Open-Water Swimming :: From Here to Beijing

This summer the newest sport in the Olympics will see 25 of the world’s best swimmers racing 10K around the flat-water Beijing Olympic rowing course.
Photos: Pei Qingsheng

The open-water swim will feature a dive start, where everyone frantically sprints to gain a favorable position around the first turn. The swimmers will battle around eight turns where nearly anything goes. Black eyes, scratches, bruises, kicks, errant elbows and lost goggles are par for the course. Undoubtedly, these swimmers are a breed apart from their more sedate pool counterparts.

Positioning and feeding are critical to success. Those who draft on the heels of their competitors, taking advantage of their wake, will be best positioned for the final sprint. Over the nearly two-hour race, the swimmers will hydrate by taking gel packs they've stuck inside their swimsuits before the race and quickly downing drinks passed to them by coaches on floating feeding stations.

On the men’s side, Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia, the 2007 and 2008 world 10K champion, and David Davies, a 1500-meter freestyle Olympic medalist, are two strong favorites. Dyatchin has the race savvy to capture the gold, while Davies has the greatest aerobic capacity of the field. At the Olympic qualification race, Davies led for the entire race until Dyatchin pulled alongside with 250 meters to go. They sprinted stroke-for-stroke, banging into each other until Dyatchin out-touched Davies at the finish.

Another gold medal contender is Thomas Lurz, the 2004 and 2006 world 10K champion, who lost the 2007 world championship to Dyatchin by 6/100ths of a second.

Other contenders include Mark Warkentin from California, Maarten van Weijden of the Netherlands who came back from leukemia to race in China, Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece, an Olympic 1500 freestyle finalist, and Ky Hurst, a famed Australian aquatic Ironman.

On the women’s side, it will take an incredible upset to knock off the undefeated Larisa Ilchenko of Russia. Ilchenko has won five 5K and three 10K world championships since 2004. With her closing speed and high navigational I.Q., Ilchenko looks to continue her winning ways in Beijing.

Ilchenko will be pushed, however, by the British duo of Cassandra Patten and Keri-Anne Payne, along with either Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo, California or Kirsten Groome of Louisiana. Poliana Okimoto of Brazil and Spaniard Yurema Requena are also expected to make it into the mix.

Even with all these powerful contenders in the Olympics' debut open-water race, the eyes of the aquatic world will be on the toughest and unlikeliest of athletes, Natalie du Toit of South Africa. She is not only a serious medal contender, but she is also the only Paralympian who qualified for an Olympic swimming final. Du Toit, who lost her left leg in a tragic car accident, is carrying the hopes of all those who have braved life’s unexpected hurdles.
 
Other notable challengers include two 30ish mothers who came out of retirement for the Olympics: Angela Maurer of Germany and Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands.

In addition to all the pressures of the Olympics, these swimmers know to expect the unexpected when they fight for their first – indeed, the first-ever, Olympic open-water 10K gold.

Tips for the Open Water

An estimated 750,000 people participate in open-water swimming events around the world. From the famed Waikiki Roughwater Swim to the Midmar Mile in South Africa, where over 17,500 people swim across a dam, open-water races are held in all kinds of lakes, bays, seaside communities and rivers.

Ten tips for the open-water season:
1. Start positioning: If you are not fast, start your race towards the sides or rear of the pack.
2. Turns: Be prepared for some bumping if you take a sharp angle around the turn buoys. You will face less commotion (and thrashing) if you take wider turns.
3. Navigation: Generally, it is best to follow the lead escort boat unless you know something about the currents. If you are disoriented, stop and look up. If you see a pack of swimmers ahead, swim towards the middle of the pack.
4. Drafting: Swim right behind, or just off the hips of your competitors to take advantage of their wake.
5. Let ‘em go: If you simply want to finish the race, instead of winning or being competitive in your age group, let the fast swimmers go. At the start, if you follow the sprinting mob down the beach, you can see where the leaders are heading and enjoy the swim without the pressure of swimming with those A-type personalities.
6. Greasing up: Apply Vaseline at possible chaffing points: under your arms, between your thighs, around your neck (important for men with beard stubble) and around your suit straps.
7. Feeding: If the race is longer than an hour, stuff gel packs in your suit. Pre-cut an opening in the gel pack so you can easily open it in the water with wet hands.
8. Wetsuits: U.S.A. Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming have approved certain wetsuits for competition. Although not all open-water swims allow their use, wetsuits provide buoyancy and help you stay comfortable in water under 72 degrees.
9. Acclimatization: Before race day, acclimate to the water temperature if possible. On race day, become familiar with the surface chop direction, glare of the sun, buoy markers and landmarks.
10. Expect the unexpected: Keep calm if you run into seaweed, or other swimmers swim over you. Realize that others are probably experiencing the same thing.

Five more closely-held tips from the pros:
1. Vaseline: Put a thin layer of Vaseline on your lower calves. The Vaseline will discourage competitors from grabbing your ankles and pulling on your legs.
2. Silicon earplugs: Use in cold water to minimize heat loss.
3. Goggles: Use clear goggles for foggy and overcast race days, and tinted goggles for sunny days with lots of glare on the water.
4. Swell advantage: As you feel the surge of waves around you, kick harder and lengthen your stroke to take advantage of the momentum of the waves.
5. Proper vision: Corrective goggles will help those without perfect eyesight to better locate landmarks and minimize disorientation during a race.

Steven Munatones, an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee and USA Swimming National Open Water Team coach, promotes open-water swimming at www.10Kswim.com, www.10Kswimmer.com and www.virtual-swim.com.