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
The swim would be in Corpus Christi Bay. We have a beautiful venue--a sandy downtown beach with a bleacher-like seawall great for spectators, plenty of free parking, a hotel right there, and warm weather. A point-to-point course could start at the university and end downtown for exactly a 10k, the prevailing wind and slight current would be in swimmers' favor making some fun swell to swim in, and there are parks along the way where aid people could park and stage feeding stations, etc. Or, it would be possible to do a multi-loop course all at the downtown beach, which would make it easier to offer multiple distances and keep a better eye on people.
Check out these pictures. This link shows the start if we did a point to point. It would start on the beach on this little island and continue north to downtown.
imagegallery.tamucc.edu/main.php
This link shows the downtown beach that would either be the finish location for the point to point or the main location if it were a loop or multiple lap.
lighthouse.tamucc.edu/.../McgeeBeachTest
For about three decades we had a triathlon here billed as the "toughest swim in Texas" (although I personally think highland lakes is a lot tougher, having done both), but anyway it was billed that way because our bay gets very choppy and we routinely have high winds. Well, maybe not surprisingly, over the years there was a lot of complaining about the swim, waiting until the last minute to see weather forecast before registering, not registering at all, etc, and first the event created a duathlon option to let people avoid the swim, and finally this year the event has moved inside a protective marina where the water is just about completely flat. Now I'm not a super fast swimmer, but I love the rough water, and this was our signature local event, so I'm sad to see the bay swim gone. I'd like to continue a swim in the bay and let others experience how much fun it is. A little chop is like the difference between a road run and a trail run--it makes things interesting. I've done a lot of events--road races, tris, adventure races, trail runs, open water swims, etc--and volunteered/managed to various extents, although I've never been a race director. Also, my board positions on a couple local athletic organizations just ended, so I'm looking for something new to get involved with. I think that between my background and the people I know and starting planning in advance for maybe 2013, I could get together a team, sponsors, etc to make this happen.
Thanks so much; your comments have been really helpful, I'd love any others, and I'm looking forward to my own first 10K swim this April, where I also expect to learn a lot.
The swim would be in Corpus Christi Bay. We have a beautiful venue--a sandy downtown beach with a bleacher-like seawall great for spectators, plenty of free parking, a hotel right there, and warm weather. A point-to-point course could start at the university and end downtown for exactly a 10k, the prevailing wind and slight current would be in swimmers' favor making some fun swell to swim in, and there are parks along the way where aid people could park and stage feeding stations, etc. Or, it would be possible to do a multi-loop course all at the downtown beach, which would make it easier to offer multiple distances and keep a better eye on people.
Check out these pictures. This link shows the start if we did a point to point. It would start on the beach on this little island and continue north to downtown.
imagegallery.tamucc.edu/main.php
This link shows the downtown beach that would either be the finish location for the point to point or the main location if it were a loop or multiple lap.
lighthouse.tamucc.edu/.../McgeeBeachTest
For about three decades we had a triathlon here billed as the "toughest swim in Texas" (although I personally think highland lakes is a lot tougher, having done both), but anyway it was billed that way because our bay gets very choppy and we routinely have high winds. Well, maybe not surprisingly, over the years there was a lot of complaining about the swim, waiting until the last minute to see weather forecast before registering, not registering at all, etc, and first the event created a duathlon option to let people avoid the swim, and finally this year the event has moved inside a protective marina where the water is just about completely flat. Now I'm not a super fast swimmer, but I love the rough water, and this was our signature local event, so I'm sad to see the bay swim gone. I'd like to continue a swim in the bay and let others experience how much fun it is. A little chop is like the difference between a road run and a trail run--it makes things interesting. I've done a lot of events--road races, tris, adventure races, trail runs, open water swims, etc--and volunteered/managed to various extents, although I've never been a race director. Also, my board positions on a couple local athletic organizations just ended, so I'm looking for something new to get involved with. I think that between my background and the people I know and starting planning in advance for maybe 2013, I could get together a team, sponsors, etc to make this happen.
Thanks so much; your comments have been really helpful, I'd love any others, and I'm looking forward to my own first 10K swim this April, where I also expect to learn a lot.
