MIMS - Mercer Island Marathon Swim - Friday June 8, 2018 by NOWSA
After a successful "test" swim last summer, the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association is again hosting "MIMS" (Mercer Island Marathon Swim) on Friday, June 8.
Mercer Island sits in Lake Washington just outside Seattle. Distance around = 20k, no current, temperature hopefully in the mid-60s, conditions almost always predictable, and on a sunny day, the scenery is spectactular.
Registration (application process) opens Monday, January 15. First-come, first-serve. We'll take approx. 24 applications and then select 12 swimmers by the end of February. Price is $700 for a solo spot (includes support boat). Inquire if you wish to swim with a relay team.
Additional details about the event, are available an our website, which is where the registration link will be posted tomorrow morning at approx 6 am PST.
Feel free to post questions here, or contact me via email: racedirector 'at' northwestopenwater.org.
Thanks for the interest. Looking forward to seeing you in June!!
Comments
I've been waiting for this one to be open all winter! Very exited to throw my hat into the ring!
I'm ready to crew again, Liz, if you need some help
Registration for 2018 is closed. Selection process is wrapping up and swimmers will be notified soon.
If you're interested in swimming next year, let us know. If you really want to swim this year, consider a solo swim.
Excited to be in! Really looking forward to it, I've heard great things from friends who swam last year. Who else is in? So far I know Suzie and Cindy....
Yes, I’m very excited and proud to be accepted. My local swim buddy Rijl Barber is also swimming and fellow Oregonian Shannon Keegan!
I'm in! I hope we have a beautiful day like last year. Looking forward to swimming with all of you!
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Super belated response to your post Chris - sorry! I'm sure you know this by now, but others who may be looking didn't get email from me. Full list of 2018 swimmers is posted here.
Live now: https://track.rs/nowsa
Another beautifully run event by NOWSA. This is going to become a popular swim if the first two events are any indication. Well done Liz and the rest of the NOWSA guys. We had some terrific swimmers this year.
I had a rough day yesterday. I feel like I was hit by a bus today. @-)
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
That wind for the first half of the swim was brutal. I was concerned that it was going to wipe out swimmers before they got over to the other side of the island. It was great to get to the north side finally and have relatively calm water for the home stretch. I was really impressed by the perseverance of all the swimmers on this. The morning was an absolute gut check I think. The only good part for the swimmers was that the water was warmer than the air. You guys are amazing.
Ha ha! Yep, the parts of me underwater were "comfortable", the parts out in that ruthless wind, not so much. The worst part for me was my neck and shoulders were painfully tight and the wind wasn't helping that at all. The first 3 hours made me want to get out and go back to bed, but I kept thinking about the entry fee. I was not quitting on a $700 swim! LOL!
I'm here looking at work, looking at the pool. One of my buddies suggested that I get in, "you'll feel better". Meh. I'm thinking about it. Maybe I'll put on some water wings and float around during the kiddie swim. If I had a snorkel, I could take a nap.
Thanks for volunteering @curly and everyone else too! I know it wasn't much fun being out on a boat in those wretched conditions.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Hey, did all the swimmers bring kayakers or did some swimmers go with only the pilot boat? Each swimmer has a pilot boat, I read on the website. Looks so beautiful! I hope to do this next year as a training swim for a Lake George crossing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Some swimmers brought kayakers, some swimmers got local kayakers who volunteered. Each swimmer had their own dedicated pilot for the majority of the race - one person was with just a kayak for the first half. If we grow the race next year, we might need to change things up as it's very difficult getting boats to commit for the day. Stay tuned, we'll certainly post updates as we have them over the winter.
Unofficial results:
We'll try to get the NOWSA website updated early next week. Congratulations again to all swimmers and crew and everyone else involved - it was an outstanding event despite the windy morning and rainy afternoon. Lots of pictures on Facebook for those who are on it: https://www.facebook.com/NOWSA.swim/
The boat pilot and kayakers all seemed to be pretty darn good at what they were doing. For some, it was a first time event, but they all rose to the occasion. Our kayaker was actually an instructor at our local kayak school. She could handle that kayak like nobody's business. Our boat pilot was a coast guard guy, and as you might expect, he knew a thing or two. The overall safety and protection of the swimmers was really solid.
One boat pilot had their swimmer DNF, so he got the swimmer to shore and then went out to help out other crews. We've got great local support around here...
I am ever so grateful for such a lovely, well organized low key and yet challenging event. Everyone was sooo nice ! Water temp was a perfect 64F, and even though the first bit was a bit challenging, knowing there was going to be some smoother water later, made it easier. Mypilot was.. absolutely ASTOUNDING. OMG. As we met on the shore he proceeded to tell me everything I needed to hear and I knew that he knew what he was doing. What a gem. Except for one outburst I pretty much had a good time (:) . It was calm and well directed and there was never any fuss. Thank you NOWSA, I succeeded at MIMS on the first go with the help of everyone.
here's the link to the youtubes video I did while kayaking for wendy v.....
@peterray61 - this is great! thanks for posting, and thanks for being out there with @wendyv34