Kamakura 5k Open Water Swim Report

I complete my first open-water swim event on Saturday in Kamakura - swimming 5 kilometers in exactly 90 minutes.

One of my goals for 2008 was to compete in a pure swim event - partly because it would encourage me to improve my swimming for the triathlon, but more importantly because it struck me as an interesting new challenge in itself.

I was mentally prepared to finish dead last among a group of muscular, former lifeguards, water polo players and collegiate swim champions. However upon arriving at the beach I immediately struck up a conversation with a fellow competitor - a slight, older Japanese triathlete who told me he had been running for years and the swim was his weakness. I managed to bite my tongue and avoid saying I was of the same type.

Two-hundred competitors lined up for a beach start - a start that was remarkably relaxed compared to the frenzied thrashing starts at triathlons. Most of the field, including myself, waded out into the ocean at a leisurely pace - seemingly in no hurry to actually start swimming. I found plenty of room on the outside and launched into a smooth pace - trying to avoid the numerous jellyfish blobs. The first half of the first of the three 1600 meter loops seemed to take forever - 18 minutes to 850 meter mark. After that I got progressively faster and passed other swimmers most of the way.

A boat at the turnaround buoy handed us water and some strange food-like substance that tasted very good after all the ocean water. I was a bit dehydrated in my wetsuit on the 28 degree morning, and these water stops saved me. I also ate my Cafe Latte Power Gel at the halfway mark which also seemed to help.

The other swimmers seemed to emerge on the shallow beach at the same leisurely pace we entered the water. However hoping to hit 90 minutes and being more of a land animal, I furiously porpoised through the shallow water and sprinted up the beach to the finish.
My time of 1:30:00 is much faster than my 1:27 for 3.8k at Ironman. I place a respectable 105th out of approximately 200 total participants.

Later in the afternoon along with teammates, Dave Sims and Oleg from our Tokyo International Waters Swim Club, I participated in a 3x750-meter relay. We finished 10th out of 41 teams. Unlike the 5k I entered the water at a full sprint after taking the wristband from Dave, and I found myself gasping for breath on every stroke for much of my leg. My pace was slower than in the 5k, partly because of the overly fast start and partly perhaps because of fatigue from the 5k.

Remarkably though, two day later I feel very little soreness and fatigue from the longest swim day of my life.

I have no intention to abandon running and cycling and devote my life to open-water swim, but I had a blast on Saturday and look forward to doing another open-water swim event next summer.