Thought I'd share some of my thoughts on my recent tandem 20 Bridges Swim / Manhattan.
Firstly, what is a tandem swim? For NYOW it involves 2 swimmers, roughly the same speed, and they have to remain within 5 meters of each other. Sure, it is ok during some rough patches for that to be a bit squishy, but most of the time we were next to each other.
As someone who picked up swimming as an adult, I've always been fascinated by the thought of swimming the English Channel. However, a good friend of mine, someone I train with, did it 2 years ago, and after following her swim (both the tracker and WhatsApp group), I didn't think I wanted to swim for nearly 15 hours. She swam it in 14:45. But that didn't mean I had to give up entirely...there are tons of great open water events, both around the US and the globe.
I studied a few of the swims, looked up the success rate, the prices (these swims can get pretty pricey), and I settled on 20 Bridges. I know many people who have done it, I know the event organizers, and after I finished my Finger Lakes swim (12 miles) a few years ago, someone told me I was ready. I just didn't think I was then. I got a few more big swims under my belt, the Portland Bridge Swim and the Kingdom 10 miler, and I decided to apply this year. You apply in January, write up a brief bio, submit an hour timed swim, and select your top 3 preferred dates. Doing it tandem brings the price down substantially, so I found someone for that. The swim is about 28 to 29 miles, but with MAJOR current assist.
About a month later, I received the, "Congratulations," email, and they had assigned me to my #1 date, Sep 20. I preferred a daytime swim (I've done some night swims, and I'm sure it is fine, it just wasn't my preference). I also wanted the water warm but not too warm... As it turned out, the water (as the SCAR event organizer always says) was PERFECT!
NYOW organizes a group call (in May), and keeps their website updated with any changes. Somewhere in mid-August, I received an email with more information, that the start would be at Mill Rock (I had expected Battery Park), but that worked out for the best. The folks at NYOW have years of experience doing this, and they give swimmers the best conditions they possibly can. Then about a week before the swim, I received even more details, with start time, estimated times at key checkpoints, and overall finish time. While I was flattered that they thought I could finish in 8 hours 10 minutes, I was quite surprised and thought it was a bit aggressive. As it turned out, it was very close.
Saturday, September 20 was quite an epic day for me.
I finished the 20 Bridges Swim / Swim around Manhattan. This was a tandem swim with a swimmer friend, Jeff Campbell, and we train together regularly in Lake Austin on weekends.The day started early, to catch an Uber from Brooklyn into the city to meet the boats at the North Cove Marina at 8am, then off on the boats to the start of 20 Bridges.
The water at Mill Rock (near Gracie Mansion), our entry point, was a bit turbulent, so I cautiously jumped in, swam to my kayaker, and we were set off. Before I knew it, we were cruising along in the Harlem River, saw the big C (for Columbia University) near the end, and into the Hudson. While there were many bridges over the Harlem River, there is only one over the Hudson, the George Washington Bridge. We both swam backstroke under that bridge. There were several points where things got tough; the lower Hudson and around the Battery was a bear. At some point our kayakers told us, “Look to the right to see the Statue of Liberty,” but we were facing some 4-5 foot swells, which made it difficult to see much of anything. The East River was challenging, but it pushed us so fast; we were holding about a 20 minute per mile pace (my pace in the local lake is almost twice that). While stopped for a feed between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, I remember how far we were pushed (in the right direction) in just a short time. Before i knew it we were at Roosevelt Island, and I could see the United Nations Building, then we cruised up to our finish, where we started, at Mill Rock. I was expecting the boat to blow the horn or something, so I continued on, until my kayaker came and asked me, “Are you up for another lap?” To which I replied, “Absolutely not!”
No watches or other devices are allowed. Just a cap, goggles, and swimsuit. We had feeds about every 30 minutes (very quick breaks, maybe a minute or 2 max), and I mostly kept track of time by feeds (together with the sun). There is a HUGE clock in New Jersey across from where we caught the boat (the North Cove Marina), and it was 4pm when we reached it. I did get some small stings from sea lice, but nothing worth being too worried about.
We finished in 8 hours 15 minutes (and change), which is a respectable time. Some people set records under 6 hours, but others might take over 11 hours.
Special thanks to Jeff’s wife, Amy Campbell, our support person on the boat, and to David Barra, who kayaked for me. We had a WhatsApp group for friends near and far to follow along, and Amy provided many real-time pictures and videos to keep them updated. She also relayed messages to us during our feed breaks (plus made sure feeds were ready to transfer to our kayakers, so they could give them to us directly).
In addition to our tandem team, there were 2 others doing solo swims on the same day. It was great to meet them both, and it was so nice to see them waiting for us when we arrived back at the cove after.
Thank you to New York Open Water for putting on these events, making them happen, and keeping all of us safe!
Now to plan the next adventure…
Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll be happy to answer as best I can. I have TONS of pictures, but I'm not sure these forums allow me to upload them.
