I am guessing it is because of course logistics. It is frustrating because as a pool swimmer who also loves OW there are so few events on a regular basis! Living in the SE we can OW swim from April to late October but the races are few and far between outside of triathlons.
Besides the race calendar on the USMS site, where else can I find event listings?
I am guessing it is because of course logistics. It is frustrating because as a pool swimmer who also loves OW there are so few events on a regular basis! Living in the SE we can OW swim from April to late October but the races are few and far between outside of triathlons.
Besides the race calendar on the USMS site, where else can I find event listings?
I hear ya! I have competed in the Georgia Games OW meet at Lake Acworth (3K & 1k swims) over the past three years, and I absolutely LOVE it! :banana: I would love to do more OW swims in the area. :agree:
Unfortunately there are three simple reasons. First, they are a bear to sanction, and rightfully so. Second, they tend to attract predominantly swimmers only which makes them unprofitable. Third, triathletes are wussies.
Here is another event listing for open water swims: www.openwaterswimmingracecalendar.com/
Many open water swims are held for great causes - the Jim McDonnell Lake Swim in Reston, Virginia, the St Croix Coral Reef Swim...
I am on the organizing team for the Ocean Games, which offers a series of 1, 3 or 9 mile ocean swims and SUP races in Ocean City, MD every July. Ocean Games is one of the only open water events on the East Coast to offer an ocean-based marathon swim (the 9-mile). Proceeds go to the Hopkins Brain & Stroke Rehab Program and the story behind this is really amazing. Here's more info from our 3rd year! www.swimspire.com/3rd-annual-ocean-games/
Here is another event listing for open water swims: www.openwaterswimmingracecalendar.com/
Does anybody want to sponsor me to travel to Germany, Spain, or Portugal for an open water swim? :bolt:
Funny, I was kind of meh about the large number of open water events and distinct lack of pool events around here this summer. Only two sanctioned pool meets but many open water. Some try to draw in more triathletes by also offering swim/kayak or swim/kayak/run as an option. Summer's short so they try to cram them in while they can. Just come to New England.
Swimspire/Julia - generally, how warm is the water up there in July for these races? The 9m sounds like a good challenge.
Water temps range from 72-76....just perfect! We would love to have you come and try the 9-mile.
Comparing pool to open water swimming, I think you need to consider the fact that age group swimming is big. That means there are a lot of pool meets. The incremental (not quite the right word) of running masters events is relatively small. There are already a bunch of certified meet referees, people who know their way around being a meet director or running Meet Manager, etc. I don't know if running a meet is a money-making proposition, but an age group team running a masters meet might be a source of revenue for the team. Open water swimming doesn't really benefit from any of that, making it more difficult to get all your ducks in a row to put on a meet.
