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best unfamous relay races in America

markwarkentinmarkwarkentin Member
edited March 2012 in General Discussion
As a club swim coach I'd like to have my team do an open water relay race. We're located West Coast (Santa Barbara) but I'd be interested in traveling if the race is worth it. So, what are some of the off the beaten path marathon relay races around the country. Everyone knows about Lake Tahoe and the Maui Channel, but if you want to conquer a body of water in America (as a relay team) what would be some of the fun destinations?

Comments

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    Swim Across the Sound
    http://give.stvincents.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=697

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • evmoevmo Sydneydev
    edited March 2012
    La Jolla Cove 10-mile Relay. Ten laps of a mile isn't as romantic as a channel swim, but it's tough to beat La Jolla Cove on every other dimension.

    Any of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands can be attempted as (non-race) relays - but of course I know you know that!
  • AquaRobAquaRob Humboldt Bay, CACharter Member
    I would second La Jolla's 10 miler as a team event. Logistically it's probably the easiest open water relay you could put together and you could run multiple teams of swimmers without a problem. No boats, no escorts, all swimmer swaps happen in the same place and it's cheap.
  • swimmer25kswimmer25k Charter Member
    Lake Travis 20K put on by Keith Bell in Austin, TX is a good one.
  • WaterGirlWaterGirl Scottsdale, AZCharter Member
    I'd love to do the Swim Around Key West--12.5 miles. The maximum number for a relay team is 3 people, though.

    http://www.swimaroundkeywest.com/course.htm

    www.WaterGirl.co

    AZ Open Water Swimming on Facebook

  • evmoevmo Sydneydev
    edited March 2012
    I'd love to do the Swim Around Key West--12.5 miles. The maximum number for a relay team is 3 people, though.
    Relay actually seems like the best way to do Key West - you get a break on the boat to "cool off" from the water!

    Many of the longer marathons that are traditionally thought of as solo swims have relay options - including MIMS, Ederle, Tampa Bay. I believe Boston Light (2006 solo champion @markwarkentin) also has a relay option.

    La Jolla Cove 10-miler does seem like a great option from a cost & logistics perspective for the under-18 crowd. Or perhaps I can convince @ScottZornig to resuscitate the Santa Cruz Island relay race....
  • jcmalickjcmalick Wilmington, DEMember
    edited March 2012
    Wanted to expound on Barra's mention of SWIM Across the Sound considering one of the great marathon swimmers of our time, Liz Fry, directs it...a 25km swim in 70 degree water taking swimmers interstate from New York to Connecticut. Definitely has a great track record as it is in it's 25th year and a great cause for St Vincent's Medical Center! Takes place on July 28th this year so plenty of time to organize a relay team and still fit in Tampa Bay (April), Key West (June), and MIMS Relay (August)....and plenty of downtime in between to fit in solo swims! Check it out!

    http://give.stvincents.org/page.aspx?pid=697
  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member
    The FKCC Swim Around Key West allows 6 person relays and is the only one of the Key West swims sanctioned by the coast guard.
    Having done the swim in 08 I think there's no cooling off anywhere during the swim, either on the boat or in the water!!
    BUT it's a really really fun swim with a great atmosphere. Very laid back. It was extremely well run (that's the FKCC one). I'd do it again for sure.
    gregoc
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