2009 La Jolla Rough Water Swim

I've done the 1 mile each of the last 3 years and did the double of 1 mile and Gatorman / 3 mile last year. I can't say enough great things about this swimming event extravaganza. The setting is drop dead beautiful, the water is clear and perfectly temp'd, the atmosphere is party + fun + kick some butt (if you're into that kind of thing), and it is a perfect event if you've got a family of swimmers as they've got kids races as well I'll be there this year and am doing only the 1 mile. I'd prefer to do both again, but my older daughter is doing her 1st 1 mile ocean swim (she just turned 13) and that starts about the same time as the Gatorman. I want to be there at the finish for her. Of the two races, I actually preferred the Gatorman ... the 1 mile almost seems like too much of a sprint. My advice for the actual event: Spring the $100 and sign up as a Century Sponsor (www.lajollaroughwaterswim.com/.../Individual Sponsorship Form.pdf) -- the parking pass and front row seats are worth it Get there in time on Saturday so you can check-in at a leisurely pace in the morning, then head down to the cove for an afternoon swim to get a feel for the water, the beach entry/exit, landmarks, notable underwater rocks, etc. For the race, I prefer to line up nearest to the starter / on the right side of the pack and then swim a straight line from there. The middle of the pack gets very crowded and can be rough and the far left side has more rocks to worry about. If you don't do the sponsorship and get a nifty parking spot, allow plenty of time to park in the morning Show up early-ish on Sunday both to warm-up and to watch the kids' races -- they duke it out just as roughly as the teenagers and Masters You usually get a treat of some swimming superstars showing up for this (e.g., Chloe Sutton and Mark Warkentin have been there years I've been there), but I think the elites will be up in San Fran the same day this year for the RCP Tiburon Mile I wholeheartedly recommend doing the daily double of the mile and the Gatorman ... at least the timing for the men's masters' race is sufficient to allow you to recover in between. This maximizes your travel dollar. Random travel advice: Though it's a little bit of a drive, Mission Beach has loads of condos in front a very wide, flat beach. I stayed there last year with my kids and it was perfect ... a number of local restaurants / dives in walking distance and a great, great beach. If you want a fabulous "expense account" type meal, try George's Modern at the Cove. They've also got a nice balcony area for lunch upstairs that overlooks the cove and is a bit more sanely priced. If you can swing it with your work schedule, try to travel home on Monday. I haven't been able to do that any year and have always been absolutely wiped on the 6 hour drive back to Arizona on Sunday afternoon.

I've done the 1 mile each of the last 3 years and did the double of 1 mile and Gatorman / 3 mile last year. I can't say enough great things about this swimming event extravaganza. The setting is drop dead beautiful, the water is clear and perfectly temp'd, the atmosphere is party + fun + kick some butt (if you're into that kind of thing), and it is a perfect event if you've got a family of swimmers as they've got kids races as well I'll be there this year and am doing only the 1 mile. I'd prefer to do both again, but my older daughter is doing her 1st 1 mile ocean swim (she just turned 13) and that starts about the same time as the Gatorman. I want to be there at the finish for her. Of the two races, I actually preferred the Gatorman ... the 1 mile almost seems like too much of a sprint. My advice for the actual event: Spring the $100 and sign up as a Century Sponsor (www.lajollaroughwaterswim.com/.../Individual Sponsorship Form.pdf) -- the parking pass and front row seats are worth it Get there in time on Saturday so you can check-in at a leisurely pace in the morning, then head down to the cove for an afternoon swim to get a feel for the water, the beach entry/exit, landmarks, notable underwater rocks, etc. For the race, I prefer to line up nearest to the starter / on the right side of the pack and then swim a straight line from there. The middle of the pack gets very crowded and can be rough and the far left side has more rocks to worry about. If you don't do the sponsorship and get a nifty parking spot, allow plenty of time to park in the morning Show up early-ish on Sunday both to warm-up and to watch the kids' races -- they duke it out just as roughly as the teenagers and Masters You usually get a treat of some swimming superstars showing up for this (e.g., Chloe Sutton and Mark Warkentin have been there years I've been there), but I think the elites will be up in San Fran the same day this year for the RCP Tiburon Mile I wholeheartedly recommend doing the daily double of the mile and the Gatorman ... at least the timing for the men's masters' race is sufficient to allow you to recover in between. This maximizes your travel dollar. Random travel advice: Though it's a little bit of a drive, Mission Beach has loads of condos in front a very wide, flat beach. I stayed there last year with my kids and it was perfect ... a number of local restaurants / dives in walking distance and a great, great beach. If you want a fabulous "expense account" type meal, try George's Modern at the Cove. They've also got a nice balcony area for lunch upstairs that overlooks the cove and is a bit more sanely priced. If you can swing it with your work schedule, try to travel home on Monday. I haven't been able to do that any year and have always been absolutely wiped on the 6 hour drive back to Arizona on Sunday afternoon.