open water

4th Annual LandShark Swim Dominated by New England LMSC Swimmers

By Alana Aubin, NE-LMSC Communications Chair

Women's 1-mile podium

AMESBURY, MA -- B&S Event Management kicked off the 2017 B&S Open Water Swim Series on Saturday, June 10 with the 4th Annual LandShark Swim. The event welcomed 153 swimmers to Lake Gardner and featured race distances of 1/2 mile, 1 mile, and 2 miles. Balmy weather and a water temperature of 66 degrees made for excellent race conditions. Many New England LMSC athletes made the podium and, after enjoying a post-race breakfast buffet catered by Every Little Breeze Catering, took home a soft-side cooler as a prize.

In the 1/2 mile race, Tom Phillips of Greenwood Masters (GWDM) was the overall champion with a time of 14:13.9, while fellow NEMer Bill Tharion placed third.

Men's 1-mile award winners

At the 1-mile distance, Ildiko Szekely of Boston University Masters Swimming (BUMS) successfully defended her 2016 title to take the 2017 championship in 25:02.5. David Bentley of Charles River Masters (CRM) was the second overall male finisher.

CRM's Katie Levenstein won the women's 20-29 age group, and Katie Dwyer (Unattached) finished second in the 30-39 group. Deborah Sakr of the Granite State Penguins (GSP) won the women's 50-59 age group, while Sweetwater Swim Studio's (SWS) Amy Morin placed third. Anne Verrill (Unattached) grabbed first in the women's 60-69 division ahead of Cathy Utzschneider (Unattached).

Top 3 in the men's 2-mile

On the men's side, John Brady of Great Bay Masters (GBM) won the 50-59 age group and Carl Dearmin from YMCA North Shore (YNS) was second. Andover North Andover's (ANA) Frank Maldari was second in for men aged 60-69.

Great Bay Masters turned out in force for the 2-mile race, led by Guy Davis. Davis finished first overall in 50:53.6, beating out Chris Borgatti (Unattached) and GBM teammate Ed Gendreau. Kirsten Read won the women's race in 51:07.3, finishing ahead of Erica Carroll (BUMS) and Alana Aubin (CRM).

Women's 2-mile podium

Lauretta Bailin (Unattached) was third in the women's 30-39 age group, while NEM's Thomas Volper won the men's division. In the 40-49 age group, Cindy Regnante and Monica Cohen, both Unattached, were first and second for women, while Jonathan Moore of NEM was second for the men. DJ Jenson, of GBM, won the men's 50-59 age group, while Nancy Tunstall from Weymouth Club Masters Swimming (WCMS) and Julie Burnett of Minuteman Aquatics (MAMA) were second and third on the women's side. GBM's Steve Miller was first in the men's 60-69 group, beating out Dave Welch of Andover North Andover (ANA). GBM's Robyn Shiely won the women's 60-69 age group.

The B&S Open Water Swim Series continues on June 24 with the 1st Annual Swampscott Harborfest 1/2, 1, and 2 mile races in Swampscott, MA.

Photos originally posted on the event's Facebook page.

Ninth Charles River One Mile Swim: A Fun Morning on the Esplanade

Contributed by Kate Radville, Race Director

BOSTON, MA -- On June 3rd, 2017, the Charles River Swimming Club hosted its Ninth One Mile Swim in the Charles River Basin. The race, which took place on a single loop course between the Massachusetts Avenue and Longfellow bridges, was the largest in the club’s history. 

Wave 2 prepares to start a few minutes behind Wave 1

This year's edition drew a large, enthusiastic crowd to the river, and sold out at 200 swimmers. Electronic chip-timing allowed for accurate, real-time results despite the race’s unique in-water finish. Conditions were challenging given cool air and water temperatures, a steady head-wind during leg one, and considerable chop. Regardless, many fast times were posted by local masters swimmers. Trent Staats of Charles River Masters was the overall winner in 23:12.1. Sarah Weas of Boston University Masters was the first female finisher with a time of 25:42.5.  

Swimmers complete the loop and finish at the dock

The Charles River Swimming Club is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 with the dual purpose of organizing competitive swimming events in the river and facilitating the return of public river swimming to the Charles. After a long history of pollution, the Charles has benefited tremendously from the Clean Charles River Initiative, which began in 1995. The river is now clean enough for swimming on most summer days, and the club hopes to raise awareness of this fact.

Award winners received an 'I Swam the Charles' pint glass and a day of kayaking, SUPing, or canoeing on the Charles, courtesy of Charles River Canoe and Kayak

Swimmers who are interested in either participating in next year’s event or in volunteering should visit the club’s website at www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org. Those with specific questions about getting involved should contact Kate Radville, Charles River Swimming Club Vice President, Race Director, and Charles River Masters swimmer.

The Club, which is run entirely by volunteers, would like the extend its gratitude to the swimmers and volunteers who made this year’s event such a success.  We look forward to celebrating our tenth swim race in 2018!

NE-LMSC Annual Meeting Summary

Contributed by Douglas Sayles, NE-LMSC Chair

This fall I had the honor of presiding over the NELMSC Annual Meeting in Waltham, MA. I’ve touched upon some highlights below. Full minutes will be posted on the NELMSC website.

Meeting attendees included 13 of the 15 NELMSC officers, three club reps to the board, our SCM and SCY championship meet directors, and other NELMSC members interested in governance issues. On October 16th, the NELMSC had $48,660 in total assets, over 2,500 USMS members, 23 USMS-registered clubs, 54 USMS-registered New England Masters Swim Club workouts groups and two registered Lifetime Swim New England workout groups.

During 2016, there were 16 SCY, 5 SCM and 2 LCM meets in the NELMSC. Our short-course championships continue to be two of the largest Masters meets in the country, attracting hundreds of swimmers each year. If you have not already done so, mark your calendars and book your hotel rooms for our NELMSC SCY Championships at Harvard on March 11 (distance day) and 17-19, 2017.

Despite our championship meets’ popularity and the many other meets held across New England each year, most of our mini meets are quite small (10 to 70 swimmers) and our aggregate meet attendance is slowly decreasing. Collectively we can easily reverse this trend by rallying our swim mates and entering one or two mini meets this season. These events need our support if we want them to continue.

In both USMS sanctioned meets and recognized meets, times swum by USMS members are usually official for USMS purposes. The main differences are that sanctioning provides insurance liability coverage for the swimmers, volunteers and event host and requires all of the swimmers to be USMS members.

During 2015 there were 10 sanctioned and 20 recognized meets in the NELMSC, accounting for 25 percent of all recognized meets nationwide, substantially more recognized meets than in any other LMSC and proportionally far fewer sanctioned meets than most large LMSCs.

At the USMS convention this past September, the House of Delegates voted to impose a new $100 fee on each recognized meet in 2017. This fee will be charged to the local LMSC. The primary rationale was that recognized meets were benefiting from USMS and LMSC meet promotion, creating more work for volunteer Top Ten recorders and otherwise receiving USMS benefits for free.

Consequently, at the NELMSC meeting we adjusted our subsidies and policies to incentivize sanctioning over recognition. At the same time, we want to avoid alienating meet directors who prefer recognition because if they walk away from USMS altogether USMS members’ times from those meets will not be recorded in the USMS database.

A meet host can now apply to the NELMSC for a sanction at no cost (we fully subsidize the $50 USMS fee) or else pay $50 for meet recognition (we partially subsidize the USMS $100 fee). We now also allow sanctioned meet hosts the option to offer non-USMS members a $15 one-event USMS membership, which can be applied toward a full USMS membership within 30 days of the meet. We had previously only allowed one-event memberships for open water events.

During our meeting we also reviewed several successful NELMSC-subsidized coaching initiatives from the past year, including swimmer clinics, coaching clinics and certification courses, Adult Learn to Swim instructor certification, and National Coaches Clinic scholarships. We have budgeted for similar initiatives in 2017. On a similar note, at convention we learned that USMS officials training will soon include an online certification option.

During the NELMSC meeting, we formally voted Alana Aubin onto the board as the new NELMSC communications chair. She took over this position several months ago from Christina Dwiggins, who I want to publicly thank for her contributions and able stewardship of the monthly NELMSC e-newsletter. This is a natural transition for Alana, who deserves credit for recent website improvements and for launching the NELMSC Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. In September, she and NELMSC Registrar Tim Lecrone also ran a very well-received social media workshop at the USMS convention.

Other topics covered during our meeting included bestowal of the NELMSC Coach and Contributor of the Year Awards (congrats to WAM’s Alford Green), the forthcoming introduction of a new NELMSC awards process, ideas for raising awareness and Masters Swimming opportunities for para athletes, promoting open water swimming, and other steps the NELMSC can potentially take to increase USMS member value in New England and at the national level.

In an effort to offset the $2 increase in 2017 USMS membership dues and reduce our NELMSC cash balance, we voted to reduce the NELMSC annual membership fee from $7 to $5 and approved a deficit budget for 2017. If we incur all $32,400 in budgeted expenses (which is unlikely) and realize $13,000 in forecast revenue, our cash balance will decrease by $19,400 in 2017 while still leaving a healthy reserve.

At the national level in September, the USMS board of directors and new CEO Dawson Hughes presented an updated strategic plan and infographic. Key 2017 initiatives included the aforementioned recognition fee to promote meet sanctions, allocating resources toward developing a new fitness swimmer program, upgrading the USMS website including enhancing Places to Swim and developing an open-water event results database, supporting college clubs to attract younger Masters swimmers after graduation, ongoing training of USMS coaches and Adult Learn to Swim instructors, and expanding swimmer clinics nationwide.

On behalf of the NELMSC board of directors, thank you to all of the swimmers, coaches, officials, organizers and volunteers who contribute to the vibrant Masters Swimming community that enriches all of our lives.

And if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to renew your USMS membership before December 31st to receive special merchandise discounts from Speedo, TYR, FINIS, SwimOutlet and other USMS partners.

Happy Holidays and New Year!

Douglas Sayles

Chair, New England LMSC

Swimming for a Cause - Speedo Diplomacy

Contributed by Crystie McGrail, NE-LMSC Coaches Chair

I had the pleasure of attending the 2016 USMS National Coaches Clinic in San Francisco in November. One of the first presenters was Open Water Swimming legend Steve Munatones. Steve presented about the very interesting past, present, and future of open water swimming and one specific topic drew me in: “Speedo Diplomacy.”

What is Speedo Diplomacy?

“Speedo diplomacy is a politically-sensitive swim or actions based on an unprecedented open water swim that results in positive action by governments or leaders around the world, especially those with fundamentally different perspectives and viewpoints.” (http://openwaterpedia.com)

A Historical Example

Lynne Cox swims across the Bering Strait in 1987 (from her website)

One Speedo Diplomacy swim you might be familiar with is when Lynne Cox tackled a pioneering cold water swim in 1987 across the Bering Strait. Her goal was to open US-Soviet border for the first time in 48 years by swimming from Alaska to the Soviet Union. Lynne succeeded by completing the 2.7 mile swim in just over 2 hours, though 37 degree water. Read more from BBC 

Current Feats

A map of Pugh's five swims for Antarctica (from his website)

A map of Pugh's five swims for Antarctica (from his website)

More recently, in October 2016, Lewis Pugh successfully pushed through the creation of the largest Marine Protection Area in history, located in the Ross Sea of Antarctica. He accomplished this through 5 unprecedented solo swims and tireless lobbying. In addition to setting a new precedent for conservation, this is remarkable because, in his own words, “Russia, the US, the EU and the 22 other CCAMLR nations shook hands in a time of strained political relations”.

The Longest Swim

Ben Lecomte plans to swim across the Pacific Ocean next year (photo from NPR)

Another epic event is coming in spring 2017 when Ben Lecomte tackles swimming from Tokyo to San Francisco, a whopping 5,500 miles! This expedition is expected to take 6 months while swimming 8 hours each day and includes traversing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Along the way, Ben and the crew will be collecting oceanic and medical research data in 8 different fields through the support of 12 scientific institutions including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and NASA. “From plastic pollution to space exploration, this adventure will be a unique opportunity to collect data and learn more about the oceans and human body in extreme conditions.”  

There are many more examples - including local examples - of swimming to encourage positive actions for the environment and human health.  Maybe you even have an idea of your own swimming feat to promote the conservation of this one wild and wonderful world in which we live! 

In Search of Memphre 2016 and My First DNF

Contributed by Nathaniel Dean

On the night of September 9th, Nathaniel Dean, a member of Cambridge Masters Swim Club, attempted to swim across Lake Mempremagog - 25 miles from Newport, VT to Magog, Quebec, Canada. He ended his swim for safety reasons after completing 12.5 miles in 6 hours. This swim report was originally published in the Marathon Swimmers Forum. It is reposted here with permission. 

Figured I'd share a swim report, since I haven't been on the forums in a while and I felt that some people could learn from my experience. I swam in In Search of Memphre this weekend but didn't make it the full distance to Magog. Here's a rundown of the weekend, and where I broke down, and some things I learned over the weekend that hopefully would help other people, including myself... I plan to go back and complete next year.

I should emphasize that none of this is to be read as an excuse. All of the mistakes leading to this DNF were solely my own, and while that is a bitter pill to swallow, I was fortunate that it happened in friendlier waters with decent support and with enough training to know that things were going very wrong, knowing when to pull myself out instead of getting myself into a dangerous situation.

For those who don't know the Kingdom, Lake Memphremagog is a very large lake stretching from Newport, VT on the south to Magog, Quebec, Canada on the north. A number of swims occur on that lake including a series during the Kingdom Games, which has a variety of distances ranging from 1 mile to 25km. ISOM is the longest of the lot, stretching from Newport to Magog, a distance of 25+ miles. This swim is to support more open borders between the two towns to improve the economy of both cities.

Two people were on the swim this year, and hats off to Mark Smitherman who accomplished this hard swim in 13 hours. We spoke a few time prior to the swim, as well as on the dock starting off, and he was a very collected and determined individual, not to mention a very good swimmer, hats off to him! I'd love to read his race report to see what happened on his trip, not to mention at the end of the swim.

The swim started at the Newport docks shortly after midnight on Friday into Saturday, accompanied this year by a 13' boat with support crew with gas motor and a very experienced kayaker. My crew consisted of my wife Katharine Owen and a fellow swimmer whom I helped train for the 25km swim two months prior, Daniela Klaz. My kayaker was Gary Golden, who handled his kayak very well.

Direction of the swim was north, and a gentle wind from the south pushed us at the beginning. Start was at 12:20am. My feed schedule this year had changed; in previous years I have fed every 30 minutes, and this strategy got me through both Catalina and MIMS, with the caveat that I had more "stuff" in my system, and thus it took longer to eliminate. My observers in the past had commented that this was something I needed to work on, so I came up with this compromise. So this year I had trained and planned to change my schedule from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, thinking this would take the pressure off my voids, encourage fewer breaks in general and increase my speed.

However, that training was not sufficient. Figuring I had already done sufficiently long distances and thus could handle longer distances, I focused on more intense shorter swims, which were also easier to fit into my work schedule. However, that combined with the feed change would set off one of a series of dominoes that would call the end of my swim far sooner than I had expected. That doesn't mean that I necessarily approve of training up to race simulation distance (I'm still of the opinion that shorter focused practices do more for you than junk yardage), but doing swims with a new feed schedule is definitely crucial to making that feed schedule stick and confirming that it is the right move.

The first three feeds (up to 2h15m elapsed time) go really well, and I'm in good spirits as I am told on the third feed that I've already crossed into Canadian waters. I had recalled that the water temperature drops a couple degrees when you do cross over, as the water is deeper at that part of the lake. I have a couple of small worries though: 1. The boat fumes were starting to overcome me, as I haven't swam around boat fumes in a while, so my support crew had to pull away, not to mention the boat fumes were getting to my crew as well. This means that I didn't get as much protection from the wind as I would like, and this would come into play later. 2. My feed system is a double ended carabiner on a rope, with hookable Blender Bottles containing the mixed feeds (for the record, this is the most fool-proof method of feeding a swimmer and I would not encourage any other feeding method). But this means that the crew has to throw the feed in front of me and then slow down so I don't have to chase the feed. But, these boats couldn't go slow enough unless they idled, and if they idled the fumes would concentrate and sometimes the engines would stall, so we didn't run the boat slow and I still had to chase my feeds.
3. For my other night swims, I have hooked a chemical glowstick onto the back of my goggles, and since this system has worked for me in the past, why mess with a good thing? This time though, my stroke had changed enough that it was easy to wedge the glowstick between my goggles and my shoulder as I breathed on my left, making it difficult for me to fall into my usual bilateral-3 pattern. 4. I had instructed my crew to use hand signals with me to signal feeds, changes in speed/pace, positioning, and other key instructions. While this had worked in previous swims where there was a lot more light from a bigger boat, in this situation the lighting was much more subtle, and the only thing I could see in my blurry goggles (defogger not working was the least of my concerns) was the light from the headlamps. So, every time Kate looked at me to count strokes per minute, I would think they were trying to signal me somehow so I'd lift my head. This also played a factor into the later hours.

At about 3 1/2 hours in, these little issues started to stack upon one another. Since I had switched from bilateral-3 to 4-2-4-2-4-2 on my right side, I was now only looking at my kayaker on the right and not the support boat on my left, making it a bit more complicated for my boat to signal me. But, I knew they were close because I could smell them. The support boat was on my left and the wind had shifted unpredictably from the south to the west and kicked up to 8 knots, meaning the fumes were blowing into me nonstop. The wind also dropped the perceived temperature of the air, which was a complete surprise to me, and one of the things I learned the most from this swim: air temperature is just as important as water temperature. The water temp was in the 70s, practically bath water. The air temp was in the low 60s, but because of the wind felt 10 degrees colder. The support boat was further out doing the right thing, but I ended up getting the fumes anyway and the wind still hit me.

That's when my traps started to seize up. The trapezius muscles extend from the neck to the shoulder and back down to the spine in a diamond pattern in your back. I was depending on them because I was shrugging my shoulders trying to keep the glowstick from not wedging on my shoulder, shortening my stroke and in the process making the situation worse. My crew gave me new goggles at the 3:45 feed (always bring backups!) that worked amazingly, but the damage had already been done. I had picked up my pace to keep ahead of the cold I was perceiving in my arms.

At this point, I started to weave between the support boat and the kayak. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this had more to do with both the support boat and kayak being pushed by the winds, making it hard for them to keep a straight line (the fact that either of them could keep a straight line at all is a testament to the mettle and capacity of all involved). However, I was under the impression that I was losing it.

4:30 couldn't come soon enough, and I gulped down my hot feed (one every three feeds). Another mistake: not only had I changed my feed from 30 to 45 minutes, I had also changed the frequency of hot feeds to cold from every other feed to every third feed. Instead of getting a warm feed every hour, it was every 2 1/4 hours. Having figured that the water temperature was 70 I didn't expect to get cold. But, sure enough, I did.

5:00 hits, the sun is starting to peak, and I'm literally counting the seconds to the next feed. At 5:15's feed I own up to it with my crew: I say that the goggles were working great but I was not, that at that point my traps seized so much I couldn't turn my neck and I had to rotate my entire body to get my face out of the water, that I was cold, and I was fighting really hard to stay with it. I was really weaving between the boat and the kayak at this point.

How much of this was psychological and how much of it was physical hypothermia I couldn't tell. All the little factors stacked up to a big monster. The inside joke of ISOM is that the swim is to search for the fabled lake monster Memphre. At this point I felt that the real monster was an amalgamation of all these little demons given a big inky canvas to weave stories of doom. I've observed for the Ice Mile, and have seem people go through mild to severe hypothermia. I've observed for marathon swimmers and while I'm lucky to not to have to pull anyone, I've seen people get out completely shivering after an 8+ hour swim in 75+ degree water. I've read about all the unfortunate people who have died during swims.

I glanced at the edges of the lake, mentally calculated how long it'd take for people to get me to shore if I really started getting in trouble. If I developed the mask, if I started experiencing the claw in my stroke. None of this was actually happening to me: In fact, my stroke rate was staying pretty constant, and my crew pulled in closer to give me comfort and warmth, only for me to think they were really worried for my safety and as a side effect made it seem like I was bouncing around even more between the boats.

So 15 minutes to my next feed (which would have been a warm one), just when the sun was coming out, just when all of this could have gotten to get better, I pulled myself. I still contend that it was the right move. My crew was surprised, they asked me if I was sure. I cursed to the sky and said yep. I was pissed that I psyched myself out, but it was still a good move. I honestly felt that was at least mildly hypothermic, and was shaking and purple when pulled onto the safety boat and onto shore. Now, I've swum BLS in 58-62F and other cold swims, so who knows how much of this was psychological or physical. I contend that the difference didn't matter at that point. I let all these little things pile up into a real monster and get the better of me.

I'm proud of making it 12.5 miles in 6 hours. But I did make some major mistakes that I felt that I could help others not make:

  1. Get a light that doesn't extend down the neck. Those round lights like the one Mark had on his goggles are amazing and will not interfere in any way with the swim.
  2. Train in cold AND WIND. It's a backwards feeling for the water to be warm and the air to be frigid, and it can really strip you of heat.
  3. For nighttime swims, have light signals instead of hand signals. Not dry erase boards, not yelling (most times you can't hear your crew), but light signals are the clearest and can be seen through foggy goggles.
  4. I'm still not sure how to prepare for swims with fumes. This still gets to me.
  5. DO NOT CHANGE YOUR FEED SCHEDULE UNLESS YOU HAVE PRACTICED IT IN A LONG SWIM AT LEAST 2/3rds of your goal.
  6. Proper training lets you conquer the little demons one by one so you can stop them before they can combine to be a Voltron of evil.

That lake is no joke. It is a hard swim. Do not underestimate it. I plan to face it next year with way more open eyes than I had before.

--Nathaniel Dean

Kingdom Swim 2016 Recap

Contributed by Charlotte Brynn, NE-LMSC Open Water Chair

Results      Photos              

Kayakers and Swimmers preparing for the 10km marathon swim

LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG, NEWPORT, VERMONT -  With a variety of distances to choose from, a sandy start and finish, and fresh water, Kingdom Swim 2016 was a perfect event for first timers and seasoned veterans. This year, New England swimmers flocked to the waters of Lake Memphremagog, and they were in good company; approximately 150 swimmers and about 140 kayakers participated. They travelled from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ireland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quebec. Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Washington State, and Wisconsin.

Charlotte Brynn on her way to winning the 25km Border Buster

Charlotte Brynn on her way to winning the 25km Border Buster

The weekend kicked off with a Pizza Cruise on the Northern Star, with motivational speaker Craig Dietz, 41, from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, also known as the Limbless Waterman. He delivered a powerful talk, and on Saturday, completed the longest swim of his life, the 10 km marathon course in a time of 4:12:35. Craig used a flipper attached to his left leg stump and undulated on his back.

Women's 10km skin podium

Women's 10km skin podium

After a terrific Pasta Dinner on Friday evening, swimmers were ready to take to the Lake. Kingdom Swim included the 15.9-mile (25 km) Border Buster, the USMS 10-mile Open Water National Championship, a non-championship wave of the 10-mile course, a 6.2-mile (10 km) race, as well as 3.1-mile (5 km) and 1-mile races.

For the first time this year, the event featured a pig roast in the evening. The event featured live music and a raffle to win entry to various swims, including Swim the Suck, Swim the Kingdom Week, and the Cork Distance Training Camp.

Top finishers in the men's 5km skin race

Top finishers in the men's 5km skin race

Big thanks to Bob Fernald, event referee, and Phil White of Kingdom Games and his volunteers who made this such a memorable event. The common thread in talking with swimmers post swim was, “I can’t wait to return to the North East Kingdom.” Congratulations to all those who swam, and enjoyed all that Open Water Swimming has to offer - good natured swimmers, beautiful scenery, and the camaraderie of enjoying the outdoors together, whether it be for competition or recreation. Top results can be found below, and full results are posted here. Additionally, registration is already open for 2017!


Border Buster - 15.9 Mile

Swimmers crossed the border into Canada and swam back to the USA. The overall course winner was Charlotte Brynn, 50, of Stowe, VT in 7 hours, 55 minutes, 46 seconds. Bill Shipp, 56, of Mitchellville, MD was second in a time of 8 hours, 18 minutes, 47 seconds. Ned Denison, 58, was third, finishing in 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 31 seconds.

NEW ENGLAND Female FINISHERS - SKIN

On the women's side, New England swimmers were a force, with 6 swimmers competing:

1.        7:55.46           Charlotte Brynn        50       Stowe VT

5.        9:19:06           Kellie Latimer            30       Norwood, MA

6.        9:21:10           Daniela Klaz               24       Jamaica Plain, MA

7.        9:21:10           Hillary Rodriguez       28       Jamaica Plain, MA

9.        9:45:06           Julie Burnett               50       Stoneham, MA

10.       10:36:54       Paula Yankauskas         61       Hyde Park, VT

 

NEW ENGLAND Male FINISHERS - SKIN

3.        9:03:10         Patrick McDermot       51       Salem, NH

4.        10:04:18       William Larkins           22       Freeport, ME

5.        10:42:19       Ian Grimmer                47       Middlebury, VT

 

10 Mile Non Championship – WetSuit

FEMALE

  1.        4:57:48       Gabi Redford        49       Annapolis, MD
  2.        5:08:33       Elaine Scholtz       54       Campton, NH

MALE

  1.        5:07:35       Herve Hamon          54       Norwalk, CT
  2.        6:01:31       Thomas Whalen       50       St. Louis, MO

 

6.2 Mile (10 km) - Skin

Female

  1.        2:32:25       Jen Olsen                 45       Millis, MA
  2.        2:36:22       Alana Aubin             26       Watertown, MA
  3.        2:54:16       Katharine Owen       37       Arlington, MA

Male

  1.        2:14:39       Eric Nilsson                   29       Weston, MA
  2.        2:30:03       Mark Loftis                    56       New York, NY
  3.        2:31:25       Christopher Cowley       24       Brookline, MA

 

6.2 Mile (10 km) - Wetsuit

Female

  1.        3:08:47       Melissa Ossanna          47       Bar Harbor, ME
  2.        3:34:30       Tamara Takoudes        46        Needham, MA
  3.        3:48:17       Maria Beconi              53        Bedford, MA 

Male

  1.        3:06:02       Michael McGurk       56       Sudbury, MA 

 

3.1 MILE (5 km) - SKIN

Female

  1.       1:17:45       Merin Troutman       42       Mystic, CT
  2.       1:30:13       Emily Boerger           21       Kingston, MA
  3.       1:31:50       Hilary Sullivan          35       Roslindale, MA

Male

  1.        1:33:05       Lawton Harper        49       Center Conway, NH
  2.        1:34:36       David Bentley         48       Winchester, MA
  3.        1:39:36       George Boerger       55       Kingston, NY

 

3.1 Mile (5 km) - Wetsuit

Female

  1.        1:17:34       Laura Delorey          53       Westminster, MA
  2.        1:34:46       Francine Amyot       52       St-Romuald, QC
  3.        1:38:34       Kay Thomas            49       Duxbury, MA

Male

  1.        1:18:52       Bruce Mohl        70       Bonita Springs, FL 

 

1 Mile - Skin

Female

  1.        0:23:54       Renee Reiser         49       Annapolis, MD
  2.        0:26:45       Julie Wolf              31       Hoboken, NJ
  3.        0:31:59       Jennifer Olaru       45       Dorset, VT

Male

  1.        0:23:38       Andrew Grannell       69       Annapolis, MD
  2.        0:27:01       Andre Cote                55       Lévis, QC
  3.        0:27:17       Matthew Marcy         48       Bluemont, VA

USMS 10-mile Open Water National Championship Recap

Contributed by Charlotte Brynn, NE-LMSC Open Water Chair

Results      Photos              

LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG, NEWPORT, VERMONT - Excellent conditions, top times, and tight finishes sums up a great day of racing in Newport, Vermont on July 30. To follow are the USMS Open Water Championship results in full, as well as New England highlights.

The start of the 2016 USMS Open Water 10-mile National Championship

The start of the 2016 USMS Open Water 10-mile National Championship

USMS OWN Ultra Marathon - 10 Mile

Overall Male

  1. 4:10:03                     James Biles                          55                    Cedarburg, WI
  2. 4:10:40                     Stephen Rouch                    36                    Indianapolis, IN 
  3. 4:22:32                     Guy Davis                           57                    North Hampton, NH

 

New England Age Group Highlights - Male

In the 35 - 39 age group, Anuj Sampat of Waltham, MA, grabbed third in 6:22:02.

Christopher Graefe of Jamaica Plain, MA won the 40-44 age group with a time of 4:24:14, narrowly missing the overall podium. He was followed by Willy Blumentals of Sudbury, MA, in 6:46:35.

In the 45-49 age group, John Langton of Lynnfield, MA placed second, in a time of 4:52.01. Talbot Crowell from Lexington, MA was fifth in 6:15:22.

New Englander Elaine Howley provides kayak support during the 10 mile race

New Englander Elaine Howley provides kayak support during the 10 mile race

The 55-59 age group was the most competitive division, with James Biles winning the National Championship in a time of 4:10.03. He was also the overall 10 mile event winner. Hot on his heels was Guy Davis of Great Bay Masters, from North Hampton, NH, throwing down a strong swim to take second place in a time of 4:22.32, and the 3rd fastest time on the 10 mile course. Frederick Hirsch of Hull, MA, and Gregory Gomez of Newtonville, MA, finished 5th and 6th, respectively.

A strong New England presence was felt in the 60-64 age group, with Westley Richards of Windham, MA taking 2nd place in a time of 5:35.72, and Brian Mc Laughlin of Nashua, NH taking 3rd place in a time of 5:38.13. Brian is also a leading Go The Distance Swimmer.

Overall Female

  1. 4:25:32                     Laurie Hug                                 51                     Ambler, PA
  2. 4:26:17                     Nancy Steadman Martin             62                     Oceanport, NJ
  3. 4:29:08                     Shirley Loftus-Charley                64                     Afton, VA

 

New England Age Group Highlights - Female

Jenny Wolf of Concord, MA was third in the 30-34 age group, finishing in 5:16:50.

In the 35-39 age group, Mina Elnaccash of Somerville, MA was sixth in 7:01:33.

In the 45-49 year age group, Theresa Peck of Plymouth, NH placed third in a time of 5:57.48.

In the 50-54 year age group, Martha Wood of Manchester, NH, finished second in a time of 4:45.11, and Sheryl Scott of Pelham, MA took third in a time of 5:23.32.

Congratulations to all swimmers who competed in the 2016 10+ mile OWN. It was terrific to see so many NE-LMSC swimmers challenge themselves to this National Open Water event.

MBCC Against the Tide Hopkinton Recap & Cape Cod Precap

Contributed by Ruth Anam

This past Saturday, June 18, marked the 24th anniversary for Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition’s (MBCC) Statewide Annual Against the Tide Swim, Kayak, Walk, Run, and/or Aquathon fundraising event at the beautiful DCR’s Hopkinton State Park. Hundreds of participants, including dozens of swimmers, joined the effort to raise over $86,000 (and still counting) towards MBCC’s unique goal of breast cancer prevention. Awards and prizes were handed out throughout the morning to the top fundraisers and fastest competitive athletes. 

If you were unable to take part in the event festivities this time, MBCC will be holding another morning-only, family-friendly Against the Tide event on the Cape. The 17th Statewide Annual Swim, Kayak, Walk, Run, and/or Aquathon event will take place on Saturday, August 20 at DCR’s Nickerson State Park (Flax Pond in Brewster, MA). Participants will enjoy swimming in the pristine waters at Flax Pond and can take pride in participating in one of the America's Top 50 Open Water Swims. Against the Tide consists of the following swim components: a 1-mile competitive swim beginning at 8:30 AM and a 1-mile recreational swim beginning at 9:45 AM. There is also an Aquathon option starting at 8:30 AM for individuals to take part in the competitive swim and dash straight into the USATF-certified 5K or 10K run. There will be an Aquathon Transition Tent to hold participants’ belongings. 

There really is no reason to miss out on the August 20th Against the Tide event: registration is $40 per event activity for adults and $25 per event activity for students, with all proceeds going towards MBCC’s unique prevention work. Bring a friend, family member, or a colleague! All walk-in registrations are welcome after online registration closes at noon on Friday, August 19. Additionally, the MBCC is in need of angel swimmers for the August 20 event. Please contact Ruth Anam if you are interested in this volunteer role. To register for Against the Tide and for more information, please visit www.mbcc.org/swim and/or call 1-800-649-6222.

 

Eighth Annual Charles River One Mile Swim Recap

Contributed by Kate Radville, Race Director

Competitors at the start of the Eighth Annual Charles River One Mile Swim

On June 11th, 2016, the Charles River Swimming Club hosted its Eighth One Mile Swim in the Charles River Basin. The race, which took place on a single loop course between the Massachusetts Avenue and Longfellow bridges, was the largest in the club’s ten-year history.

This year's race drew a record number of swimmers to the river. The introduction of electronic, chip timing allowed for real-time results and an expanded field of 144 athletes. Conditions, including bright sun and flat water, were ideal for an open water competition. For the second year in a row, the top finisher was a woman. Alana Aubin (26) of Watertown, Massachusetts narrowly edged out Frank Wuest (56), of Boston, Massachusetts to earn her victory. Overall and age group winners earned gift certificates for a day of canoeing, kayaking, or stand up paddle boarding with Charles River Canoe and Kayak, one of the club’s generous sponsors, as well as "I Swam the Charles" pint glasses. 

The Charles River Swimming Club is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 with the dual purpose of organizing competitive swimming events in the river and facilitating the return of public river swimming. After a long history of pollution, the Charles has benefited tremendously from the Clean Charles River Initiative, which began in 1995. It is now clean enough for swimming on most summer days, and the annual swim race is organized in part to raise awareness of this fact. 

Overall winner Alana Aubin receives her prizes from race director Kate Radville

Overall winner Alana Aubin receives her prizes from race director Kate Radville

If you are interested in getting involved with the club as a volunteer or participating in upcoming events, please visit the club’s website at www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org. The club is run strictly by volunteers and would like to extend its gratitude to the swimmers and volunteers who made this year’s event such a huge success.

Theroux Completes 40-Mile Circumnavigation of Aquidneck Island

On September 26, Trent Theroux swam 40 miles around Aquidneck Island, home to Newport, Rhode Island, to raise money for RISE Above Paralysis - a non-profit focused on assisting families of people who have experienced spinal injuries.

Trent faced six-foot swells and headwinds during his roughly 18-hour swim, but he powered through and came ashore with a smile. 

Check out a video of Trent's finish at Bowen's Wharf here. Follow more of Trent's swim via the real time updates posted to NE-LMSC and SwimRI's Facebook pages. Congratulations Trent!!


Press Coverage

Providence Journal Pre-Swim Feature

Providence Journal Post-Swim Feature