The 1-Mile Ocean Swim Begins (with a Run)

nobody@flickr.com (j.towbin ©) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:36:51 -0700

All rights reserved ©
We were in Santa Barbara on July 4th weekend for a "destination" wedding. The groom is an avid athlete/swimmer as are many of his friends. On the day prior to the wedding, the groom (and many of his friends) swam in the 1-mile ocean swim. The 1-mile swim was part of the 4th of July festivities planned at Cabrillo Beach. All the wedding guests were invited to be on the beach in the morning, watch the race with the bride and then have breakfast together at the cute little beach restaurant--the East Beach Grill. www.santabarbara.com/dining/review_read.asp?pk_restaurant...

This was the first ocean swim/race I have ever seen and it was just amazing. I think there were around 400 people racing--they first had to run into the water (which was a freezing 53 degrees F.) and then brave the waves to get out far enough into the ocean to swim. Lifeguards (on surf boards) were stationed along the 1-mile course in case of emergencies. The race course was 1/2 mile down the beach--the swimmers raced in a loop in the ocean on a course marked by large orange buoys. The man who won the race did it in all of 20 minutes from beginning to end. Others took a bit longer, but everyone was out of the water in less than 30 minutes. Frozen, exhausted and exhilarated.

I was standing on the beach wearing jeans with a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweater and a jacket and was absolutely freezing my butt off. I don't know how the swimmers managed to do what they did--but it was a total blast to watch.

Uploads from j.towbin ©, tagged 7daysofshooting, with geodata

The 1-Mile Ocean Swim Begins (with a Run)