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.
Parents
Former Member
A few thoughts. I like point to point 10K's, I have done the http://www.horsetoothswim.com/ a point to point many times and it's fun. But when planning a open water race/swim a couple of things. 1. Never underestimate the amount of work it takes to put on a good race. It's a big deal to do it right, you need to be the kind of person who can see it through. 2. Safety, safety, safety! Every decision made always needs to be done with safety of the participants in mind. For example the above race requires permits from the park, the County's water search rescue team is on site, each swimmer is required to have personal kayak/canoe escort. Some of reasons for this, there is other boat traffic on the lake including power boats, in the middle of the lake there is no immediate rescue available other then the personal escort etc. 3. Cultivate a committed group of volunteers. You need to people you can count on to make this happen. Consider making the event a fund raiser for a local non-profit as that group can help supply the needed volunteers. There is so much more, start making a check list now to see if you want to make the commitment.
A few thoughts. I like point to point 10K's, I have done the http://www.horsetoothswim.com/ a point to point many times and it's fun. But when planning a open water race/swim a couple of things. 1. Never underestimate the amount of work it takes to put on a good race. It's a big deal to do it right, you need to be the kind of person who can see it through. 2. Safety, safety, safety! Every decision made always needs to be done with safety of the participants in mind. For example the above race requires permits from the park, the County's water search rescue team is on site, each swimmer is required to have personal kayak/canoe escort. Some of reasons for this, there is other boat traffic on the lake including power boats, in the middle of the lake there is no immediate rescue available other then the personal escort etc. 3. Cultivate a committed group of volunteers. You need to people you can count on to make this happen. Consider making the event a fund raiser for a local non-profit as that group can help supply the needed volunteers. There is so much more, start making a check list now to see if you want to make the commitment.
