Swim the Kingdom - 2013

Fil

Open water swimming has come of age in the legendary lakes of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. NEKOWSA and IROC have expanded their offerings from seven days of swimming in 2012 to eleven days in 2013, including Swim the Kingdom, which includes 7 days of swimming over the course of 9 days, from Saturday August 10th through Sunday, August 18th. A great way to spend a vacation in the heart of the Kingdom during the heart of the summer. For a listing of all our swims, including Kingdom Swim, Willoughby Swim, In Search of Memphre and our all new vacation week:

http://www.kingdomswim.org/NEKOWSA.php

Registration online is now open for all but the 10 Mile USMS Championship Wave at Kingdom Swim.

ViveBene

A bounty of riches in some charming lakes!

evmo

@Fil continues to solidify the Northeast Kingdom's status as a premier OWS destination.

Something worth clarifying that actually confused me at first:

"Swim the Kingdom" is a separate thing from the "Kingdom Swim."

"Swim the Kingdom" is a series of (mostly shorter) swims from Aug 10-18. The "Kingdom Swim" is a 10-mile swim (with 6-, 3-, and 1-mile options) on July 6.

IronMike

@Fil, it says that Son of a Swim is a qualifier for Kingdom Swim. Do you have to do that swim to qualify for the 10-miler (there's a cap of only 10? That's one small swim!)? Or do you just have to have swum a race of 6 miles?

I checked out a bunch of the links on the left, but couldn't find an answer.

gregoc

@IronMike, I'll speak for @Fil. You can use the Son of a Swim as a qualifier for the 10-mile Kingdom Swim, but any other OW marathon swim can be used as a qualifier. From what I have read about you on this forum, you are more than qualified already.

Birmingham

Any six mile plus swim will suffice. I did mine in training. Your previous 6+ mile swim should be enough.

IronMike

Awesome. Thanks @gregoc and @Birmingham. I'll keep my eye open for registration and try and clear up time from work.

rxleakem

I'm in again this year! Awesome swim and a great environment before, during, and after the event.

@IronMike - some folks in the past have qualified with training swims that they have GPS'd. I went from a 10k to the 10 mile this year, so you should be all set as well.

Fil

Thanks to all of you for your interest in Kingdom Swim and our expanding series of swimming the lakes of the NEK throughout the summer. The standard for qualifying for the 10 mile course is this: Swimmers must have completed at least a 3 mile open water swim by the first of the year. They must have completed a 6 mile open water swim by June 15th, 2013. They don't have to be formal events. They can be you, your yacker, and a gps. They must be open water swims. Lap distances only count for conditioning, not for qualifying.

We operate on the honor system. Old School. You say you've done it. We take your word for it. Each year about 1/3 of our ten milers are swimming the longest distances of their lives. Next thing we know,they're crossing the EC. We love The Stretch.

Online registration is now open for all of our swims with the exception of the USMS 10 Mile Championship Wave which we hope will open soon

http://www.kingdomswim.org/NEKOWSA.php

Don't be fooled by last year's Home Page at the Kingdom Swim website. We're getting the site revamped and it's taken some time. The link noted above is current and active. Hope to see many of you in The Pet, Swimmers AND Yackers Parade on Friday evening before the swim.

Fil

Fil

BTW - As to Son of a Swim. It's designed for folks who want some structure and might need some special attention. Hence we keep the numbers small.

timsroot

When will registration for the championship wave of Kingdom Swim open?

Fil

We are anxiously awaiting word from USMS.

timsroot

Not sure when it opened, but the championship wave was open for me this evening.

IronMike

I guess you can't register for the 10-miler if you don't know (yet) if you need a kayaker or not. Damn.

I'm not sure if my wife or uncle can kayak for me or if I'll need one. I hope there will be spots left by the time I figure that out.

IronMike

Is there a reason for a slow swimmer (~3K per hour) to register for the championship 10-miler versus the non-championship? I mean, besides for getting placed. Something I'm not worried about. I just want to swim the race.

Fil

Yes, the USMS 10 Mile National Championship wave of Kingdom Swim just opened a couple of days ago. We already have 24 signed up with a cap of 100.

You can register for any of the waves without specifying your yacker. Just enter "tbd" and let us know later, when you have successfully blackmailed one of your friends or family members to support you.

IronKidd

Fil-- You mentioned qualifying for the 10 miler. Is there a qualifying requirement for the 6 miler? Thanks!

Birmingham

I believe there is a three mile qualification requirement for the six mile swim.

The first year of this swim the qualification consisted of sending Ned Denison an email outlining your training plan and history.

Fil

If it's February, it's time to select our theme for the Internationally Acclaimed Frontier Animal Society's Pet, Swimmer, & Yacker Parade the evening before Kingdom Swim. We have four nominations: Flamingos & Gators, Vikings, Super Heroes, and Alice in Wonderland. Vote by liking one or more of these themes at our Kingdom Swim Facebook Page. http://www.facebook.com/KingdomSwim. Voting is open to all, whether you are planning to come or not. BTW - We now have 53 signed up for the USMS Championship Wave, with a cap of 100.

rxleakem

Viking custom? Check.
Tickets for the pasta dinner after the parade? Check.
Super nice cabin rental? Nope, but the Newport City Motel will suffice.

Yaker and feeds all set for another 10 miles in Memphremagog? Check. Oh, and some neon green sunblock to match my fancy suit.

Be seeing some of you in my home state next weekend. Travel well, and mind the cows.

JBirrrd

Will look for you in your neon green. I will be hanging with the fine folks from the Crabby Nation, most likely carrying (ok, wildly twirling) the Maryland flag in the yaker's parade..
Looking forward to my second trip up to the Kingdom---one of my favorite ow events:-)

evmo

Good luck to everyone this weekend, and please post any lake monster sightings here!

timsroot

Checked into the hotel this afternoon. Watched the bed races at aqua fest. About to head to watch the fireworks.

molly1205

Good luck Kingdom swimmers! Wishing you a partly cloudy day with no wind and calm water. Go!

JBirrrd

The course has been laid, and it's going to be a beautiful day in the Kingdom tomorrow. Viking themed parade starts in a few hours. Now where else can you go that shuts down main street for a parade that celebrates ow swimmers and their yakers? Great event. If you aren't here, well, make plans to come next year :-)

timsroot

evmo wrote:

Good luck to everyone this weekend, and please post any lake monster sightings here!

I found the monster...