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  • Hi Joe - And the Point swimmers have probably seen you!
    Drop by for January 1 plunge (no requirement to join in, but fine if you want to). Folks gather around 12:15. The excitement is quickly over. There is fire.

    Solo
  • MikeD33MikeD33 NorwichMember

    Hello Folks,
    I'd like to say hello and introduce myself.
    My name is Mike and I love swimming :) I'm currently training for an English Channel swim in September 2017 (Sea Leopard) It looks like I'm going to be learning alot just reading the 'newbie questions'.

    ... I also have MS - that's not going ot stop me though.

    evmocurlySpacemanspiffFlowSwimmersSololoneswimmerthelittlemerwookierlmKatieBunscottJbetleysuziedodsTracy_ClarktortugaMtuley
  • Kia Ora all. I am a Kiwi living in the UK. I took up marathon swimming when I reached 50 and am now into my 10 th year. I have completed a number of long swims and will return to Tarifa next April for my 3rd attempt to cross the Straits of Gibraltar as the last 2 years I didn't even get my swimmers out as Levante blew its heart out making swimming impossible. I am filling in my winter swimming time by participating in the mad world of ice swimming!

    SoloevmothelittlemerwookierlmKatieBun[Deleted User]scottJbetleysuziedodsTracy_Clarktortuga
  • scottscott East Sussex, UKMember

    Hello. I am Scott and I started to take swimming more seriously about 8 years ago in order to get me out of the house and healthier as 50 approached. I have completed several 10ks, a 10 miler and Lake Zurich. This year I am trying the 2swim4life. I am still finding my limits and trying to get as much experience as possible. A big thanks for this great resource and the knowledge and generosity of the people who use it.

    [Deleted User]rlmevmoSoloKatieBunJbetleyCamilleloneswimmersuziedodstortuga
  • nitronitro Madeira IslandMember

    Hi !!!

    I am a new member of MSF.

    Presently I am in Madeira Island (Portugal).

    To know more about this Island and the relation with Ultra Swimming you can see below a video of Marathon that toke place 2015.

    Video:

    I have been an open water swimmer since I was a teenager.

    Now I am almost 50 years old :) :) :)

    Thank you for everything to MSF team.

    NF

    IronMikerlmloneswimmersuziedodstortuga
  • amkonetamkonet Columbus, Ohio, USAMember

    I'm new here! I've been reading for a couple months, but only made my first post yesterday (about food, so you can see my priorities: ice cream before introductions!).

    I'm a childhood/high school competitive swimmer who started doing triathlons after ten years away from the pool, and then remembered it was actually swimming I love. Last year, I got the swimming distance bug after finishing the 5k at Big Shoulders in Chicago, and I'm signed up for my first 10k at Swim to the Moon in Michigan in August this year. Pretty much all of my concerns revolve around managing nutrition and being weirded out by the use of the word "feeding" in the endurance swimming world.

    I'm trying to read through the forums before asking stupid questions that have obvious answers. This seems like a great community, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

    loneswimmerKatieBunevmocurlySolosuziedodsrlmtortuga
  • As a triathlete you'll already be familiar with feeding/bonking issues, its similar for swimming however you have to plan logistics obviously!

  • KLowKLow AustraliaMember

    Hello everyone!

    Kel here! Hoping to swim the English Channel in Sept 2018 - Woo Hoo!

    evmoKatieBunSoloIronMikeTracy_ClarkBigGuppy412loneswimmertortugabluemermaid9
  • Hello there!

    I'm new here and this is my passion!

    IronMikethelittlemerwookieloneswimmeramkonettortuga

    efore you get started, talk to your doctor or registered dietitian (RD) for tips on how to eat healthy when you have osteoarthritis. He or she can give you guidance on what to eat to ease the pain and swelling as well as help you maintain a healthy weight (very important because too much weight can put pressure on the knee joints).

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    Julio said:
    Hello there!

    I'm new here and this is my passion!

    Best intro ever. Welcome!

    tortuga

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • BigGuppy412BigGuppy412 Pittsburgh, USAMember

    Hi everyone, I'm Justin. I'm super excited to get into open water swimming and my ultimate goal is to complete the triple crown. I was a competitive swimmer in childhood and throughout high school. I've completed 4 half iron man triathlons over the past four years. I thoroughly enjoy the open water part of the triathlons and then hang on through the bike and run to get to the finish...So I thought it was about time that I try to get into just the swimming, my favorite part! :) I'm a newbie and have no idea what races to start with but am most excited about meeting and talking with like-minded, crazy long distance swimmers!!

    Sololoneswimmerj9swimFlowSwimmersrlmCopelj26amkonet
  • Copelj26Copelj26 ChicagoSenior Member

    Glad to join the group. Been stalking for a while at comments in the forums. Swam as a kid back in Ireland, moved to US 9 years ago. Started swimming again 4 years ago. Done a few open water events since, key west last year, swim the suck past 2 years, a few big shoulders, swim to the moon and some other local events in Chicago. Signed up for border buster and swim the suck for 2017.

    evmoSoloBigGuppy412SydneDtortuga
  • swimmer2point0swimmer2point0 Santa Monica, CAMember

    Hi there, so new to marathon swimming that I have not even swam anything yet. Have been enjoying the site a lot. Planning to do the Pier to Pier in SoCal this summer, maybe a 3 or 6 mile swim in Santa Barbara. Next year I will really get into longer swims, still building up base after more than 3 decades of not swimming at all. What I read here is so amazing, I hope to join the ranks of those who have completed some interesting long swims in the near future.

    thelittlemerwookieSoloevmotortugarlm
  • Hi
    Love this forum and decided to pipe up.

    I'm Charles and live in the the Peak District of Derbyshire in England, where I winter swim an a very nice pool and then summer swim in an assortment of reservoirs, rivers and docks.

    I've competed in wet-suited 10k and 5 k races over the last few years and do decently enough in my age group (I'm 58 - about 2 hours 45 min for 10ks) . I'm planning to swim 3 10ks this summer plus various others. If I lived nearer the sea I'd like to do more skins.

    In awe of you longer marathoners.

    tortugaSololoneswimmer
  • flystormsflystorms Memphis, TNSenior Member

    Judy - do you have a coach or someone who can look at your stroke? My opinion... have someone take a look to see if your stroke could use some tweaks. Bad form compounded with a lot of volume will only make the injuries worse. Once I got a coach who knew what he was talking about and would work with me, my shoulder and lat injuries all but disappeared and I was able to increase volume considerably. With your history, you should keep up your PT exercises even with swimming to make sure you get to all those tiny muscles.

    tortuga
  • nitelingniteling Victoria, BC, CanadaMember

    This is my second post in this thread; I hope that's OK -- I felt as though I should start over here, as shortly after last time I had a bunch of life changes that meant I couldn't swim nearly as much: I got a new job in the middle of winter with different hours, and suddenly didn't have any daylight time free any more.

    (Or any time at all, really, taking into account the new job, my wife going back to school full time, and some mental health stuff on my part as well -- which made the lack of ability to swim worse, as I've gotten the sense I'm not the only one for whom swimming helps with depression. Anyway.)

    Anyhow, my schedule has settled and daylight abounds, and I am back in the water almost every day now. And I've actually accomplished something -- when I posted back in October, I didn't really feel I had anything towards the "marathon" part of this, and had doubts about whether I could even develop the ability to swim the distances mentioned here.

    But last week I (somewhat accidentally) swam 7 km, and so I'm back, and feeling like maybe I could someday be called a marathoner after all :)

    (I will tell the story of that swim in another post, complete with humorous annotated map.)

    SolothelittlemerwookieIronMike
  • jnewton116jnewton116 SingaporeMember

    Longtime Lurker here, finally decided I should say Hi.

    I mostly grew up in Reno, Nevada and swam from age 7 to 17. Nowhere near fast enough for collegiate swimming, I stopped completely for more than a decade. My employer moving me from Tokyo to Singapore coincided with my completion of grad school and several other changes that meant I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands. I decided to go back to swimming a few nights a week, and my passion for the water was instantaneously reignited.

    It wasn't long before I decided to sign up for my first ever open water event, the 5km distance of the Bali Ocean Swim. I loved it. That first race was four years ago and since then I have been pushing for longer and longer distances. In August this year I'm attempting the Catalina Channel. And I couldn't be more excited.

    evmorlmthelittlemerwookieIronMikeTracy_Clark
  • jbluejblue New York, NYMember

    Hi - I've been lurking for years too but finally opened an account. What took me so long? I don't know. But I'm about to do my first real long swim at Stage 6 of 8 Bridges. It's technically not my first marathon as I did 10.5K last year but this is more than double that. It's also my first swim with feeds so I'll be perusing the archives for tips although since it's only a week and a half away, I'm pretty set on what I'll be using.

    SoloevmoSpacemanspiffthelittlemerwookieKate_AlexanderTracy_Clark
  • DeborahDeborah Lee-on-the-SolentMember
    edited July 2017

    Hello, I'm Deborah, and after learning so much on this brilliant forum from so many of you, I thought it was about I said an official hello too.

    A little about me, I've just turned 49 and I first discovered open water swimming in the summer of 2013, after doing a 4 mile pool swim as part of a 44 mile triathlon (my age then in miles), and a friend suggested I try the open water, which I'd never considered before as I always thought it was too cold. Two winters and and several summers later, I am well and truly passionately in love with this sport, and without wanting to sound too much like a hippy and trying to avoid using the the word "journey" too much, and sound like an X-Factor contestant , it really has changed my life for the better, in so many ways.

    So with this new found passion for life, and swimming, the following year, in memory to my mum, I swam a new route across the Solent (the famous body of water associated with sailing, you may have heard of Cowes Week). The Solent is on the south coast of England between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The new diagonal route went northwest from Ryde on the Isle of Wight to Hill Head Sailing Club, Hampshire, England. I enjoyed all the training and the swim itself so much, that we planned a two-way (14 miles) the following year and it was recognised as an inaugural swim by the BLDSA. I've also swam around the beautiful Brownsea Island a few times, and some other similar shorter events, and in just over 5 weeks, (eek!), I will be attempting an English Channel swim with Neil Streeter and Suva, which as you may know is now a beautiful shade of pink, they are on a mission to raise £30k for cancer charities, which is also a mission very close to my heart.

    Training has gone well so far this year, (last year was pants due to illness). I've just done my 7/6 which went well and have a few more training weeks to go before taper time. So thanks for all the interesting posts and the continual learning, I hope to continue this 'journey' (there I said it!), discover, and experience some new places to swim after the EC and continue this quest and adventure further afield.

    Cheery bye.

    evmothelittlemerwookiebluemermaid9SolorlmflystormsIronMike
  • glennglenn cape town SAMember

    my name is glenn. I'm 41 and live in cape town south Africa. I've been on and off the forum for a few years now. Only started swimming in 2012 and in 2014 I stopped due to the birth of two kids. Got back into the pool in January this year and have slowly increased my distances. Started with about 18km in January and this month I should be doing 60km. Averaging 3 sessions a week between 4-5km. My goal is the robben island crossing in January next year. And then after that who knows. Would love to do a 10km in the first half of next year and then we'll see. Not a massively fast swimmer. Average around 2min/100m comfortable over 5km in the pool.

    rlmevmoIronMike
  • Hello, I swam back in high school, not competitively, but to fulfill a physical education class. Since graduation, I have not done a single lap. Marriage and 3 kids later, it took my oldest kid (5 years) to take swim classes for me to get back into the water. I started swimming late last year and joined a masters group. I wouldn't consider myself a marathon swimmer. Last Saturday was my first open water swim ever. After the first 10 seconds of panic attack, I managed to calm down and focus on just swimming. I love it. I really hope to swim in the open water more often, unfortunately, having 3 young kids and a full time job makes it impossible to find a group to swim with at a beach that is open early morning.

    evmorlmIronMike
  • rlmrlm Senior Member

    ssumargo...just keep moving forward as time and circumstances allow! All the best.

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    A flip turn can be broken into two parts, a somersault and an underwater push off, (done facing up). Practicing the parts separately is easier for many people. This is how I teach it, maybe TMI for you, since you used to be able to do them, but I'll go into detail for anyone else who might benefit.

    First, try a somersault from a standing position. Next, push off the wall (on your front) so you have some momentum and do a somersault. Then, stand an arm's length from the wall and do a somersault with the goal of touching the wall with your feet. Once you have gone through that progression successfully, try swimming in toward the wall, do a somersault and place your feet on the wall. You want your legs bent enough to get a good push, but not so much that you feel like you're wadded up in a ball. Once you have gotten the distance from the wall figured out, as you somersault and place your feet, look at the surface of the water.

    The other piece is simple, but easier said than done for some folks. Hold onto the wall, facing it and duck underwater. Let go and streamline your arms over your head as you push off underwater on your back. Look at the surface of the water to judge your angle. Before you lose momentum, roll slowly to your side, then your front. Try adding some dolphin kicks as you do this in order to keep your speed up. If you get water up your nose at any point, hum throughout the entire turn.

    Now try putting the two pieces together. Most people have one of two problems; either not getting close enough to the wall for adequate foot placement or getting disoriented after the somersault and pushing off into the lane line or pool bottom. Practice the two pieces until both are easy-ish. Don't be afraid of getting too close to the wall, use the markings on the bottom of your pool to judge your distance. Above all, look at the surface of the water as you complete the somersault and begin to push off, this will keep you oriented correctly and help you judge the appropriate angle to ascend.

    Hopefully some part of this helps, good luck!

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    When I was working on bilateral breathing, I would get the willies breathing to my left coming into the wall, because I couldn't see it the same as on the right. I always felt like I was going to run into it.

    Maybe standing at arm's length, doing the somersault and placing your feet on the wall will help you work through that. :-c

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • Hi I'm new. I did a few Ironman length swims and it was fun and easy. So I asked myself - what's next? I'm stuck in Chicago and only have a few months realistically to swim outdoors. Slow ultrarunner/triathlete. I'd be lying if I didn't dream of a Channel crossing in the future (2020s, obviously) and need to work my way up to the big leagues. I enjoy distance swimming - It's the only time I can drown out the world and focus on the immediate.

    SoloSpacemanspiffwendyv34evmoCopelj26JustSwimloneswimmer
  • Copelj26Copelj26 ChicagoSenior Member

    @handsomeloser where do you swim out of in Chicago? Generally I can stick with lake Michigan between April and early November but out in the suburbs.

  • Copelj26 said:
    @handsomeloser where do you swim out of in Chicago? Generally I can stick with lake Michigan between April and early November but out in the suburbs.

    I live a few blocks off of Ohio St Beach and am that guy nursing coffee before swims on Saturday morning. Going to try to start getting into the water with the Lake Monsters just to get cold water experience.

    Copelj26
  • BridgetBridget New York StateMember

    Judjohns said:
    I have a question for others out there. I am 5 feet tall (sorry not awake enough to convert that to metric) and about 135 - 138 lbs. I can do 1 mile freestyle in 45 - 50 minutes. Since coming back to swimming after my shoulder surgery I am not able to do flip turns; my brain seems to have forgotten how. I took a lesson in it and thought I could recover it but have not been able to yet. I would welcome any feedback including how much time being able to do flip turns (tumble turns for you Brits and Aussies) would actually help me cut my time.
    thanks.

    I'd like to add to what Wendy posted above, to offer a slightly different perspective based on my own background with pain management and periodic mobility issues.

    Flip turns are fortunately not a component of open water, so I don't do them at warp speed unless practicing for a pool meet. This lets me feel ok about pacing off a beach by strokes and estimating distances. My beach takes me about 21 breaths, a 25 yard pool takes 7, so I figure 1 beach lap = 3 pool laps. Any distance underestimate at the beach is offset by lack of turns.

    In a 5 hour pool workout, I need to be careful of form to prevent pain. I don't tuck hard for turns, don't push off too hard, because after years of not pool swimming, pushing off every 25-30 seconds for hours really bothered my legs until I started doing pointe ballet prep work. (There are good videos out there for strengthening legs and feet to aid push-offs, although I don't do ballet, I tap.) Mentally, I don't want to go into an open water swim feeling that I'll be slow due to lack of push off power boosts.

    Shoulders-- I modify. Most people press down from the surface with palms, I use the back of my hands so that my arms do a semi circle as I flip without the added rotation. Imagine starting your turn with your thumbs touching your outer thighs, keep pointing them toward each other as you tuck and turn sunny side up, then push off as you torque your body, thumbs still pointing together. Coming off the wall, I take a few seconds to stretch, and extend my feet like Barbie, not like a ballerina. (pointy toes give me foot cramps over time)

    I hope it helps!

    Have fun.

  • I've been a Masters swimmer for 16-17 years now. I swam a few years in high school as well, but didn't in college. I've done a few open water swims over the years. A number of 1-2 mile swims and 3-4 5k's. I attempted to swim the mouth of the Potomac years ago and got about 5.5 miles before I had to get out.

    I'd like to do some longer swims in the next couple of years, but I don't have a good place to practice OW in the DC area really. I think I'd like to take on the Potomac swim again, train more for it. I have no desire to do the Bay Swim though, at least not for the cost.

    Sololoneswimmerrlm
  • CKswimsCKswims Washington, DCMember
    edited November 2017

    Hi! I'm new here. I love swimming. With the exception of competing in the "Aqua Velo" division of a half-ironman triathlon 9 years ago, I didn't have any open water competitive swimming experience before 2017. I competed in competitive pool swimming when I was growing up, but not in college. I've now completed races at the 2, 3 and 5 mile distances. I hope to attempt a 10k in 2018, GCBS if I'm selected in the lottery, as well as some shorter races. I've had some rather serious shoulder injuries over the years, and had surgeries on both shoulders at age 29, so I focus a lot on stroke technique and I'm trying to cautiously increase yardage.

    loneswimmerSolothelittlemerwookiecurlyIronMikerlm
  • Hi! New to the forum but I have certainly been reading lots of posts! I don't have a swimming background eventhough I have been swimming with Masters for a few years now. I have completed 5 Ironmans, other distances, and two 5k open water swims. I am signed up for Swim around Lido Key for 4/18. More nervous about this one than any other race I have ever done!

    Looking forward to any suggestions about nutrition or anything than can help me

    Alicia

    thelittlemerwookieSoloCKswimsIronMikerlm
  • Good day all, have been trawling this site for the past few months looking for tips and advice and it hasn't disappointed! I have only got into swimming in the past 2 years in a serious way. Swam a little as a kid but never was any good , still not fast but at 44 I have no illusions and am enjoying open water swimming and hope to up my endurance and mileage next year. Currently I swim with a masters club and when the water allows I will be back into the open water to do some training and a few 5kms on the West Coast of Ireland and some nearby lake and river swims. Hoping to do a marathon swim during the summer and look forward to building the mileage. The pool is fine for now and the competitiveness of my lane ensures that I am always working hard.

    thelittlemerwookieSoloAliciaIronMikerlmloneswimmer
  • TheSwimmingBrickTheSwimmingBrick Auckland New ZealandMember

    Hey everyone just wanted to say Hi from New Zealand. I'm basically a nobody that treats swimming as an opportunity to practice escapism. I swim for myself only, avoid big events and crowds, and usually swim alone with my thoughts. Pool, lake, salt, river, I'll take it. My body through sport has had more hits than the Rolling Stones, and after several large back operations and a resulting 'stiffish neck', I swim with a swimming snorkel these days for anything over a few km. I swim 5 times a week in the pool and once a week outdoors, usually totalling around 15km a week. My goals are to do a very large river swim here in NZ next year (for charity this time ) down our Waikato River. I'm 47 and a keen skier, diver and fisherman as well. Thanks in advance for having me, Simon.

    evmoIronMikeSpacemanspiffrlmFlowSwimmersSoloKarl_KingeryloneswimmerAliciajacky
  • Hello fellow swimmers! I come to you from Perth Australia, where I am racking up some serious KM's to complete my first Rottnest Channel Solo Swim in Feb, I may have gotten addicted while training for a Duo in the year just been :) ! Thank you for all the information on this forum, some very helpful stuff.

    evmoflystormsthelittlemerwookieSoloFlowSwimmersKate_Alexander
  • flystormsflystorms Memphis, TNSenior Member

    Jacky welcome! I'll be curious to hear about your adventure at Rottnest. I really want to do that one someday, but the logistics are daunting from here.

    jacky
  • HugiHugi Member
    edited December 2017

    Hello all,
    My name is Jason Hugi and I am from Iowa. I swam competitively through highschool and then after college did some Masters Competitive swimming. I like the challenge of what open water/marathon swimming. I also did some coaching while I was in college and several years after. Problem is the workouts that I created was for competitive pool swimming and what little experience I have in open water swimming it is nothing the same. Other than bouncing ideas off other on this site and learning how to open water swim, I am also looking for workout ideas that everyone is doing. Looking forward to seeing what others are doing.

    Solo
  • flystorms said:
    Jacky welcome! I'll be curious to hear about your adventure at Rottnest. I really want to do that one someday, but the logistics are daunting from here.

    The hardest part is usually getting a skipper and a boat. There are plenty of people who hire out their boat and skipper services. If you ever wanted some help in getting through some of the logistics I would be happy to help :)

  • Hello, my name is Harry, returned to swimming in my late 50's never won anything in my youth, but enjoyed the water. Now in my sixties, I am hoping to relive a swim that I did 32 years ago, not a marathon by any standards but a 5k cross Lough swim is my goal. Looking forward to picking up tips

    evmoSoloTinaHeckthelittlemerwookieMvGKatieBun
  • Hi my name is Tina and am planning on my first (beginner) marathon swim this summer- 10 miles. My longest swim has been 5.
    I typically do triathlons but am moving toward trying distance swims-my passion!

    Kate_AlexanderSoloKatieBunMvGBridget
  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    That's a heck of a beginner marathon swim. (Pun and admiration intended).

    KatieBunJSwimTinaHeckBridget
  • manumanu Member
    edited January 2018

    Hello everyone,
    first thank you for this forum, i'm Manu, i'm 42 and swim some long distance around europe and in the Middle east (Lebanon, UAE...). i'm participating to french open water water circuit on 5 and 10km, also to the last masters world championship in Balatonfured, i'm planning to swim the channel and other long distance crossings around Europe (Jersey-Saint Malo, Corsica-Sardaigna...)

    IronMikeKatieBunJSwimSolocurlyevmo
  • DanDan Member

    Hi everyone, I'm new to this site, but I've found many of the forum posts to be helpful as I've branched out from triathlon into longer swim events (>5km) over the past couple of years. I have a question for European members: does anyone know of a reliable race calendar for 2018 races in Europe? I've looked at various sites, but they are either way outdated or the information isn't available in one of the languages I happen to speak. I'm looking specifically at races in the 5-10km range in Portugal, southern France or Croatia in June. Anyone have any tips? I posted to Croatia Open Water Swim on Facebook, but have not gotten a response. Cheers, and hope to be a frequent visitor here.

    Soloevmo
  • BHillBHill Des Moines, IAMember

    Hey All! I am a long time pool swimmer who discovered open-water a couple years ago. I've committed to swim year around to get in better shape for Open Water Season and the longest I have done is a 5K. This coming summer I plan to do the Swim Around Key West and Swim the Suck. I'm looking for any length of race and tips for longer distances swimming. I live in Iowa so there is a very limited Open Water Swimming Community here. Thanks!

    evmoSoloSpacemanspiffKatieBunJustSwim
  • for France in June you will have "défi Monte-Cristo" a 5km in Marseille. You also have the oceanman races that will take place in Italy and Spain (catalunia) and at the end of january you will have access to the offical "coupe de France" calendar check the website eaulibreffn.fr

  • DanDan Member

    Thanks, WarmWater and manu! I've looked at nearly all of the openwaterswimmng.eu sites, but find most of them woefully outdated (many broken links), and info is often not available in English (I also speak Dutch and German, but those aren't helpful in this case!). I'll definitely look up the Monte-Christo swim in Marseille in particular, since I'll be near there in June.

  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member
    edited January 2018

    Try http://outdoorswims.co.uk/ and http://www.outdoorswims.com/
    for lists of swims on this side of the pond.

  • msquyermsquyer San FranciscoMember

    Hello,
    I've been lurking and reading for a while, and am finally introducing myself. I swim in SF Bay regularly and do masters at University of San Francisco. I am trying to use the clock to improve, and am learning bilateral breathing. I'm looking forward to the 24 hour relay in a couple weeks, checking out SCAR (registered for Roosevelt), Portland Bridges, and becoming a pilot to assist with swims at my club. I've learned a lot from MSF as I have immersed myself in this fun world.

    evmocurlythelittlemerwookieKarenTSolowendyv34rlmKatieBun
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
    edited January 2018

    Dan said:
    I'm looking specifically at races in the 5-10km range in Portugal, southern France or Croatia in June. Anyone have any tips? I posted to Croatia Open Water Swim on Facebook, but have not gotten a response. Cheers, and hope to be a frequent visitor here.

    Hey Dan, welcome. I loved my one Croatia 5k I did years ago; would love to go back.

    What I did was go to the Croatian OW Fed (Hrvatski Savez Daljinskog Plivanija) and look at their 2017 kalendar, and find races in June (or whenever), and contact the RD or go to the website. For instance, I got the following calendar from the KDP Primorje folks in Rijeka (link opens in google sheets)

    For my money, if you have time, try the 5k in Raslina. Hands down my favorite.

    There is also a thread here for Croatian swims. Did you find it? If not, here it is.

    Good luck!

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • DuganaddyDuganaddy Needham, MAMember

    Hello, New member here too. Reading the diverse posts is as inspiring as any 'Driven' or 'Sea Donkey' movie. Thanks for that.
    I'm in the Boston area, which seems actually to be a bit of an under recognized open water hot bed. Happy and lucky to call this home.
    Hoping that the Boston Light Swim will look favorably on my lottery bid this year. Fingers crossed. The VT Kingdom Week is a sure back up plan, though.

    mjstaplesSoloslknightBridgetrlmKatieBunevmo
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