SCAR SWIM 2018 - ARIZONA
KNicholas
ArizonaCharter Member
Insider's view through the eyes (red, blurred or otherwise) of open water swimmer Stephen Key. http://swimfar.blogspot.com/2015/05/scar-swim-epilogue.html
Application at SCARSWIM.COM
Comments
So very very tempting
I can't wait to try all 4 lakes in 2018!
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In the unlikely event someone actually reads my blog and then compounds their error by relying upon its contents, I would make one change to this epilogue: the training volume in that year was probably overkill. In 2016, my SCAR training volume was about half of 2015. My performance was nearly identical and I had less joint/tendon pain.
See you in 2018 @KNicholas !
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Registration opened this morning, get your spot while you still can!
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
A very diverse and interesting group of applicants in the early stages of opening day at SCAR: Kazakhstan, Singapore, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland and Canada. Wait list is currently in effect.
Marathon Swimmers Long Swims DB has been very useful in evaluating applicants for SCAR.
Haha, love it! Thanks Kent.
I just booked a 3 person room at Saguaro Lake. If I end up not using it ( hoping to go back as a volunteer) or if you need a bed for Tues /Wed night... ping me.
YAY! Ready to race Saguaro again
Invoice Paid.
AZ in April. Hoping for a warm spring.
@suziedods Hope to see your smiling face out there again! 10 minute feeds!!! I will never forget!! Still working on peeing horizontal
Super excited to be going back! :x
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Challenge..... Accepted. However, I note that you have taken your capacity for suffering to a whole new level since you broke me on the final "sprint" of Saguaro in 2015. Shouldn't you be doing a Liz Fry Double SCAR?
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
AT SCAR, DIVERSITY IS VALUED, APPRECIATED AND ENCOURAGED. HERE IS A PEEK AT THE SCAR 2018 SWIMMERS.
PENDING
MICHELLE SQUYER - CALIFORNIA
KARL PETTIJOHN - CALIFORNIA
ATTILA MANYOKI - HUNGRY
BRADLEY LUNDBLAD - MARS OR JUPITER
Looking at going half-zie’s on a car rental Tues-Sun from airport & back. Anyone have space for myself and my paddler? Thanks, Kyle
Message me @ swimfar1980@gmail.com
If you rent from a location other than the airport center you can save the $10 per day facility fee at Phoenix. I price it both ways when I look to rent a car in PHX.
We are now in the final stages of training for SCAR 2018. Many of us are visualizing Lake Apache! It will be a wonderful challenge! My yakker and I are looking forward to the return trip to the salt river system and all the great people that do this epic swim. It has become a classic!
Ha! I "visualized" Apache yesterday when I ventured out to swim in my favorite North Texas mudhole. First day in OW this season. Water was 58 degrees and windy as hell. Not sure what the wind speeds were but the waves were 3 ft with breaking white caps. Looked/felt just like Apache. The place I launch from is called "windsurfer's cove," but all the windsurfers were huddled on the shore afraid to venture out. Completed only half of my planned workout. On a positive note, my acclimatization/habituation seems to have made a difference. I felt surprisingly comfortable in the cold water.
I have a logistical question: In light of Kent's decision to drop the Friday breakfast at the restaurant, does anyone know what the open fire policy is at the resort? I recall seeing bonfires down by the marina in past years on the west side of the property, but I don't recall seeing any camp fires. I'm thinking about frying up a big pile of bacon Friday morning over a fire, but wasn't sure how the hotel might feel about that. If it's permissible, I'm happy to make enough for others if you let me know in advance.
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
I’ll be kayaking this year. Does anyone have maps or charts of the four lakes I can print and bring with me each day?
Here is a GOOGLE MAP with many useful POIs. May not be what you are looking for....
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
I love @Spacemanspiff 's map!
Spaceman: I recall a bbq outside of my room @ the old building. And I love the smell of bacon in the morning.....it smells like victory.
Bacon, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
I called the "resort". They don't have any fire restrictions. I also checked my wait-list status. Last month I was number 2 on the list. Seems they're adding names the wrong way: I've moved down to 4th... Looks like I'm packing the tent!
What happened to Minaglia?
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
I have been on lists like that before.
I saw Dr. Steve on Friday at Ala Moana moving along at a good clip. He is swimming well and will be swimming with us at SCAR. We are swapping paddlers this year.
Looking forward to seeing everyone. Not necessarily looking forward to the swimming. A particularly busy year. I want my money back from the person that said it became easier when you became a partner.
What an awesome map! Thanks so much for posting that.
I'm getting excited--looking forward to seeing everyone, and swimming in beautiful lakes with lots of fun swim buddies!
I'm missing SCAR and it's not even 3 weeks away...:(
Great map Spaceman, thanks. Will my cell phone work on the lakes? If so, I can use it for navigation. If not, I'll bring a handheld gps.
I'm probably being a bit paranoid, but anyone else update their tetanus booster for this? I figure we have a much higher than average risk of stepping on a rusty fishhook.
Very limited cell coverage on Saguaro and Canyon. Apache and Roosevelt are better. My Garmin watch only maintains a connection about 50% of the time (not everyone seems to have this experience, my watch is old).
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
It's VERY clean! You're not doing much walking anyway... not an issue.
More likely to step on rocks or burrs if you have to visit the bushes while waiting for the starts.
Every open water swim, even if it’s in the same body of water, swimming the same route, can be wildly distinct and pose different challenges. Apache Lake is a prime example. Cindy Werhane, an experienced Oregon open water swimmer, had a rough go the past two years at Apache - not finishing. But her story didn’t end and she crushed Apache this past Thursday with a 6:23 - which would have been an overall winning time for 2015, 2016 and 2017. Cheers to Cindy for her tenacity.
Dang. Cindy! I hope conditions are half that sweet for us.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Thanks for that shout out Kent. I am available to anyone who wants to chat about or get advice on SCAR, Apache, DNFs, or chasing after a swim that has beaten them down time after time. I could not have completed Apache without the assistance and support of our community, my crew, and my past experiences. I want to give back and share the love. Enjoy SCAR 2018. May it shape your swimming destiny as it did mine.
Great job @cwerhane. Sad we won't see you in two weeks! But it is good to know that good weather is at least possible on that god-forsaken lake...
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
Good luck, SCAR swimmers!
Thanks to Kent and his team of volunteers, the kayakers and the swimmers for an epic experience at SCAR. I came home with sore arms, a black cap, swimmers itch, a deep sense of satisfaction, sunburn and best of all, bunch of new swim buddies! ♡♡♡
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
It was as magical as ever. One of the most memorable moments for me was when you, me and Jamie Tout were cruising side-by-side, stroke-for-stroke through Canyon Lake for a mile or so. That was so much fun, I nearly forgot about the 58 degree water! Nearly. If Peter has footage of that, would you mind sending me some of it?
Always fun to swim with you @wendyv34 !
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
I would have paid money to watch y'all swim together!
If @wendyv34 sends me the video, I will sell it to you
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
I think Pete is sorting through the hours of media he recorded and I'm sure he got some of that action in Canyon. It was awesome swimming with you guys, I was thoroughly enjoying that day!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I enjoyed leapfrogging with @Mpol too.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I really enjoyed the swims and meeting some of the people behind the posts on the forum! It was such a wonderful week. Lots of learning and some good luck too! Let’s do it again!
Video from Roosevelt Lake. They are coming out in reverse order, for some reason.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
@wendyv34 awesome video!! Roosevelt Dam took forever to get to. The lights were so deceptive. My kayaker (who also happens to be my daughter) asked me if I wanted to backstroke under the bridge (that I saw for miles) and I said "NO that STUPID BRIDGE doesn't deserve to be backstroked under" I just wanted to make it the last 500 yds or so to the dam buoys.
Here's a time-lapse from Canyon Lake, (although there's a section missing), which makes it look a bit shorter than it really was.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Very nice @wendyv34!!
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought be down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."
And Apache...my arms were so tired!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
@wendyv34 Awesome representation of the enormity of Apache Lake even when it's calm! Excellent video!
Great interpretation of the day at Apache. Made me tired all over again.