In Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California on Sunday, June 6th, the Pacific Open Water's 2K and 4K Open Water Pursuit races will take place.
In the Open Water Pursuit, you can swim solo or on a Trio Team (with 3 swimmers) or on a Quad Squad (with 4 swimmers) in a flat-water loop course.
Partner with your friends and race other teams as you draft, position and pace together with your teammates. It will be an aquatic peloton where the lead swimmers will pull their teammates until another swimmer takes over.
The onshore start will be unique - a randomly selected staggered start where each team will be set off in 15-second intervals. This will allow your team to truly draft, position, navigate and pace together to see how you stake up against others.
The finish will be onshore and the final time will be the time that all the swimmers finish together. It is not the cumulative time of the athletes; it is a race that awards swimmers who can draft, position and pace well together.
This new kind of Open Water Pursuit race was added to the USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championship weekend because FINA will be adding a 3-person, mixed gender 5K Team Time Trial event to its World Swimming Championship schedule beginning in 2011.
Like short-track speed skaing and cycling events, Pursuit Races are becoming very popular around the world and it is time that these opportunities are brought to American shores.
In addition to the Open Water Pursuit races, you can also watch the USA Swimming National 10K Open Water Swimming Championship on Friday, June 4th, participate in the Global Open Water Swimming Conference on Saturday, June 5th and watch the USA Swimming National 5K Open Water Swimming Championships on Sunday, June 6th (held before the Open Water Pursuit races).
At the USA Swimming National 5K and 10K Open Water Swimming Championship races, which are world championship qualification events, you can board Spectator Boats and watch some of the world's best open water swimmers battle it out up close.
You do not have to stand on shore and wait. You do not have to wonder what is going on as you gaze and see only splashes and packs of swimmers in the distance, even with binoculars.
You can now see how Olympian Chloe Sutton races against NCAA champion Emily Brunemann. You can see how top FINA World Cup swimmer Eva Fabian strategizes against FINA World Cup winner Kristen Groome, Micha Burden, Emily Hansen and other top American women.
You will be able to see their final kick and intermediate surges and observe their tactics from boats that will pace along the course in view of the lead packs. You will see a tremendous battle between Pan American Games gold medalist Fran Crippen, world 10K championship silver medalist Andrew Gemmell, 2005 world 10K champion Chip Peterson, Sean Ryan and other top 1500-meter swimmers across America. Canada will also send its best swimmers to compete in these championship races.
From your no-wake, no-exhaust gondolas, you will be able to see how yellow flag (warning) are given or why red cards (disqualifications) are issued (if any). You will be able to take photographs and enjoy a furious sprint to the finish and huge scrums around the turn buoys on the Spectator Boats.
On the day before the Open Water Pursuit races, you can also participate in the Global Open Water Swimming Conference where you will be able to meet some of history's best and most accomplished open water swimmers of all time, including Greta Andersen and Shelley Taylor-Smith. You will be able to listen to unique presentations on 24 different topics of open water swimming from many of the world's best swimmers and coaches and most experienced officials. You will be inspired by presentations from swimmers who have swum in Antarctica, across the Cook Strait and races across the English Channel and at world championships. You will be able to meet some of the most innovative race directors from Brazil, England, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong and across the United States.
So in addition to participating in a unique Open Water Pursuit race, you can enjoy watching America's best swimmers race in the open water up close and meet and listen to some of the world's best swimmers and coaches in a unique educational and networking opportunity in Long Beach, California between June 4th - 6th.
For more information, go to www.pacificopenwater.com or join the Pacific Open Water group on Facebook.
