I'm thinking of organizing a 10K open water swim race for 2013, mostly because there isn't one in our whole state that I know of (Texas...has anyone heard of a 10K here?) and we have a great venue. I've only done a few open water races, so I'd love advice from those of you who have done others. What makes a good race? Any special touches you appreciate? Anything you hate?
Some things I've gathered from my own experience and from reading through past threads on here:
- Accurate timing is important (we have a local timing company with a proven swim timing system, I'll work on getting a sponsor that would offset the cost of using them)
- Figure out rules for wetsuit/non wetsuit awards and apparel and make these clear in advance
- Figure out what to serve at feeding stations and have cups that aren't too tiny
- Our venue would allow for either a point-to-point course or a multi-lap course. Point-to-point seems more interesting, but more logistically challenging, because it would be harder to offer other distances (I was thinking the 10K field would be pretty small, so we could also offer a 5K and either a mile or 1K to allow more people to participate). Another option would be different out-and-back legs in opposite directions from the start beach. What do you think about how to handle this?
Thanks so much for any ideas.
Personally,
Accurate timing isn’t that important. Accurate distance, YES. Accurate order of finish, YES. Open water timing, not so much. However, outsourcing timing does eliminate one major aspect of race management.
What makes a good race? Any special touches you appreciate? Anything you hate?
Likes:
Well marked course (6ft buoys every 500M is nice), with course maps (showing all buoys) available before hand. Turn buoys different than in-line course buoys.
Point-to-point or loop course
For 10K at least 2 feeding stations (around 4K and 7.5K) with water or more (longer races should also have carb drinks)
Good pre-race briefing
Trained safety boat personnel
Music and announcer on the beach
Food and drink at finish
Timely awards (you don’t need to wait for the last finisher to know who placed where)
Water temp 82 or below
Dislike:
Out-and-back course, too many head on collision opportunities
Packed starts, too many people in a small start area
Power boats too close or up-wind of the course
Shallow water courses where you can run aground during the race
Warm water swims that mandate use of latex caps (make them optional or provide light colored lycra caps)
Either way:
Beach v in-water start/finish (provided the beach and shallows are cleaned of hazards)
Wetsuit v non-wetsuit, provided they are scored in different categories
Personally,
Accurate timing isn’t that important. Accurate distance, YES. Accurate order of finish, YES. Open water timing, not so much. However, outsourcing timing does eliminate one major aspect of race management.
What makes a good race? Any special touches you appreciate? Anything you hate?
Likes:
Well marked course (6ft buoys every 500M is nice), with course maps (showing all buoys) available before hand. Turn buoys different than in-line course buoys.
Point-to-point or loop course
For 10K at least 2 feeding stations (around 4K and 7.5K) with water or more (longer races should also have carb drinks)
Good pre-race briefing
Trained safety boat personnel
Music and announcer on the beach
Food and drink at finish
Timely awards (you don’t need to wait for the last finisher to know who placed where)
Water temp 82 or below
Dislike:
Out-and-back course, too many head on collision opportunities
Packed starts, too many people in a small start area
Power boats too close or up-wind of the course
Shallow water courses where you can run aground during the race
Warm water swims that mandate use of latex caps (make them optional or provide light colored lycra caps)
Either way:
Beach v in-water start/finish (provided the beach and shallows are cleaned of hazards)
Wetsuit v non-wetsuit, provided they are scored in different categories
