Posted in: 11-2009

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To Record or Not Record, That Is The Question

19.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Rules | (2) comments

The Sport Industry Group, creator of the Sport Industry Awards, ran an article about FINA, the world's governing body of aquatics, that is considering recommendations to adopt two sets of world records for pool swimming: one for times set using the performance-enhancing apparel and one without.

As Sport Industry Group reported, the FINA Coaches Commission recommended the creation of a "World Textile Mark" which would honor swimmers who beat world records that stood prior to January 2008.

The world of open water swimming is sheltered from this debate on world records. World open water swimming records are not kept by FINA simply because of the dynamic nature of open water venues. Competitions can differ in actual length, water conditions, water temperature, weather conditions, the presence of jellyfish, the position and number of feeding pontoons, the number of swimmers in the race, the position and number of turn buoys, the shape of the course, use or non-use of a lead boat or kayak, currents, tides, winds and surface chop. All of these variables have a direct impact on the overall times of the swimmers.

To demonstrate this point, we reviewed the men's 10K winning times at each of the races on the 2009 FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit. The winning times ranged from 1 hour and 34 minutes to 2 hours and 5 minutes, a remarkable 31-minute time differential:

Setubal (Portugal): Thomas Lurz, 1:34:16
Dubai (UAE): Thomas Lurz, 1:44:53
New York (USA): Thomas Lurz, 1:47:41
Sharjah (UAE): Trent Grimsey, 1:48:17
Lake Annecy (France): Thomas Lurz, 1:52:08
Chun An (China): Thomas Lurz, 1:55:10
Lac St-Jean (Canada): Alexander Studzinski, 1:57:25
Copenhagen (Denmark): Thomas Lurz, 1:57.40
Hong Kong: Thomas Lurz, 1:58:22
Varna (Bulgaria): Thomas Lurz GER 2:01:31
Shantou (China): Thomas Lurz, 2:03:15
Santos (Brazil): Simone Ercoli, 2:05:44

Even when we reviewed the winning times on the same course year-to-year (2008 vs. 2009), there are still significant differences:

Hong Kong: 1:46:1 in 2008 vs. 1:58.2 in 2009
Shantou: 2:06:5 in 2008 vs. 2:03.1 in 2009
Lac St-Jean: 2:04:1 in 2008 vs. 1:57.2 in 2009
Setubal: 1:52:4 in 2008 vs. 1:34:16 in 2009
Dubai: 1:48:5 in 2008 vs. 1:44:5 in 2009
Santos: 1:58:42 in 2008 vs. 2:05:44 in 2009

So rather than time or records, finishing first is the goal of elite open water swimmers. After his 2009 world championship victory in Rome, Thomas Lurz answered a question from the media about why he swam off-course, "My goal was to finish first, not to be worried how far or where I swam."

Although FINA does not recognize world records for its 5K, 10K, 25K and Grand Prix events (that can range up to 88K / 54 miles), there are some open water swimming organizations that maintain world records for their marathon swims. The English Channel and Catalina Channel fastest times are maintained and touted as world records for those particular waterways.

Another interesting difference between the pool world is open water swimming's more expansive definition of records. Records are recognized for not only the fastest swimmers, but also the oldest, the youngest, the most times accomplished, the earliest completed in a season, the latest completed in a season, the longest time in water and date of the first crossing.

And while records are great, the self-satisfaction and sense of achievement for open water swimmers can be profound for those of any age or ability. For all those open water swimmers who stuggle to finish a 1-mile swim or those marathon swimmers who literally crawl onto shore, making it - finishing a swim - crossing the finish line - is truly a reward in itself.

Different viewpoints for different folks in different swimming disciplines. It's all good.

I Still Would Have Gone In

18.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Technique | (0) comments

Robert Kent of the Lake Ontario Swim Team in Canada brought us some open water swimming television news to us about Cronulla Beach in Australia: Sharks Close In On Swimming Race.

It certainly caused a bit of worry for those on shore, but the very capable and experienced Australian lifesavers had everything under control.

But, it is known that the nine different species of hammerhead sharks have disproportionately small mouths and reportedly do a lot of bottom-hunting (as opposed to man-hunting). The hammerheads are also known to form schools during the day, sometimes in groups in the hundreds. We have had the unique thrill to have personally swum around the island of Yonaguni Island, a small gorgeous tropical island between Taiwan and Okinawa, which is known as a hammerhead mecca.

While the hammerhead has an usual shape and is frequently purported by the media as a feared predator, according to the authoritative International Shark Attack File, the hammerhead shark has been attributed with a total of 41 recorded attacks since 1580 with no deaths (17 unprovoked attacks + 11 provoked attacks + 6 non-assigned + 7 boat attacks).

So as the female swimmer said to the television reporter in the news clip above, "I don't know, I think I still would have gone in," sounds like a reasonable, yet courageous, statement from a hardy Australian open water swimmer.

For those who wish to know more, the International Shark Attack File has an abundance of information on sharks and what swimmers can and should do in the open water.

Stunningly Beautiful Open Water Swims in the Philippines

18.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Races | (0) comments

The 358 Open Water Swimming Championships will be held this weekend at the beautiful Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, Batangas, a world-class leisure living resort in the Philippines. Hosted by the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association, the event capitalizes on the stunningly beautiful coastlines and fabulous open water swimming locations throughout the Philippines.

"With open swimming now part of the Olympic calendar, this one way for Philippine Amateur Swimming Association to develop open swimmers who may be able to vie for medals in future Olympic Games," said organizer and former national swimmer Guy Concepcion.

Guy explained the unusual name of the event, "The races will be in 3K, 5K and 8K which is why the swimfest is called 358. We have already around 75 entries for all three divisions, a majority of them triathletes, who are using the event as part of their cross training. However, I do believe that in the future, we should have a national pool for open water swimming if we really want to be competitive in the event." Astutely he also mentioned, "Unlike in the regular swimming events where height, length and size are at a premium, athletes in open water swimming do not need to be too tall or too big to be competitive."

We roundly applaud this development because open water swimming can absolutely prosper in countries like the the Philippines where thousands of miles of beautiful tropical beaches presenting all kinds of conditions are available throughout its archipelago.

Andrew Gemmell, Breaking Out from the Pack

18.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Swimmers | (0) comments

Online Voting at USA Swimming - The Perseverance Award

18.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Swimmers | (0) comments

Today is the last day to vote for USA Swimming's Golden Goggles Awards which will be given out at USA Swimming's showcase black-tie event.

This year, America's greatest swimming stars and Hollywood celebrities will celebrate the swims and athletes at the Beverly Hilton on November 22nd.

Fran Crippen's exciting 10K bronze medalist effort at the 2009 World Swimming Championships, was nominated for the Perseverance Award of the Year.

You can vote here for Fran or his fellow nominees Ariana Kukors, Dana Vollmer and Amanda Weir.

From our admittedly biased perspective, Fran's nomination is richly deserved on two different levels. On a macro level, Fran has dedicated himself to the sport of swimming for years, missing out in NCAA victories or Olympic berths, but returning every day to work even hard and be an example to his younger teammates. On a micro level, his 10K race at the 2009 World Swimming Championships was a study in perseverance.

Fran, a national-level pool swimmer for years, is the very definition of perseverance. Most recently, he has really come into his own in the open water. He brings that 'Philly toughness' and cerebral approach to the sport that are so essential for success in the open water. Finding his niche may have taken a few more years than planned, but he is certainly on a roll now with his first world championship medal won in at the 2009 World Swimming Championships.

On a micro level, Fran’s 10K swim was the epitome of perseverance. Not only did he inadvertently run into a buoy during the last critical 50 meters and lose at least two body lengths, but he also fought back from that adversity to catch up to his Italian rival and swim like a madman to capture the bronze. Then, he had to sweat out a 24-hour period and a FINA Bureau appeal and adjudication to confirm his podium appearance.

Fran recalled his swim, "I guess it started with frustration when I was barreling into the finish of the 10K and went head on into the yellow finish buoy. These buoys are 50 meters from the finish and are used to mark the beginning of the finish chute. I had been breathing to my right and was concentrating so much on sprinting efficiently and trying to win the race that I misjudged my position. My momentum carried me under the buoy and when I popped up I came to a dead stop and was on the wrong side of the lane lines."

"After a few hard strokes I dove under the lane line, put my head down, and put everything I had into trying to catch back up to Thomas Lurz. I was able to recover, pass a few competitors, and grab the bronze medal. As soon I finished I was beyond elated when I found out that my teammate, Andrew Gemmell, got silver. Silver and bronze for the US - awesome!"

Fran, like his fellow Golden Goggles nominee Andrew Gemmell, is now seen as a legitimate Olympic 10K medal contender in London. Finding his niche in open water and fighting back from a two body length miscue over the last 50 meters is, in our opinion, the very definition of an individual richly deserving the Perseverance Award of the Year.

Triathlons and Open Water - Enduring Explosive Growth

17.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: History | (11) comments

In the sports world, triathlons and open water swimming can be considered like cousins – different, but with a strikingly similar DNA. Both sports are experiencing unprecedented growth and popularity around the world.

When we analyze the growth and demographics of the two sports, the similarities abound.

According to USA Triathlon (USAT), there was a sizeable shift in triathlon's participation base from the 30-34 age group to the 35-39 age group during the late 1990’s.

Since that time, the greatest growth has occurred in the 35-39 and 40-44 age groups. USAT believes triathlon's growth will continue because those age groups are looking for new outlets of participation and fitness. Similarly in the open water world, the largest age groups across swims in the 81 countries we surveyed range between the ages of 30-49 with the bulk in the 35-44 year age groups

Like triathlons, based on the number of newcomers, we believe that the vast majority of adult open water swimmers are looking for new athletic outlets just like their triathlon counterparts.

USA Triathlon confirmed their sport’s growth has been consistent in all age categories over the past decade - which is also absolutely true in open water. Like USAT , we believe the size of both sports – even in times of a global recession – will continue to increase as more events are being established throughout every region in the world, including areas outside the major metropolitan areas.

Reasons for Growth

USAT’s data shows that since 2000, the female membership has grown from 27% of its total to over 38% at the end of 2008.

USAT's believes this growth is based on society’s acceptance of active women, women feeling more comfortable living an active lifestyle, the growth of women’s-only events like the Danskin and Trek Triathlon Series, and more races that focus on charity involvement and fundraising. While there are only a few women-only open water swims around the world (e.g., Sweden's Vansbrosimningen and in Iran), many open water swims have women-only heats and, although our data is not as detailed as USAT, it is obvious that the fastest growing demographic group in open water swimming is women over the age of 40.

In fact, if we look at the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation data from the 2009 English Channel season, there were 62 successful crossings (including one two-way crossing) with 22 of those crossings made by women (or 35% of the total which closely mirrors the overall percentage of women who participate in all forms of open water swimming). But, a number (to be confirmed) of these women are on the north side of 40.

Participation Numbers

While competitive pool swimming in the U.S. has consistently and largely mirrored the general population growth in the U.S. for the last few decades, with a few exceptions, triathlons and open water swimming are experiencing explosive growth. The USAT data shows that triathlon participation in the U.S. is at an all-time high, following unprecedented growth over the past ten years. From membership numbers between 15,000 and 19,060 from 1993 to 1999, USAT membership surpassed 115,000 in 2009.

Similarly, the antidotal evidence in open water shows similar growth with the average number of participants in open water swims increasing from 156 in 1999 to over 280 in 2009. Several open water swims are representative of this growth:

For example, the Midmar Mile in South Africa has experienced this consistent growth under the leadership of race director Wayne Riddin:

1974 - 153 swimmers
1975 - 220 swimmers
1976 - 634 swimmers
1977 - 1,021 swimmers
1978 - 1,426 swimmers
1979 - 1,892 swimmers
1980 - 2,500 swimmers
1981 - 3,000 swimmers
1982 - 3,000 swimmers
1983 - unknown
1984 - 2,555 swimmers
1985 - 2,454 swimmers
1986 - 3,200 swimmers
1987 - 3,500 swimmers
1988 - 3,916 swimmers
1989 - 3,700 swimmers
1990 - 4,000 swimmers
1991 - 4,890 swimmers
1992 - 4,400 swimmers
1993 - 4,724 swimmers
1994 - 5,027 swimmers
1995 - 6,140 swimmers
1996 - 6,925 swimmers
1997 - 7,774 swimmers
1998 - 9,600 swimmers
1999 - 10,045 swimmers
2000 - 10,045 swimmers
2001 - 12,214 swimmers
2002 - 13,218 swimmers
2003 - 16,050 swimmers
2004 - 17,332 swimmers
2005 - 17,087 swimmers
2006 - 16,696 swimmers
2007 - 16,853 swimmers
2008 - 19,013 swimmers
2009 - 17,575 swimmers

Where swims are limited in size due to local ordinances, the maximum number of participants is now quickly reached (in the matter of minutes) in numerous swims including the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in New York, the Chesapeake Bay Swim in Maryland.

Additionally, there are now several events around the world such as the Rottnest Channel Swim in Western Australia which are so popular that a lottery system is now in place to determine what swimmers are the fortunate to get in the swim.

And, of course, series such as the Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series, the Great Swim Series in Britain and the Axxess DSL Ocean Racing Series in South Africa are growing by leaps and bounds and did not exist in the early 21st century.

Wherever only a few dozen swimmers previously participated in long-distance swims in Lake Windermere, the definition of open water swimming has expanded, enabling fields for the Great North Swim to exceed 6,000 participants in only its second year.

Differences in Triathlon vs. Open Water

There are some differences, however. In 2006, USAT required mandatory youth memberships which helped its membership double from 40,299 in 2002 to 84,787 in 2006, but outside of a few passionate coaches (Siga Rose), organizations (Ohio Swimming), events (OceanKids of New Zealand) and federations (British Swimming), open water swimming remains primarily the sport of adults, which indicates that the potential for continued growth in open water swimming remains high and largely untapped among the younger demographic groups.

But, like triathlons which saw 280,000 individuals purchase a one-day membership to compete in USAT sanctioned events in 2007 (growing from 100,000 in 2000), open water swimming enjoys a vast number of enthusiasts who only do one event per year. This may be due to the fact that, relative to other swims, there are so few open water swims available. But, it is also a possible indication that as the number of events increases, these one-event-per-year swimmers will start to participate in more events.

Reasons for Growth

USAT believes that the growth of triathlon popularity is partly due to its appearance in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. On the Olympic stage for the first time, the publicity of the sport was unprecedented. The media interest sustained momentum through the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Magazines, newspapers and online media continued to cover triathletes, helping position the pros as incredible Supermen and Superwomen and making it cool for the average participant to be seen as a triathlete – at any level. Training for a triathlon has become a badge of courage and competing in an Ironman – no matter how fast or slow – elicits the respect and awe of the triathlete’s family, friends and co-workers.

Lure of Olympic Gold

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, over 70 countries broadcast the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim live. While television coverage of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim paled in comparison to the Olympic triathlon in the U.S., a total of over 46,000 people in the U.S. logged on live online, late at night, to watch NBC Olympics’s live online coverage of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

USAT believe the following factors all play a part in triathlon’s continued popularity:

• Society’s interest in fitness and living a healthy lifestyle
• The growth of the number of total races across the country, making races easier to get to
• The growth in the number of the more accessible shorter sprint races, which made the sport more accessible to those with fewer hours to train each week
• Media attention on the sport
• Growth in the 30-49 age groups who are looking for varied outlets for fitness
• Peer pressure from friends who have tried the sport
• The ego reward of saying you are a triathlete
• Increase in clubs, which create a community concept for men and especially women who enjoy the group training and support atmosphere
• Increase in resources (websites, books, magazines) that provide assistance/education in getting started
• Growth in multisport shops and triathlon specific training and racing gear
• Marketing and communications efforts of USA Triathlon
• Growth in the number of USAT certified coaches who are able to provide training plans and individual attention for athletes who need guidance and motivation

We also have stated similar reasons for the growth in open water swimming in a previous article that can be seen here, but the allure of Olympic gold on the athletes and sporting public is both tangibly large and intangibly motivating and inspiring.

Growth of Events

Event-wise, the number of USAT-sanctioned races, camps and clinics have climbed from 1,541 in 2004 to 2,804 in 2008 (a 181% growth) – which also mirrors the growth of open water swims in the U.S. from 220 in 1999 to over 700 in 2009 (a 320% growth). USAT also points out that multi-sport events such as duathlons (run-bike-run), Aquabikes (bike-swim-bike) and Aquathlons (run-swim-run) have also seen excellent growth. Again, this is similar to the growth in stage swims, solo charity swims, professional prizes of all sorts from the RCP Tiburon Mile to the Flowers Sea Swim and expedition swims in the open water world which are largely performed outside the sanction of established governing bodies.

Short vs. Long

USAT triathlon also points out that biggest growth continues to be at the shorter sprint distances, which have surged from 818 in 2004 to 1,338 in 2008, but growth at other distances (including Olympic, Half Ironman and Ironman) has also been consistent during that time. Similarly, most of the open water events are short-distance (85% are under 5K in distance in the U.S.), but the 5K-10K Olympic-distance events (4% of the total) and marathon-distance events (11% of the total) have also carved out their own niches and ardent practitioners.

USAT also estimates there are approximately 500 triathlon events that are not sanctioned by USAT in the U.S. (e.g., conducted by universities and YMCA’s). Similarly, but to a much larger extent, the open water world offers numerous events that are hosted by a various of organizations outside of the traditional national governing bodies. It is interesting to note that USAT and other triathlon organizations are being very successful in sanctioning open water events that have traditionally been sanctioned by swimming organizations.

What is also interesting is the data from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) that has included triathlons in its national participation studies since 2006. The SGMA data shows that a remarkable 921,000 Americans participated in at least one triathlon in 2006, while that number jumped to more than 1.1 million in 2007. Even more remarkably, the growth of core participants (i.e., those athletes who compete in more than two events per year) increased from 550,000 in 2006 to 746,000 in 2007 – a growth rate of 35.6%. And, by definition, 100% of those triathletes do open water, albeit many of the triathletes view open water swimming as something to get over with as quickly and painlessly as possible before doing the "real" (and bulk) of their endurance activity.

Triathlon Advantages

Admittedly, triathlons enjoy several key advantages over open water swimming on a variety of levels.

1. Many young people view triathlon as a real sport – not a fringe sport as it was early on. However, open water swimming, in our opinion, is still 10-20 years behind triathlon’s growth and, as such, we believe open water swimming is still seen by many – including most competitive pool swimmers – as a fringe sport.

2. NBC Universal, Versus and many smaller sports networks regularly televise triathlon events while open water swimming’s televised events are few and far between. [Note: the obvious exceptions are the Great Swim Series televised in Britain, the World Swimming Championships televised by Rai TV in Europe and a few professional swims sanctioned by FINA.

3. USAT and other national triathlon federations have very successfully marketed the sport to its younger participants while the focused, nationwide open water swimming efforts by national swimming federations is more limited.

4. USAT spent money on conducting a study on The Mind of the Triathlete that revealed new data on the demographics and spending habits of multisport athletes in the U.S. However, research studies on the Mind of the Open Water Swimmer has largely been the solitary work of passionate individuals such as Dr. Julie Bradshaw, Jen Schumacher and Sakura Hingley. So whereas USAT was able to get more than 15,000 triathletes to give 20 minutes of their time describing their experiences, lifestyle, habits and backgrounds, open water swimming’s in-depth research is still in its infancy.

5. Triathlon’s growth is more institutionalized among national federations and supported by a vast greater amount of capital and human resources.

Open Water Swimming Advantages

Open water swimming’s obvious strength is in the grass-roots level where its growth is percolating and simmering, quietly and without the vast sums of capital and, by and large, without the corporate support or organizational infrastructure that the sport of triathlon currently enjoys.

Open water swimming will also be able to tap into the increase in crossover athletes or those from the triathlon and pool swimming world who support and participate in open water swimming. We believe that open water swimming is just beginning to tap into the crossover pool swimmer, on the age-group, masters and elite levels.

Open water swimming has just begun to tap into its potential for creating destination events held in gorgeous waters in beautiful locations, both tropical and temperate.

When we consider that the International Paralympic Committee will hold its third world open water swimming championships in 2010, when the Special Olympics will have its first 1.5K world open water swimming championship at its 2011 World Games in Athens, when wetsuit-acceptable events like the Great Swim Series capture the attention of over 6,000 swimmers in its second year, when the largest television broadcaster in Latin America, Globo TV, and other broadcasters around the world are scheduled to broadcast even more open water races, when wild swimming is taking off, an when masters swimming is wholeheartedly supporting the open water swimming movement, we know the sport is on its way to healthy success.

In summary, the outlook for both triathlons and open water swimming remains bright – extraordinarily bright.

Lower photo of Sara McLarty who has represented the USA in both triathlon and open water swimming world championship events.

Do It In Stages

17.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Rules | (0) comments

Stage race (noun): A type of timed competition conducted over the course of two or more consecutive days where the distance of the individual stages can vary on each day and the starting point of the subsequent stages begins at or near the same point as the finish of the previous day's swim. The overall final time of the each competitor is the culmination of the swimming times of the individual stages. The overall final distance is the distance measured from the starting point to the finish point in miles, nautical miles or kilometers.

The finish on the final day can be at the same location or at a different location than the start on the first day. The 3-day staged race began at the foot of the river and ended at the bay. Synonyms: stage swim, staged swim, stage race and staged relay.

Stage relay (noun): A type of timed relay competition conducted over the course of two or more consecutive days where the distance of the individual stages can vary on each day and the starting point of the subsequent stages begins at or near the same point as the finish of the previous day's swim. The overall final time of each relay is the culmination of the swimming times of the individual stages. The overall final distance is the distance measured from the starting point to the finish point in miles, nautical miles or kilometers. The finish on the final day can be at the same location or at a different location than the start on the first day. The staged relay from San Francisco passed by the Golden Gate Bridge on its eighth day. Synonyms: stage race, staged race, stage swim and staged swim.

Stage swim (noun): A type of solo swim, relay or race conducted over two or more consecutive days where the distance of the individual stages can vary on each day and the starting point of the subsequent stages begins at or near the same point as the finish of the previous day's swim. The overall final time is the culmination of the swimming times of the individual stages. The overall final distance is the distance measured from the starting point to the finish point in miles, nautical miles or kilometers. The finish on the final day can be at the same location or at a different location than the start on the first day. The staged swim from Los Angeles to San Diego was conducted over ten days. Synonyms: stage swim, staged race and staged relay.

Definition excerpt from the Open Water Swimming Dictionary (American English version 2009).

IPC World Championships in Open Water

16.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Events | (0) comments

The International Paralympic Committee conducted its first 5K open water world championship swim in Mar de Plata, Argentina in 2003.

The second International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships to have a 5K race was in Durban, South Africa in 2006.

We are looking forward to the next IPC world championship 5K race in the Netherlands in 2010.

The 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships will be held at the E3 beach in Eersel where the competition will be open class (meaning that athletes from different handicap classes will compete against one another).

Photo of Natalie du Toit after a hard 10K race at the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Lewis Pugh Swimming on Top of the World

16.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Solo Challenges | (0) comments

In what we believe will be one of the most challenging and difficult open water swims in history based on its arduous physical requirements, its mind-bending audacity, its overwhelming logical preparations and its very real potential for serious danger, explorer and environmentalist Lewis Pugh is heading to Mt. Everest in December for a reconnaissance.

As Lewis calmly and matter-of-factly explains about his preparation for a 1K non-wetsuit swim in a glacial lake at over 17,400-feet (5,300-meter) altitude where he will only wear traditional swimsuit briefs and a thin, non-neoprene swim cap, "We are going to climb up the mountain and look around to select the glacial lake where I will swim. I am really looking forward to it. We have bought all the equipment and hired all the sherpas." His swim will call attention to the melting glaciers and global warming trends in the Himalayas.

As Lewis describes the swim, "In April 2010, I will be attempting a 1K swim under the summit of Mount Everest to draw attention to the impacts of climate change. I will attempt the swim at an altitude of 5,300 metres in the freezing waters of a lake on the Khumbu Glacier. As a result of global warming, temperatures in the Himalayas have risen by 1°C and the glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world. Scientists predict they could disappear within 25 years. In fact, the active part of the Khumbu Glacier has retreated over 5K since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgart climbed it for the first time in 1953."

"These glaciers are not just ice. They are a lifeline – they provide water to a fifth of the world’s population. It’s essential that politicians put aside their differences and agree a bold strategy to reduce climate change to below current levels when they meet in Copenhagen at the end of the year. There is no time for delay."

Lewis, who has captured the attention of many global leaders, has a truly inspiring story and quite a captivating speaker. His speech at the Business Innovation Factory Conference in Providence, Rhode Island about his swim across the North Pole was chosen as one of the 7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web. His speech on Utilizing the Extremes can be seen here.

Al Gore, former Vice President of America, said, "Lewis is certainly one of the most exciting speakers I have heard. He is a brave and courageous leader who adds a fresh perspective to climate change."

Rt. Hon Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK, said, "You are one of the great environmental campaigners of our age and a truly extraordinary athlete. Thank you so much for coming to speak to us."

Off to the Races in New Zealand Ocean Swim Series

16.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Events | (37) comments

The upcoming, always popular, ever-growing, nationwide multi-race (0.3K tag team relay, 0.7K solo and 2.8K solo) Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series will kick off in Auckland on November 21st with a total of NZ$75,000 in cash and prizes (at retail prices) to be distributed throughout its six-race series:

Harbour Crossing Auckland, Russell to Paihia Bay of Islands, Capital Classic Wellington, Corsair Classic Christchurch, Sand to Surf Mt Maunganui, and King of the Bays North Shore City.

Making The Most Of Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands

16.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: | (0) comments

The Pirates Week 5K Sea Swim, scheduled for this past Saturday in the Cayman Islands, was postponed due to the weather. Safety support, sponsor issues, volunteers and swimmer expectations are just a few of the serious concerns organizing committees always face when deciding whether to proceed or cancel under unpredictable conditions - and it is never an easy decision to make or announce.

Unofficially, however, seven swimmers showed up on race morning to do whatever the sea conditions would allow. Rough chop and large swells had calmed considerably overnight, so the locals and visitors enjoyed a combined 2.5K and 5K swim.

Jane Botta said, "Of course it was disappointing to have the 5K canceled, but you can never predict Mother Nature. We chose to swim despite the conditions and truly enjoyed a challenging swim in the surf and chop. I’ve been visiting Cayman for over seven years for open water swims because normally the conditions are ideal. This time, the water and wind gave us a challenge that made the effort of a long-distance swim seem like an even greater accomplishment."

The Pirates Week 5K, Cayman’s oldest sea swim, has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 28.

Upper photo shows coach Jerry Harper (timer), Shannon Prendergast (Virginia, USA), Sally Poole (Cayman Islands), Wendy Buckner (Canada), Kate Alexander (Cayman Islands), Jane Botta (Illinois, USA), Jim Woods (New York, USA) and Diane Korn (New York, USA).

Jason Thom, Lending A Helping Palm

15.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Solo Challenges | (8) comments

On the same weekend that Jamie Atherton completed his 16.2K charity swim around Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai, Leah Oatway reported that South Africa's Jason Thom completed an unprecedented 25K swim from the Palm Jebel Ali to the Palm Jumeirah to raise awareness for World Diabetes Day.

After nearly 5 hours in the water, Jason said, "It’s great. I’m just surprised I can stand. I could see the finish line, but it wasn’t getting any closer." He swam the solo swim to raise awareness for a disease which affects one in five adults in the United Arab Emirates which just hosted three professional marathon swims in October.

Photo by Jeffrey E Biteng of The National.

English Channel Listed as Top Aquatic Feat

15.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Solo Challenges | (6) comments

Jennifer Nelson and Kevin Heitz compiled their Top 15 Aquatic Feats for the The Press Box.

Although they listed the events in no particular order, we could not help but notice the aquatic feat that was listed as #1:

Swimming the English Channel.

Jennifer and Kevin wrote, "Does watching sports ever make you feel like you're past your prime? Well, how's this? Lynne Cox was only 15 years old in 1972 when she set a new women's -- and men's -- record for swimming across the English Channel. Not to worry, though: Clifford Batt made it across at the age of 67 years, 240 days, and that's record enough, regardless of how long it took to get across."

The other aquatic feats include #2 Extreme Waterslide in Brazil, #3 Swim Relay where 3,941 swimmers in Pretoria, South Africa each swam one leg of a 24-hour relay to set the Guinness world record, #4 World Water Speed Record in a boat, #5 Niagara Falls Daredevils, #6 David Blaine Underwater for 17 minutes and 4 seconds, #7 Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat, #8 Skipping a Stone 51 times, #9 Escape from Alcatraz where Jennifer and Kevin explain, "Need a little more motivation for your aquatic adventures? How about the prospect of freedom? It's a test one can sort-of recreate each year.", #10 Catching a 70-foot Wave in Maui, #11 Distance Surfing up to 7.8 miles, #12 Crew Races in the Henley Royal Regatta, #13 Free Diving to 314 feet with no oxygen for 3 minutes and 36 seconds with a monofin, #14 Distance Rowing for 160 miles in 24 hours, and #15 Catfish Noodling in Mississippi.

Swimming in the Fountain of Youth

15.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Swimmers | (0) comments

We have written about maserful masters swimmer before (e.g., Don Korten, Ian Mcartney and Dr. Ladislav Nicek). There is another young one to add to the list: 77-year-old Richard Ellis who competed in and won the 800-meter swim at this year's Round the Sound Swim in Bermuda. Richard won the 60+ year old division as well as the 40-59 year old division and took second among swimmers ages 20-39.

A renowned American and World masters swimming champion, Richard has been successful all his life, "I am very competitive by nature. I wake up an older person, but after swimming, I feel young again. Everyone should keep active, mentally and physically, as much as they can."

Unprecedented Circumnavigation around the Palm Jumeira

15.Nov.09 | posted by: steve munatones | filed under: Solo Challenges | (0) comments

Jamie Atherton's 162K charity swim around Dubai's Palm Jumeirah island in the United Arab Emirates was completed successfully in 5 hours and 29 minutes. Jamie, who was raising money for Bowel Cancer UK said, "All I've been focusing on during the past few months is the swim, and the support I've received in the build-up and today has made it worthwhile."

"The swim was never about me; I wanted to do it in memory of my dear friend who passed away from cancer at the age of 27. I feel in surprisingly good shape. I was a little anxious swimming past Atlantis Hotel as the currents can be pretty choppy out there, but the swim went more smoothly than I thought."

Photo courtesy of AME Info.

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2009

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