea Swim in the Cayman Islands, the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series, the RCP Tiburon Mile in San Francisco, the Fiji Swims, the Midmar Mile in South Africa are world-class examples that set the standards for professionally run events.

But the bar continues to be raised for the good of the sport and its enthusiasts. One new addition to the highest echelon of open water swims is the first-time race, the King of the Sea Challenge (Rei Do Mar Desafio) on the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim course for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

A photo gallery of the King of the Sea Challenge below shows the scope of its planning and execution by race directors Pedro Rego Monteiro and Virgilio de Castilho

A scenic location at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Even a strong downpour did not put a damper on the race or its festivities.

An easy-to-understand, highly visible, large race map.

A well-stocked VIP tent with a great view of the course.

A nutritious and plentiful buffet for the athletes for duration of their stay.

A separate and quiet ready room for the athletes and a pre-race and post-race massage.

Ubiquitous sponsor exposure throughout the venue.

Highly visible and impactful sponsor signage throughout the venue.

Numerous requests for pre- and post-race interviews by television reporters and media representatives.

Onshore and on-the-water cameras for live television coverage.

A pre-race press conference with explanation of the course, sport and athletes.

Athletes' anti-chaffing preparation with petroleum jelly applied via rubber gloves or tape.

Feeding and hydration needs set on individually numbered and separate tables.

Hydration and fueling needs for athletes.

A colorful and unique staggered start based on the results of a pre-race sprint.

A pre-race briefing and onshore start to specially scored music.

Athletes ran a short distance on beach in front of fans and TV cameras.

Extremely large (3-meter) turn buoys with sponsor's logos.

An onshore finish in front of boisterous fans.

Volunteers with different responsibilities and easy-to-identify colored t-shirts.

Post-race recovery area.

Uniquely designed awards.

Immediate cash prize distribution (via checks or US dollars).

Post-race spread for athletes and VIPs

Accreditation for various dignataries.

The bar has been raised and the future will only get better.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

A Cold 5K Race In Montevideo At the Beach Games

2009-12-13T01:43:00.000-08:00

The 5K race at the South American Beach Games (Primeros Juegos Suramericanos de Playa) was held in very cold water in Montevideo Uruguay yesterday.

Race results for the 5K and 10K races will be reported shortly.

Athletes from Netherland Antilles, Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela competed.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Poliana Okimoto And Rafael Goncalves Win King of the Sea 2K

2009-12-13T01:06:00.001-08:00

Swimming World Magazine covered the inaugural 2K King of the Sea Challenge (Rei do Mar Desafio see below) on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Poliana Okimoto won overall in 25:07 while 29-year-old local swimmer Rafael Goncalves won the men's race that was undecided until the run up the beach. "It was tough, but a very good race. We had a tough [lead] pack."

In the sprint 400-meter match race with the pro swimmers, Trent Grimsey just edged out Chad Ho of South Africa to claim the pole position in today's featured 10K race that will be televised live for two hours on TV Globo.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Where Are They Now? Djan Madruga

2009-12-13T00:54:00.001-08:00

Djan Madruga, a three-time Olympic swimmer from Brazil, participated in the King of the Sea Challenge in Rio de Janeiro giving swimmers 2-3 decades younger a lesson in finishing well.

He finished second in the 2K Challenge as he charged up the beach like the former Olympic medalist he was. "Swimming is my life."

"After the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics, I did some triathlons and the Ironman and kept doing masters swimming to stay in shape and have fun."

"I do a lot of open water swims and have done masters swimming since 1990 [winning the 400- and 800-meter freestyle and the 200- and 400-meter IM's at the Perth Masters World Championships]. I try to get in 4K four times per week."

After racing around the proposed Olympic 10K Marathon Swim course of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Djan showed his patriotic sense of pride in his home country. "I helped with the Olympic bid preparation and the Olympics will be another revolution for Brazil. Everyone is excited and is talking about the Olympics here. When the Portuguese came to Brazil, the country experienced major changes. This Olympics will be our second major revolution. The changes will be major."

As Djan gazed over the scenic seaside course, partly protected by a peninsula and partly exposed to the ocean swells and currents of the Pacific, he said, "Look at this. We'll have the marathon swim here and the triathlon here and the marathon run will pass by."

As owner of his own swim club, the Djan Madruga Swim Club, he truly has never left the sport and will continue giving back - both in the pool and open water.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Swimming To The Tune Of Do Leme Ao Pontal

2009-12-13T00:50:00.000-08:00

Two-time Brazilian Olympian Luiz Lima completed the first swim across the stretch of beaches of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro from Leme to Pontal.

The 37K swim (see below) took 8 hours and 15 minutes and was done to honor the tenth anniversary of the death of Tim Maia who created the famous song - known all over Brazil - Do Leme Ao Pontal.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Swimming In The Serpentine

2009-12-12T09:06:00.001-08:00

The International Olympic Committee announced this week that there will be no new swimming events added to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This leaves the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim as the sole open water swim in the Olympics. But what a race it will be - to be held in Serpentine Lake in the centre of London in front of at least 100,000 fans and spectators.

The Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park has enjoyed a colorful history after it was created by Queen Caroline in 1730. The Olympic course will be held in the eastern half of the lake to the east of the Serpentine Bridge which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and drains out by an underground flow to the River Thames. The Serpentine's names comes from its snakelike, curving shape and is home of the highly respected Serpentine Swimming Club.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Chuck Wielgus, Strong Supporter Of Open Water Swimming

2009-12-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reported that a strong friend of open water swimming in the USA, Chuck Wielgus is a finalists for the vacant chief executive position at the US Olympic Committee.

Chuck is currently the CEO of USA Swimming which has enjoyed an unparalleled track record of Olympic success as it continues to expand its membership under Chuck's inclusive and motivational style of leadership.

Chuck has always been strongly supportive of the sport of open water swimming in the USA.

Hall Of Famer Asmuth Available To Help

2009-12-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

International Swimming Hall of Famer Paul Asmuth offers his four decades of open water swimming experience and expertise to high-level American swimmers.

Officially, Paul is the USA Swimming Open Water Consultant available to provide free open water swimming advice and guidance to all national team athletes and coaches.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

A Celebration Of Open Water Swimming In Miami, Florida

2009-12-12T01:29:00.000-08:00

Next year's Nike Swim Miami's multi-race event in April should be its biggest and best event ever with a pre-race camp offering training methods and stroke analysis, an international field of top swimmers and enjoyable and safe Miami Mile, 5K and 10K races for swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Because the Nike Swim Miami is held early in the Northern Hemisphere season, it is a great way for individuals to test their skills before heading into the busy summer season - which in 2010 will be packed with even more open water swims than ever before.

The Nike Swim Miami can be seen here:

Photo by George Kamper who has a truly unique ability to showcase open water swimming by his photographic skills.

Open Water Swimming Tattoos

2009-12-12T01:26:00.001-08:00

Watch an NBA game and it is rare to find a player without tattoos. But most open water swimmers leave their skin unadorned with the exception of sunscreen, Vaseline and lanolin.

However, there are swimmers with a number of ocean-specific tattoos.

If you have an open water swimming tattoo, please send us a photo to add to this gallery of open water art.

Brazilian open water swimmer Glauco Rangel has a large swordfish and Chad Ho celebrates his Olympic 10K participation.

Jeri Sisco of Washington has a colorful sea turtle tattoo on her ankle tattoo as a memorial of sorts for her husband.

Sebastian Fischer said, "I have a mermaid tattood on my left arm. I have always loved swimming and being in the water. And I have also always loved women, so I decided to combine those two things for a tattoo on my arm."

World 5K and 10K champion and Swimming World Magazine's Open Water Swimmer of the Year Thomas Lurz explains his tattoo, "I have the date from my father's birthday on my left arm. I got it after his death. The tattoo [on the other arm] we did 12 years ago on our swim team for the German team championships and it means 'Together we can do it' or 'We are strong together'. For example, my brother has the same tattoo on the same place because he also was on the team at this time as a swimmer. Now he is my coach, so it still fits good together. We were a good young team then."

Upper photo from the Outside Magazine.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones.

2010 Championship Events In Long Beach, California

2009-12-11T11:15:00.001-08:00

The 2010 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming 5K and 10K Championships will be held in Long Beach, California on June 4th and 6th.

The picturesque Marine Stadium, site of the 1932 Olympic Rowing competition and the 1968 Olympic rowing trials, was recently designated as an official state historic site.

Athletes will compete five 2K loops in this qualification meet for the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Roberval, Canada.

Later in August, the same Marine Stadium will be the venue for the 10K race at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Think About It

2009-12-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming is currently running a public online poll on what people do or think about while open water swimming (both in training and in competition).

Besides the choices at the online poll on left at The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, readers sent in the following activities:

"I do think non-stop about my catch, pull through and back end finish every stroke."
"I think about my stroke — one at a time, in the moment I’m taking it, until I’m finished. My stroke thoughts are primary, conscious and explicit. Anything else that passes through my consciousness is momentary and mostly implicit.
"When I swim I think about ALL those things, except pray."
"I sing my favourite songs."
"I recite some poems I know by heart."
"I fantasize about competition, winning for example, or I imagine I'm swimming the English Channel and am about to arrive in France soon."
"I count my strokes in a foreign language (Spanish or Chinese)."
"Sometimes I think about family or friends or everyday issues that cross my mind."
"When I am swimming in competition (triathlon), I usually only think about the race, checking the position of my competitors, trying to stay on course and keeping up the pace."
"I also think about the landscape around me, as usually I swim in freshwater, and how lucky I am to be out there swimming."
"Not drowning."
"I think about the event, my life, hope I don't have any animal contact, worry about running into jellies and other things, think about my dad, winder if i'll ever get faster."
"I think about keeping up with my friends, I think about how I think I am enjoying myself after I actually forget about the shark."
"Just enjoying the experience, taking in the feel of the water, how my muscles feel, the taste of the salt, the sun on the water. Of course, there are those times when O have a horrible pop song stuck in my head that gets played over and over again!"
"I think and picture all my friends and family waiting for me and cheering for me on the shore."

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Fears Of The Open Water

2009-12-11T09:35:00.001-08:00

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming is currently running a public online poll on what are open water swimmers' greatest fears in the open water.

Besides the choices at the online poll at here on the left at The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, swimmers have emailed in the following fears:

"SHARKS, SHARKS, SHARKS!"
"It's silly, but during every race I have at least one moment when I am terrified at the prospect that the Loch Ness Monster is in the water and somewhere near me. On a positive note it always gets me going a little faster."
"Large sharks, dangerous jellyfish, but I love the ocean and I like as it is"
"Absolutely nothing I fear."
"Goggles fogging."
"Losing."
"Swimming in rivers and lakes with low visability. I have a fear about running into tree trunks, branches or other objects. I have no fear at all when comes to swimming in the ocean."
"Recreational water craft and lingering pieces of sky-lab."
"When others grab onto your legs."
"During my first open water swim...I was freaking out about everything and my time was horrible. Then I realized the biggest problem was "overthinking", once I realized that the marine life is always there, the currents and sea conditions are what they are, and I know I can do well in these races, I was able to just put my head down and go. So that is why my biggest fear is Overthinking.
"My suit might fall off."
"Not seeing where I am."
"Drowning."
"Boat traffic"
"Things I can't see in the water."
"Dark or murky water, not being able to see more than 3 feet around me."
"Swimming alone (I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes I have to)."
"Currents are a middling fear - but not tides or waves."
"I train in the Nord Sea in Belgium or in rivers or lakes in Belgium and in the Mediterranean Sea in France. My chances to encounter sharks are quite low. If there would be sharks in these waters, that definitely would be my greatest fear."
"Jellyfish."
"Waves, currents or tides - all of these make swimming extra hard and challenging."
"Seaweed, which is not scary, but just annoying to swim in."
"Physical contact by competitors."
"Cold water."
"Boats!!"
"...pain and being tired..."
"Seeing the bottom."
"I used to be deathly afraid of the pelicans flying overhead. Those huge birds would dive, beak first, into the water, sometimes a few feet from me ... but over time I just see them as old friends."
"I am afraid of the shark and being alone in the water."
"What are those whirlpools called? That kind of freaks me out."
"Actually I am so afraid of heights, and so the thought of how deep the water is tends to freak me out a tad."

And we received three interesting antedotes from International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame chairman Dale Petranech:

1. At the 1991 FINA World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia, Dale was asked about the course on Swan River that emptied into the Indian Ocean near Fremantle and is reported to be the number one breeding spot for the Great White Shark. When asked by a swimmer if there was a possibility that a shark would swim up the river and disturb the progress of the race, Dale reassured him that there was no problem because 'the Australian Salt Water Crocodile would eat the sharks.'

2. Dale's own Catalina swim started at night. With a spotlight from his escort boat shining on him, he noticed a large triangle that resembled a dorsal fin. Because the water was a bit murky, he could not see anything under the water. On my next breath, he noticed the triangular fin was still there. Fortunately, there was still nothing under the water. On his next breath, he discovered to his satisfaction that the triangle was being caused by my elbow on his recovery and the spotlight that was casting a shadow that resembled the fin. "I was afraid of my own shadow," said Dale.

3. On his record Catalina swim, world champion Chad Hundeby suddenly announced that there was 'something big down there', referring to a shark. The boat crew did see anything, but Pete Huisfeld offered and advised that he would be happy to swim with him in an effort to relieve him of some of his anxiety. But Chad kindly refused the offer and bravely replied that "there is not much sense both of them being eaten."

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Learn From An Open Water Hall of Famer

2009-12-11T06:34:00.001-08:00

Sally Minty-Gravett, one of the world's most experienced English Channel swimmers, a nominee for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and an inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, is putting on another great week-long open water swimming camp for interested, potential and experienced marathon swimmers in Jersey between May 30th to June 4th, 2010.

Sally's camp, the Sal's Swim Camp - Jersey 2010, will host the swimmers in the Radisson Hotel and guide the campers for a week of bonding (i.e., eating well), conversations about marathon swims and who has accomplished what, stroke technique sessions, sea swimming so acclimatize and build up some distance in 14°C waters, talking about feeds and what people use and testing out different feeds, and enjoying the beautiful Jersey coastlines.

For more information on the Sal's Swim Camp - Jersey 2010, contact Sally at sally.minty-gravett@leisure.serco.com.

Swim Ireland's Successes Of 2009

2009-12-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

Swim Ireland had more open water races and more swimmers in 2009 involved than ever before. Additionally, there are many local 'pods' growing towards club status and Irish swimmers participated FINA open water international events with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2012 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

Irish swimmers also set a Guinness Book of World Record by swimming 685.5K over a period of 232 hours and 52 minutes in Camlough, one of the world's greatest open water swims of 2009.

Winners of the major open water swimming events are posted here with additional open water swims from Ireland’s largest open water league posted here.

Irish swimmers also went overseas to show their talents: Jennifer Hurley and John Conroy completed the Rottnest Channel Swim in Perth Australia, 21 swimmers competed at the European Master Open Water Swimming Championships, Liz Buckley, Sylvain Estadieu, Eddie Irwin, Liam Maher and George Meehan and two relays completed the 26.4K Self-Transcendence Marathon Swim in Lake Zurich. Ten Irish swimmers and five relays also successfully crossed the English Channel in 2009: Diarmuid Boyle, Sylvain Estadieu, Julieann Galloway ( hours and 51 minutes), Charles Harper, Conor Hartnett, Maureen McCoy, Owen O'Keefe, Chris O'Sullivan, Stephen Redmond and a special mention to two-way swimmer Lisa Cummins and 16-year-old record-breaker Owen O’Keefe. Additionally, the Smugairle Róin relay won two awards at the Channel Swimming Association awards ceremony for the youngest and the fastest six-person relay team of 2009. All solo and relays listings are posted here.

On the domestic front, Owen O’Keefe swam an unprecedented 25K from Cork to Myrtleville and Stephen Redmond swam an unprecedented 20K swim from Fastnet to Schull.

Swim Ireland also established a new National Open Water Committee with eight members working under the leadership of Ned Denison (Chairperson), Martin Cullen (Secretary/Communications), Trevor Wood (Safety Officer, Chantal Gibney (Swim Ireland), Ronan Colljns (Connaught), Paul Wynne (Leinster Open Sea Committee), Eoin Gaffney, Anne McAdam and Joe Donnelly (Cork Master Swim Club).

Only a precursor of more good things to come.

Photo by Tony Bagnall.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

The Pool Of Pain

2009-12-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Open water swimming stars Trent Grimsey of Australia, Chad Ho of South Africa will join the world 5K and 10K open water swimming champion Thomas Lurz and several other elite swimmers from Germany, Russia, Australia, South Africa and Canada at the upcoming ultimate distance training camp to be held in Potsdam, Germany between January 4-17, called Battle Training.

Battle Training founder and German national team coach Dirk Lange told Casey, "The strongest will survive. We're offering it for everyone who is not scared of pain."

Representing The World At the King Of The Sea Challenge

2009-12-10T16:33:00.001-08:00

Sunday's pro 10K King of the Sea Challenge in Brazil kicked off its festivities with a lively press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

With Brazil's top men, Filipe Farias, Fabio Lima, Glauco Rangel and Luis Lima, sharing the King of the Sea podium with their foreign competitors, the men talked about the new 10K race on Copacabana Beach.

When asked about doing five 2K loops with a 100-meter run between each loop, Australia's world 25K championship medalist Trent Grimsey of Australia (representing Oceania) said, "I prefer not to run so far because it is a little hard to get back into the race after a 100-meter run on the [soft] sand, so I think the strategy will be different.."

World 5K championship medalist Chad Ho of South Africa (representing Africa) said, "I am excited to be here. We have similar races at home [where we finish onshore]. So I'll run like at home. It should be a good and fast race."

Daniel Katzir of Israel (representing Asia) said, "The 100-meter run [between 2K loops] is not the same as in races in Israel, but it should be no problem for me. I am excited to be here."

Alexander Studzinski of Germany (representing Europe) said, "All the races in Germany start and finish in the water. I never did this before, so I do not know what to expect. We will see and decide what to do after the first lap."

Trent, Chad, Daniel and Alexander will team up with Ivan Lopez of Mexico (representing the Americas - not shown in picture above). The five men will represent the Five Continents Team.

When asked about representing an entire continent in front of a live nationwide television broadcast in Brazil and a documentary to be broadcast nationwide in China, Trent replied, "I never thought about it like that before, but I try to give 100% in all my races whether I am representing a club, Australia or Oceania."

Chad said, "The pressure of representing Asia does not phase me. I've never thought of representing an entire continent, but I will give 100%."

Daniel said, "There is no pressure, but this will be the most important championship of my life. It will be live on TV, so I am very excited to represent Asia." While Alexander said, "In the race, I will not be thinking about representing a country or a continent, but I will be enjoying the race and giving it my best."

Catch the excitement live online here starting at 10:00 am Rio de Janeiro time on December 13th.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Acapulco International Swim...Is Warm

2009-12-09T04:28:00.000-08:00

The 5K Acapulco International 2010 Swim website was announced yesterday. For more information on this warm-water 1K, 1.5K and 5K event on January 23rd, click here.

Hundreds of swimmers from ranked FINA pro marathon swimmers to young children, budding triathletes and competitive masters swimmers swim across the beautiful Acapulco Bay on Mexico's west coast.

For those who are currently swimming in colder climates, the warm 5K Acapulco International 2010 Swim offers a great hospitality deal and a free SwiMetrics test, the same stroke analysis test used by Olympic medalists and world-class swimmers.

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

The Blue Kealaikahiki Channel In Hawaii

2009-12-09T04:20:00.001-08:00

Quinn Carver (10 hours and 24 minutes) and Bill Goding (10 hours and 44 minutes) swam the 17-mile Kealaikahiki Channel from Kahoolawe to Lanai earlier in April this year. Enjoy their show here:

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones

Double The Fun In Waikiki

2009-12-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

Rick Heltzel has won the 'double Roughwater', officially billed as the 28th Possibly Annual Hawaiian Christmas Looong Distance Invitational Rough-H2O Swim, for the umpteenth time this past weekend.

With conditions the best in the race’s 28-year history, it was the first time that all swimmers finished under three hours over the 7K course.

With the start right under Diamond Head volcano and a turn point near Honolulu Harbor, Rick and Bill Goding both saw dolphins swimming under them as they led the field the entire way. The top finishers included:

Men:
Rick Heltzel (52), 1:37:36
Bill Goding (56), 1:40:03
Bruce Thomas (52), 1:41:46

Women:
Kathryn Taylor (24), 1:45:25
Gail Grabowsky (46), 1:45:42
Kate Costello (28), 1:46:52

As usual, the Who’s Who of Hawaii came out for a nice 7K swim off the shores of the world-famous Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Uber-marathon swimmer Linda Kaiser finished 28th overall in 2:10:48 while masters standous 72-year-old Ernie Leskovitz finished strongly in 2:01:49 and 75-year-old Vernon Knight finishing in 2:35:10.

Young and old, first-timers and veterans, the longest swim on Oahu always attracts a crowd.