Dawn Hickman, 31, goes 4:19 400 meter free at Irvine.......

thats ten seconds faster then KPN's record set in 1996. I don't know if the record will count in masters. I know she went a 16:14 1650 a few months back also don't know if that counts. She is an incredible open water swimmer and if she trained full time I think she would be under 4:10 400 meters LC for sure and 15:50 or so in the 1650. What constitutes training full time in swimming? I can't imagine Olympic type swimmers in the pool 40 hours a week. I am going to guess that the average Olympic level swimmer is in the pool 25 hours a week at the high end. The number that Rowdy Gaines spewed seem very exaggerated. When Brendan Hansen got 3rd at the 2000 Olympic Trials, I think that the most he was doing was probably between 15 to 19 hours a week. I am just going by the practice schedule I had when I trained at Suburban.

thats ten seconds faster then KPN's record set in 1996. I don't know if the record will count in masters. I know she went a 16:14 1650 a few months back also don't know if that counts. She is an incredible open water swimmer and if she trained full time I think she would be under 4:10 400 meters LC for sure and 15:50 or so in the 1650. What constitutes training full time in swimming? I can't imagine Olympic type swimmers in the pool 40 hours a week. I am going to guess that the average Olympic level swimmer is in the pool 25 hours a week at the high end. The number that Rowdy Gaines spewed seem very exaggerated. When Brendan Hansen got 3rd at the 2000 Olympic Trials, I think that the most he was doing was probably between 15 to 19 hours a week. I am just going by the practice schedule I had when I trained at Suburban.