Open-Water Swimming :: From Here to Beijing

Tag : Flat Angle
This summer the newest sport in the Olympics will see 25 of theworld’s best swimmers racing 10K around the flat-waterBeijing Olympic rowing course.
Photos: Pei Qingsheng

The open-water swim will feature a dive start, where everyonefrantically sprints to gain a favorable position around the firstturn. The swimmers will battle around eight turns where nearlyanything goes. Black eyes, scratches, bruises, kicks, errant elbowsand lost goggles are par for the course. Undoubtedly, theseswimmers are a breed apart from their more sedate poolcounterparts.

Positioning and feeding are critical to success. Those who drafton the heels of their competitors, taking advantage of their wake,will be best positioned for the final sprint. Over the nearlytwo-hour race, the swimmers will hydrate by taking gel packsthey've stuck inside their swimsuits before the race and quicklydowning drinks passed to them by coaches on floating feedingstations.

On the men’s side, Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia, the 2007 and2008 world 10K champion, and David Davies, a 1500-meter freestyleOlympic medalist, are two strong favorites. Dyatchin has the racesavvy to capture the gold, while Davies has the greatest aerobiccapacity of the field. At the Olympic qualification race, Daviesled for the entire race until Dyatchin pulled alongside with 250meters to go. They sprinted stroke-for-stroke, banging into eachother until Dyatchin out-touched Davies at the finish.

Another gold medal contender is Thomas Lurz, the 2004 and 2006world 10K champion, who lost the 2007 world championship toDyatchin by 6/100ths of a second.

Other contenders include Mark Warkentin from California, Maartenvan Weijden of the Netherlands who came back from leukemia to racein China, Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece, an Olympic 1500 freestylefinalist, and Ky Hurst, a famed Australian aquatic Ironman.

On the women’s side, it will take an incredible upset toknock off the undefeated Larisa Ilchenko of Russia. Ilchenko haswon five 5K and three 10K world championships since 2004. With herclosing speed and high navigational I.Q., Ilchenko looks tocontinue her winning ways in Beijing.

Ilchenko will be pushed, however, by the British duo of CassandraPatten and Keri-Anne Payne, along with either Chloe Sutton ofMission Viejo, California or Kirsten Groome of Louisiana. PolianaOkimoto of Brazil and Spaniard Yurema Requena are also expected tomake it into the mix.

Even with all these powerful contenders in the Olympics' debutopen-water race, the eyes of the aquatic world will be on thetoughest and unlikeliest of athletes, Natalie du Toit of SouthAfrica. She is not only a serious medal contender, but she is alsothe only Paralympian who qualified for an Olympic swimming final.Du Toit, who lost her left leg in a tragic car accident, iscarrying the hopes of all those who have braved life’sunexpected hurdles.

Other notable challengers include two 30ish mothers who came out ofretirement for the Olympics: Angela Maurer of Germany and Edith vanDijk of the Netherlands.

In addition to all the pressures of the Olympics, these swimmersknow to expect the unexpected when they fight for their first– indeed, the first-ever, Olympic open-water 10K gold.

Tips for the Open Water An estimated 750,000 people participate in open-water swimmingevents around the world. From the famed Waikiki Roughwater Swim tothe Midmar Mile in South Africa, where over 17,500 people swimacross a dam, open-water races are held in all kinds of lakes,bays, seaside communities and rivers.

Ten tips for the open-water season:
1. Start positioning: If you are not fast, start your race towardsthe sides or rear of the pack.
2. Turns: Be prepared for some bumping if you take a sharp anglearound the turn buoys. You will face less commotion (and thrashing)if you take wider turns.
3. Navigation: Generally, it is best to follow the lead escort boatunless you know something about the currents. If you aredisoriented, stop and look up. If you see a pack of swimmers ahead,swim towards the middle of the pack.
4. Drafting: Swim right behind, or just off the hips of yourcompetitors to take advantage of their wake.
5. Let ‘em go: If you simply want to finish the race, insteadof winning or being competitive in your age group, let the fastswimmers go. At the start, if you follow the sprinting mob down thebeach, you can see where the leaders are heading and enjoy the swimwithout the pressure of swimming with those A-type personalities.
6. Greasing up: Apply Vaseline at possible chaffing points: underyour arms, between your thighs, around your neck (important for menwith beard stubble) and around your suit straps.
7. Feeding: If the race is longer than an hour, stuff gel packs inyour suit. Pre-cut an opening in the gel pack so you can easilyopen it in the water with wet hands.
8. Wetsuits: U.S.A. Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming haveapproved certain wetsuits for competition. Although not allopen-water swims allow their use, wetsuits provide buoyancy andhelp you stay comfortable in water under 72 degrees.
9. Acclimatization: Before race day, acclimate to the watertemperature if possible. On race day, become familiar with thesurface chop direction, glare of the sun, buoy markers andlandmarks.
10. Expect the unexpected: Keep calm if you run into seaweed, orother swimmers swim over you. Realize that others are probablyexperiencing the same thing.

Five more closely-held tips from the pros:
1. Vaseline: Put a thin layer of Vaseline on your lower calves.The Vaseline will discourage competitors from grabbing your anklesand pulling on your legs.
2. Silicon earplugs: Use in cold water to minimize heat loss.
3. Goggles: Use clear goggles for foggy and overcast race days, andtinted goggles for sunny days with lots of glare on the water.
4. Swell advantage: As you feel the surge of waves around you, kickharder and lengthen your stroke to take advantage of the momentumof the waves.
5. Proper vision: Corrective goggles will help those withoutperfect eyesight to better locate landmarks and minimizedisorientation during a race.

Steven Munatones, an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fameinductee and USA Swimming National Open Water Team coach, promotesopen-water swimming at www.10Kswim.com , www.10Kswimmer.com and www.virtual-swim.com .