Swim Across America OWS

The 2013 inaugural Atlanta Swim Across America Open Water Swim (OWS) event in Lake Spivey is done.  The event featured a 1-mile, 5K, and 10K swim course.  The 10K swimmers must have done 2 loops of the 5K course.

The swim courses

Volunteers assemble the ramp for swimmers to exit the water

The Lake Spivey Civic Association supported the event which raised money for the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  The goal of the event was to raise $250,000 for cancer research.  I think they met their goal.

I didn't swim, nor did I volunteer.  It just so happens that the Sunday, May 5th event fell right in the middle of my work week.  Susan and I did donate our two kayaks for use during the event and I did stop by before work on Sunday to take some pictures.

A volunteer monitors the swimmers on the course

The weather had been terrible on Saturday and for weeks before the event.  This spring was unseasonably cool which hadn't allowed the water temperature to rise in two months.  Fortunately, on Sunday the rain stopped and by around noon, when the event was pretty much over, the sun came out and it was beautiful.  I don't think the swimmers noticed the cloudy skies but I'm also sure that they didn't expect the cold water temperatures this late in the year.

The water temperature on April 7th

The water temperature on May 4th

The water temperature on April 7th was 62.5-degrees.  It was the same temperature on the Saturday, May 4th.  I'd bet that it was a degree or more colder by the time the swimmers hit the water on Sunday.

A swimmer just passing over the timing (did you make it back alive) mat

Wetsuits were a must for most of the swimmers but there were a few brave souls who swam without one.  There was one swimmer who started with a wetsuit and decided to remove it about a mile into the 5K swim.

Swam the 5K course without a wetsuit

At least one swimmer was treated for hypothermia

The event was dominated by swim teams and individuals from all over metro Atlanta and beyond.  Many of them were triathletes as well.

Clayton County EMS folks were well represented at the event, just in case

I can swim but I'm not a "swimmer".  This was my first swim-only event to ever watch and I learned a lot about how they are organized although, I wasn't a part of the organizing committee.  One can glean a lot just from watching.  Obviously, many of the participants and the Swim Across America folks were well aware of what was needed to pull off this type of event.  Kudos to the Lake Spivey Civic Association, the local LSCA committee members that helped, Olympian and Lake Spivey resident Steve Lundquist for bringing the event to our lake, and to the SAA folks.  I know that even in the best of conditions events like this can be daunting.  The thought of shepherding an army of volunteers, safety personnel, participants, and vendors is not one I relish.

I can't wait for next year's event.

Thanks for reading.

Swim Across America OWS

2013 Swim Across America

I ran into my neighbor Brent today as I exercised my right to vote.  Brent lives on Lake Spivey and is administrator for the Lake Spivey Civic Association (LSCA) of which Susan and I are also members.  The civic association maintains Lake Spivey, a 600+ acre private lake in Clayton/Henry County, Georgia.  The lake was developed and later donated to the association years ago by Dr. and Mrs. Spivey.  The lake is where I swim train for triathlons.  I rarely swim in a pool.  Brent knew that me and several friends had been swimming in the lake so he took the time to tell me about an upcoming event which will take place there.

With help from Olympic gold medalist and Lake Spivey resident Steve Lundquist, Swim Across American is organizing a charity event at the lake on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), 2013.  Swimmers, including several Olympians, are expected to participate in a 1 mile, 5K (3.1 mile), or 10K (6.2 mile) open water charity "swim-a-thon" to raise money for Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorder Center at Children's Heathcare of Atlanta.  Individual swimmers must raise a minimum of $500.  Teams are required to raise a minimum of $5,000.  All funds must be raised by the day of the event.

The three courses have already been mapped out, wetsuits are "legal", and there's little chance anyone from this crowd will kick me in the head or try to swim over me to exit the water first.

I don't particularly like charity/fundraiser events, where I might have to do any work (begging), but I'm thinking seriously about this one.  If nothing else, this could be a great way to prepare for the 2013 Ironman Florida race later in the year.

Brent also said that not all the paperwork has been finalized so some things could change but it looks like it's a go since someone has already put it on the SAS website.  As they say "they wouldn't put it on the Internet if it wasn't true".

Thanks for reading.

Update (2/16/13):  I proposed to the Lake Spivey Civic Association (LSCA) that, as a civic association member, I would create a 10 person team to represent the association if they would pay the $4,500 difference between the registration fees and the $5,000 minimum required donation for teams.  Any additional funds raised by the team beyond the $5,000 would go directly to the charity.  The association declined my offer.  I wish this event the greatest success but regrettably will not be participating.