Yesterday I swam the 2 mile pier to pier at Newport Beach. This was not my first open water swim. I have done many of them. However, yesterday was the first time I encountered such a disturbing experience.
There were 240 people in the race. Of course there was the usual bumping, clobbering, smacking, kicking, and pulling that goes on when ever this many swimmers are converging on one point. Anyone who has ever done an open water swim is used to this. But yesterday a male swimmer actually grabbed me from behind the neck, pushed me down under the water, and then kicked me in the head in order to swim over me. When I say he grabbed me by the neck -- I mean GRABBED HARD. This was not an accident, but a purposeful manuever to get ahead. When I came up for air I was pounded by the swimmer behind me (also a male) who actually apologized.
I finished the swim and I will do more of them. I am still stunned though and my neck hurts today. I am not so naive as to think this kind of stuff never happens, I guess I'm just blown away because it actually happened to me and I was not in any way in competition with this guy.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Kerri
Originally posted by irreklg
But yesterday a male swimmer actually grabbed me from behind the neck, pushed me down under the water, and then kicked me in the head in order to swim over me. When I say he grabbed me by the neck -- I mean GRABBED HARD. This was not an accident, but a purposeful manuever to get ahead.
This bears all the signs of "when waterpolo players go bad". Be sure to sharpen your nails for the next race...toe nails too!
Sorry to hear about your experience, there's nothing more terrifying than being pulled under,... especially when you're breathing very hard. Somehow, somewhere...karma will find it's way back to this jerk.
Originally posted by geochuck
This is written about in the Conrad Wennerberg book, "Wind Waves and Sunburn", a breif history of Marathon Swimming.
wow! I just put that book in my shopping cart!
irreklg, that must have been a terribly frightening experience. I'm glad to hear your reaction is to get back on the horse. Out of 240 swimmers, it takes only one to give you a bad bump. What a creep! I'm just wondering if he did the same to other swimmers during the race, and got back some of his medicine. He needs a lesson.
Question: if you get the number of a badly behaved swimmer like this one, can you report him/her to the judges?
Originally posted by Maryyyyyy
wow! I just put that book in my shopping cart! Mary please don't believe everything he says about me it is only half true.
There are a couple of threads about this sort of stuff on this Open Water board... I'm fascinated by it, because I'll be doing my first open water swim next month. I have plenty of reason to believe that I will be going into this swim quite naive... These threads help me conceptualize what I might encounter.
Question: do "larger" people have less tendency to be hassled like this? I'm 6'6", 240 lbs. I take up a lot of space. I suspect I'll be a little harder than the average bear to dunk. Of course, if I swim the fastest, this all becomes a moot point when nobody can catch me... :D
Get the ugly look on and flex those muscles, or if you don't intend to win move to the sidelines. Let the others go ahead and try to catch them. I was lucky I could sprint out and very few could stay with me, I would go hard for 300 meters than set into race pace. I would go those first 300 meters in about 3:10.
Kerri,
I did the Newport Pier2Pier last year, and it was really fun. I had gone to California to watch the Olympic Trials and did it while I was there. I am shocked, though, at the behavior of that jerk! What an idiot. I hope Valhallan is right - he will get his. What goes around comes around. I am glad you are not totally turned off OWS - I love it too, and the bug has definitely caught me! Good luck on your next swim.
Keep on swimming!
Diana
I am guilty of swimming in more than a few triathlons, and the start is always a bit unnerving. You have to be very watchful of the person in front because you don't want someone's foot flailing away near your face.
Being a swimmer I've always edged towards the beginning of the line up so there weren't too many people to negotiate for the first few minutes. (Runners and cyclists tend to fade out after the first hundred yards anyway.... then you can spot the swimmers.)
Physical size can be helpful to ward off the frenzied ones as they vie for pole position. I'm only a medium size at 6'-3 and 190 lbs...compared to your pro football stats Guvnah. You should have no problem...no ugly look necessary. (That's pretty funny George.) Just be gentle...someone could get injured around you.:)
Thanks everybody for your supportive and funny statements. They definitely help heal the "wound."
I would bet that the bigger you are the less likely someone would try to take you down. I actually have long fingernails, but it would never have occurred to me to use them as retaliation. Hmmmmmm. I did try to grab on to his leg, not to get back at him really, but more to make him turn around so I could see his face. I couldn't think fast enough to get a good grip and then got bonked from behind anyway so what are ya gonna do. Believe me Mary, I would have reported him if I could have identified him.
I have to say, especially to you Guvnah, that for me this was a rare experience and I have done many open water swims. The first I ever did I just stood in the back (out of fear) and went out slowly and cautiously. But I ended up passing so many people that I decided to take my chances and get out there with the bolder swimmers as I did more races. I guess you just need to find your comfort zone and you will with each race.
I think this guy has surely done this before and I am sure karma will meet up with him at some point. But someone like this probably won't ever get the message even if it screams at him. You know? Disturbed people who put winning ahead of someone's safety are too far gone.
The best way to beat him is not to let him stop me. I am doing Seal Beach this coming weekend and hopefully it will be the usual rewarding experience.
Thanks again!
Kerri
