SAKW vs Alligator Lighthouse swim
lnolte
ArizonaNew Member
Hi everyone. I am brand new to the marathon swimming world. My background is marathon running and a couple of Ironman races. So, here I am wanting to take on a marathon swim in 2022 with less than no experience or knowledge. I'm looking at doing either SAKW or Alligator Lighthouse Swim. Any recommendations on which one would be best for a first timer? Figured is the Keys...can't suck, right!?! Also, any advice on where to get a decent training plan would be greatly appreciated. I live in Arizona so swimming in warm water is basically the norm...its not comfortable unless its 85 degree water!
Comments
I’d offer up the 5 miler in St Croix first to get a good feel for a longer distance and all that comes with it. It’s usually in early November and is gorgeous.
Ditto what @flystorms says. Well run race, beautiful surroundings, interesting course, great climate. Man, now I want to go to St Croix!
20Km is no joke, even if you are an experienced endurance athlete. I would lean to doing a ~10km swim as the entry point, so more Alligator than SAKW, but 5 miles in St Croix sounds more fun ;-)
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer
Key West is a beating. The water is super hot. If you’re looking for a great rookie escorted swim, check out the Lake Travis Relay swim in Austin. They have a solo category. Fresh water is less of a beating and the water is cooler. First rate race direction as well.
Bermuda Round the Sound (10k) is also a good "entry level" marathon swim that can be a nice little vacation too. I suggest that you might want to reach out to one or more of the many marathon swimmers who provide mentoring advice.
Oh and you asked for a training plan? Since you’re a marathon runner, you can use a very similar training concept. Work backwards from your race date and distance. Plan on a long swim on the weekends with gradual buildup to near the same distance as your race, then taper. Plan on 3 weeks of a little longer each week followed by a recovery week. During the weekdays, mix in a speed work day with a couple of mid distance days.
They are very different swims, with very different conditions. Alligator is a "there and back" so what you get is what you get conditions-wise, although I believe there are serious jellyfish issues there. Key West is a circumnavigation with widely varying depths, currents, and water temps. (at one point you will be swimming in water that is maybe two feet deep and if you touch bottom, you DNF). Also, Key West is significantly longer. (4.5 miles further). Both require a very good kayaker/support vehicle to keep you on track. I would recommend watching some videos and reading some race reports for each before you chose. As far as training goes, I wouldn't recommend doing either of them solo if you can't swim at least 8 miles at a 1.5 to 2.0 mph clip, and train for several months prior. All the best.
Hey Arizona, Key West is also offering a 10 K in 2022. The date is June 18. My background is identical to yours and this will be my first 10 K swim. I agree with the folks that advised against jumping into the 20 K as your first Marathon swim. Go to the swim around Key West website and click on the event details and you’ll see the 10K race pop up. Hope to see you there.
The 10k key west would give you the shorter distance but then you get to watch the 20k finish up and you'll get a feel for how the 20k folks are prepping at the start and what they look like at the finish. Also, with it being earlier in the year you can always go back and do a longer one in the Fall.
PS - Looking to do the key west 20k this year. Hopefully see you there. Where do y'all stay and do you need to rent a car?
The FKCC SAKW offered a 1 miler, 2 miler, and 10k last year in addition to the circumnavigation. SAKW is incredible and I highly recommend it, but if you are new to the sport (and like others suggested) I'd recommend you work up to a 10k first and see how that feels for ya.
Definitely get yourself good and hydrated leading up to the swim and make sure you don't miss any spots with the zinc (says the person who missed a line below her swim cap- it was a really cute look for a week).