C3 - Cape Circumnavigation Challenge

jcmalick

@Munatones just posted the swim announcement on Daily News and the cat is officially out of the bag for New Jersey's newest marathon swim, C3 - Cape Circumnavigation Challenge. The swim is 15.1 miles and will take participants (swimmers and their kayakers) around "America's Oldest Seashore Resort". Swim offers the taste of the Cape May Canal, Atlantic Ocean, and Delaware Bay...what other swim offers you three bodies of water for the price of one?!?! If you have any questions please contact me directly. Rather than saying the event will open for applicants on a specific date, applications are being accepted effective immediately and gives the community a new event in September which is rare for the North East. Event Website is www.shoreswim.com and part of the proceeds will be donated to a charity, yet to be named (but I have a solid idea of a local/global benefactor). Swim is set for Saturday, September 14th with a preview of the course onboard the Spirit of Cape May for all participants the night before.

Franco

Thanks for stepping up @jcmalick. Nothing else like this one in Mid-Atlantic.

Looking forward to it but I guess I'll have to start working on the bilateral breathing again or I'll miss all of the scenery.

david_barra

jcmalick wrote:

...what other swim offers you three bodies of water for the price of one?!?!

since you asked; MIMS

but seriously, best of luck with the planning of this event.... checking my calendar!

jcmalick

Dang...you always bring me back to reality! If we're going to go that route, I suppose Rose Pitonof would fall in that category too! (East, Hudson, and Atlantic)

Perhaps I should have clarified and stated three different styles of water....canal, ocean and bay! )

ForeverSwim

@jcmalick - Well done sir! Looks like a great event.. Either swimming, or volunteering, I will be there!!

jcmalick

Just to clarify on the article on Daily News of Open Water Swimming, the "double capping" policy dubbed by C3 was to allow for people with allergies to latex to have an alternative (nothing worse than swimming for extended periods of time and your vision going blurry and your head itching like crazy...I speak from experience!). HENCE as I am a traditionalist, the C3 policy will be amended to reflect a single cap and participants may wear a silicone cap rather than the latex being provided by Blue Seventy as long as it is brightly colored (silver, orange, yellow, etc). As @david_barra 's Clare's photo below depicted, perhaps there needs to be a Scause for a Cause (think South Park) for latex allergies!

jcmalick

I stand corrected although a bit creepy!

AquaRob

@jcmalick would you accept a bald head covered in neon pink zinka? beacuse I really do hate swim caps enough to do it

jcmalick

I think that would qualify for channel rules @aquarob!

rosemarymint

That bracelet is SO likely to chafe, y'know...

jcmalick

Proud to announce C3's Charitable Beneficiary, MERR (Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation) that plays a crucial role in the marine environment that participants will swim (let's face it, without the dolphins we might not be safe from the "Men in the Gray Suits")! A Beneficiary page has been added to the event website and below is a video of MERR's efforts. If you would like to make a donation, visit www.merrinstitute.org.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DQnIOKBuUZU

Mike_Gemelli

@jcmalick - This area has been a huge part of my aquatic life - I've surfed, swam and kayaked all along the route for the past 28 years. Thanks for organizing it - I hope to be apart of the inaugural event....my application has been sent.

jcmalick

jcmalick

NOTICE: C3 has done away with the three wait spots (afterall, who likes to be on hold) and upped the registration to 15. With that said, there is ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT! So far Seven States are Represented, the UK, and South Africa! Who will be...

jcmalick

Congratulations to @David_Barra for being number 15! C3 is Sold Out from a Swimmer Perspective for the inaugural year but still looking for spectators and support kayaks if y'all could spread the word! Stay tuned for an announcement of the swimmers but to tease, Two South Africans, One UK, and Seven States Represented (sad to report no fellow Delawareans even though I train in NJ and there are two reps from the Garden State)!

david_barra

Very excited to participate in C3, and thrilled to support ambitious new OW offerings.

IronMike

@jcmalick's swim is in the latest H2Open magazine. Congrats!

jcmalick

Meet the Swimmers in the Inaugural C3!

http://www.shoreswim.com/#!bios/c1510

ForeverSwim

Wow! Now that is an all-star cast of swimmers! Well done @jcmalick!!

IronMike

All,
For personal reasons I've pulled myself from this swim. I've spoken with @jcmalick and gotten his permission to sell my spot.

I have a spot on this swim with a volunteer kayaker provided by the organizers. If you are interested and qualified for this swim, pm me and I'll give you details.

This is a great opportunity to take part in this swim (registration already closed!) at a discount.

Cheers,
Mike

JBirrrd

Facebook just reminded me this event is happening now. Best wishes to all! Happy swimming :-)

JBirrrd

It has been oddly silent, but Grace had a few posts on her page saying she was at Cape May and someone posted she was nearly finished---but that was hours ago. Even JC hasn't posted anything. I'm sure they are just out celebrating and forgot to post results.

gregoc

The first C3 is in the bag. I personally had a good, fun swim, but there were some rough spots. There was a huge rip were the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic. The rip had swells that were at least 6 feet coming from several directions. Some kayakers had difficulty or couldn't get through.

Grace won. The first half of the swim, through the channel and harbor was flat and super fast. I thought of DN when I was rocketing past bridge pillions holding a 3-4 mph pace. We payed for it out in the Atlantic. High winds at times, rough surf and then the rip and a headwind and swells in the Bay.

It was the first year and I am sure next year will be even better

gregoc

Celebrating at 6:30. Woohoo!

IronMike

Congrats @gregoc and all swimmers!

dc_in_sf

Definitely a tale of two swims, I cranked through the first half in ~2:45, but the second half was a ton of chop, and the final couple of miles had a definite head current making it a hard slog. I was slower than @gregoc at 7:17, I think I need to borrow his polar bear camouflage technique...

gregoc

@dc_in_sf means "huge amounts of Desitin" when he says "polar bear camouflage". :-))

rosemarymint

I had a great day watching all of you guys battle the elements. Grace won with a time of 5:04. I don't have the full time list with me, but I'm sure @jcmalick will post it as soon as he's had some sleep. My appetite is whetted for this bear of a swim. Can't wait to do it myself! Great meeting all of you and hope you are partying hard tonight.

And for those worried, YES I did make it to my packet pickup in time. Triathlon in the morning, but setting up this evening reminded me yet again why I love the marathon swim community so much. Camaraderie and sportsmanship, plus one hell of a sense of adventure and great humor. Kudos to all who gave it a try, even if your day didn't turn out as planned.

Mike_Gemelli

I agree with @gregoc and @dc_in_sf first ~7 miles was fun, fast, flat and scenic. The Cape May beaches weren't too bad, but once I rounded the point it was tough. Grace smoked the field coming in in 5:05(even though she swam at least an extra half mile due to a buoy mix-up a cold spring inlet). I pulled a 5:45 out of thin air thanks to my awesome kayaker and tons of info and advice gleaned from this forum, not too mention my buddies at CIBBOWS and NYCSWIM. What a wonderful experience for my first "big" swim.

PS - Here's a link to a GPS track I made with an app on my cell phone that was onboard the kayak:
http://www.greenalp.com/RealtimeTracker/index.php?guestmode=1&viewuser=mgemelli&fs=1

IronMike

OK, party time is over. We want results!

jcmalick

All of the Challengers did an amazing job! Results:

1. Grace Van Der Byl - 5:05.09
2. Mike Gemelli - 5:45.28
3. Katie Scott - 5:52.49
4. Anthony McCarley - 6:01.33
5. Greg O'Connor - 6:11.35
6. Michael Miller - 6:20.42
7. Sydne Didier - 6:28.09
8. Bridgette Hobart - 6:36.56
9. Lori Carena - 7:12.19
10. David Conners - 7:17.34
11. Charlotte Samuels - 8:10.03
12. Franco Prezioso - 8:10.47
13. Sara Marley - 8:11.22
14. Meghan Wren - 9:17.22
Jia Jung - Swim Interrupted
Claudia Rose - Swim Interrupted
Kimberly Plewa - DNF
Leonard Jansen - DNF
David Barra - DNF
Kenn Lowy - DNF

IronMike

Congrats to all! Looking forward to reading about the swim on your blogs.

ForeverSwim

Well done everyone! Looking forward to speaking to @jcmalick soon about the event - such an awesome field of athletes for a first year! Well done C3 TEAM!

Mike_Gemelli

First article I've seen:
http://www.capemay.com/magazine/2013/09/circumnavigating-cape-may-marathon-swim/

Leonard_Jansen

This swim is a valuable addition to our sport. It was well organized, fun (except for my DNF - it is now on my "revenge swim" list for next year), good people, and a first-rate course. The ocean was a bit rough, but that was the luck of the draw because the next day it was like glass.
Kudos to Jason for what must have been like a second job in pulling this together!

Two thumbs way up! Definately a must to get on your competition "resume."

-LBJ

Jaimie

Wow - well done to all!

gregoc

C3 with results on DNOWS.

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2013/09/c3-results-from-cape-circumnavigation.html

dc_in_sf

My unnecessarily verbose swim report is up, hope to add more picture when they become available from the C3 folk.

Franco

Nice mention of Dave L @dc_in_sf. He is a really good escort to have out there with you and a nice guy who enjoys the challenge of supporting swimmers at many events.

Congratulations on a great swim. You can't say you are slow any more.

SydneD

@dc_in_sf If you think your report is verbose, I am afraid to think of what you will say about mine!
Here it is folks, in all its glory.
http://swimcrest.com/2013/09/16/c3-cape-circumnavigation-challenge​-race-report/

Leonard_Jansen

For the record, @SydneD wins the award for "best raccoon eyes" when she finished the swim.

-LBJ

SydneD

I'm proud to say that regardless of what race it is, I am a consistent winner in that category.

Leonard_Jansen

A side story to this swim: My kayaker had his girlfriend there and she is an animal control officer. On Sunday night, there was a house fire in their area and she rescued three kittens that she took home to raise and then give to people. They decided to name one of the kittens "Leonard." If you know me, you know that I am absolutely wild about cats, so this made even the DNF worth it. Besides, I tried to get my brother and two sisters to name one of their kids "Leonard" or "Lenore" and no luck, so at least someone thinks it's a good name.

-LBJ

JBirrrd

I just named my new Beta fish "Leonard."
He's a really great swimmer. Doesn't go far though.
Keeps bumping into the fishbowl wall.
(A for effort on C3, Leonard!) (*)

hmbohan

I realize this is early, but when does registration for next year open up? I'm psyching myself up for the winter season by planning out next year's swims...

jcmalick

@hmbohan Registration would open up on 11/1 tentatively but will post on here when that becomes more realistic. Quite a few things need to be ironed out before the second C3 can be initiated/conceived.

hmbohan

@jcmalick Thank you! I definitely understand how much hard work you have ahead of you before that, just wanted to get a ballpark guess so I can make sure I'm watching the forum when the time comes!