Open water swimming events Boston area

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  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Landshark is in the books! I was 3rd in 50+ men, 18/48 overall.

    The race featured some contact with other swimmers; someone knocked my mask off and (maybe the same person) hit my mask a second time later in the race. Not sure if it was intentional and/or preventable. Still, it was my first experience with swimming as a contact sport. No harm done, and I beat the second guy after passing him on the final stretch!

    I did my first mile open water swim last summer, luckily no contact. It was a Swim Across America Event, so not a super competitive event, but it was a good event. I don't really have anywhere to train in open water that is easily accessible. Both places I have had events are private.

    When I did my first sprint triathlon, that has a lot more contact. I got kicked in the face, goggles got moved, but not lost thankfully. I was terrified, so I started at the back of my wave. Being a swimmer, that wasn't the best idea. Much better the next year when I just went out fast at the front and got out of the crowd.

  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
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    Budging into you gentleman's conversation@ mask getting knocked off ... I have always felt comfortable wearing my goggles under my swimcap which I pull over my ears ( covering my earplugs) when I'm swimming in a lake, river or out to sea. In the pool it's an opt in. There might be hardliners who would disagree, I realise, but it works for me.

    The last time I did swim in Open Water competitively, was for a triathlon relay, where the swim lap was mine to accomplish. I like to break out of the pack, tracking my barrier buoy marking when I take breaths after every 20 strokes on the shadow side of the current with a forward tilt to my head. In the ocean,I tend to not kick as hard as I would in the pool. Don't ask why, it just works for me to use a scissors like stride kick delayed flick whilst my arms are locked into a full freestyle.

    Do you all EVER think about sharks, sea snakes, jellyfish, large lake/river fish before your swims?
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    edited June 2018
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    The Charles is definitely cleaner than it was decades ago. But public swooning is still banned. Events have a lot of eye balls on the swimmers.
    Best of skill on your events.
    Lived in Boston a total of 11 years. But didn't get hooked on swiping until I moved to NC. Unfortunately there are no places that are safe enough to train in open water. Way too much boat traffic.
    I just swim a lot in the pool. Maybe some day my pass will be fast enough to try an open water event. For now I pace myself for 4 mile swim. About 1:56/100yd.
    Longest swim distance is 10km. Patriots win the Superbowl when i do a 10km swim in Superbowl weekend. That's why they lost the last one. :D
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Djproulx wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    there was a swim/run in MD this past weekend - a friend of mine did it - looked insanely fun! but the whole being tethered to someone else kind of freaks me out :)

    Are you tethered to someone during the event? That's weird! :#

    Casco Bay Event. It is tough to get entry, since this race is an Otillo qualifier.
    Two teams from my tri club are registered for 2018.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP-qagWIBv0

    there is also the new SwimRun series - IGNITE Swim Run - they did one in Maryland and i think there is one in PA coming up
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
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    I'm not from the Boston area (I'm in Tennessee) but it's great to see MFP's talking about OWS. I'm in the pool three times a week then jump into the lake around late June/early July. It takes that long for our water to warm up. I've done a bunch of different triathlons and love/hate the swim portion. For anyone heading South, there is always the Gatorfest event in Augusta, GA. It's in the Savannah river..........with a current, yay! I'm hoping to do the HIM in Augusta, GA this year without a wetsuit. Oh boy........
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Thanks @cherylesq for the response.

    It really seems like not that many MFPers swim for exercise (although we do have some) and even fewer of us swim places other than pools.

    In fact, open water swimming is a pretty niche sport in general, although it is now an Olympic sport (10k).

    To any curious swimmers out there: Go try it at your local pond. It is really great to get out of that pool!

    I swim but after watching the "monsters inside me" TV show, I decided to avoid open water swimming.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    It took me a while to get back to the thread. Lots of great new posts!

    I really like the idea of putting the goggle straps under the cap. I don't train with a cap, so it didn't even occur to me. Luckily, when I was bashed, the goggles didn't fall off completely, so I could put them back on. Thinking back, it could certainly have been avoided by the other swimmer and could well have been intentional. It happened twice while there was plenty of room. I can't be sure if it was the same person and I made no effort to bash back, but I did make an effort to beat him. Looking at the results, I can see that the person behind me (who definitely hit my face the second time) was a male of the same age as me. Why any mature person in such a friendly competition would not make every effort to avoid contact is beyond me.

    @fishgutzy has the best misspellings: "But public swooning is still banned." "But didn't get hooked on swiping until I moved to NC." Man, that's good stuff! (And you sound like a great swimmer!)
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Ha. Swype fails and lack of proof reading. :D:D:D:D

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