August 29, 2009 / by srhernan / Make A Comment / Filed under Swim Reports
Sunrise arrived at Ladder #1 at 6:12am, but it only stuck around for about five minutes before disappearing into the overcast skies. This gave us an unseasonably chilly swim area for a late August morning.
The official water temperature came in at a surprising 64F with no thermoclines (cold spots). This is good news for all those doing the Chicago triathlon tomorrow. However, all we need are some strong winds to stir up the lake and we could be back in the 55F range.
I opted to wear a full wetsuit this morning, and I probably could have gotten away without it. There was a slight current going towards the beach that made things a bit more of a challenge on the return leg of the swim. But overall the water conditions were pretty mild in terms of both temperature and chops.
After the swim I shed the wetsuit and swam around Ladder #1 for 10 more minutes without ever getting too cold. Once out, though, it was a different story. The breeze had picked up and the skies were completely overcast – two things which made the 62F air temperature feel much, much colder. But as always, you really should have come out…
Brief but glorious
August 27, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Event Alert
The Chicago Shoreline Marathon takes place this Saturday, August 29. It is Chicago’s premier kayaking/paddling event, and it attracts competitors from around the world.
There are three events scheduled:
25-Mile Marathon – An open water paddling race competition that starts at 9:00am in Calumet Harbor and races northward along the entire shoreline to Leone Beach (near Touhy Avenue)
8-Mile 2-Beach Race – A loop course covering approximately 8 miles and running near shore from Leone Beach to Montrose Beach and returning to Leone Beach
4X 4-Mile Relay – A 4-member team event starting on Leone Beach with each paddler completing one 4-mile leg of the race
Check it out!
August 27, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Great Lakes
The Alliance for the Great Lakes just launched a new information/awareness campaign today called “This is My Water” complete with a new web site.
Be sure to check it out, and tell all your friends as well. Remember – cleaner lakes lead to happier swimmers!
August 26, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Event Alert
Be sure to check this out over the weekend:
Chicago Triathlon Multisport & Fitness Expo
Location: Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave
Friday, August 28 | 3:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, August 29 | 9:00am-5:00pm
You can get some pretty good deals on all sorts of swimming, biking, and running gear. Plus I’m sure there’s lots of free stuff as well!
August 25, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Extreme!
Since we’ve got a marathon swimming theme going on, be sure to check out this piece in the Daily Mirror about Martin Strel. It talks about all the fun times he had while swimming the 3,274 mile long Amazon River in 66 days. Just a few choice morsels:
Tarantulas, giant millipedes and scorpions would drop off the trees into the river, often getting entangled in his hair…
Once he had to be hauled from the water screaming in pain, as shoals of piranha fish gnawed at his leg…
He also had to battle through tropical storms and blistering heat, as well as facing murderous bandits and machete wielding native tribes…
And I shudder to even think about the perils of the candiru, or “vampire fish.”
So what’s his secret to surviving all this? Lots of red wine, washed down with whiskey and beer (no fooling!).
August 25, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Cool News, Extreme!
It looks like the local media has taken notice of Paula’s accomplishment. I’ll continue to post their story links as I receive them. They are in chronological order from earliest to the latest.
Special thanks goes out to Rummana and Art at the Sun-Times for showing a special interest in the story – it was a delight to work with you!
High Five! Marathon swimmer crosses last Great Lake off her list (Chicago Sun-Times)
Woman Swims Across All Five Great Lakes (NBC Chicago)
August 24, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Cool News, Extreme!
25 hours 38 minutes
Wow…
August 24, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Cool News, Extreme!
Paula embarked her second attempt this afternoon:
Below are the text messages I’m getting from Paula’s support crew (most recent ones at the top). Keep checking in…more to come!
The forecast – clear skies and warmer lake temperatures – looks great!
10:08pm (EST) – Swim Finish
Paula was not the picture of joy coming out of the water but she looked strong coming toward the beach and kept picking up the pace till it was over. She is now snug as a bug in her hotel bed and hopefully can sleep through much of the pain that her body has went through.
The weather was good and she made it in before dark. The swim took a total of 25hours 38 minutes.
Someone will give you better details tomorrow but just wanted to be sure at least one email went out so you knew she was victorious
4:04pm (EST)
This may be the last communication until after the swim.
She is on pace to reach land around 10:00 and I assume they meant eastern time so 9 central. The Land Support Task Force (LSTF) will attempt to find an internet connection near the beach at a cafe but if we can’t find one we will be sure to inform you of some of the sea fareing tales when the crew returns.
We have been requested to find information on beaches south of the park so it is possible the landing location may change.
2:15pm
14 km left as of around 2:15pm est
12:30pm
36 km down in 18 hours.catching the rays from the zodiac:)paula doing great in the sun and water like glass with a pacer in the water.2km per hour,sheis awesome
10:50am
Sunny and low wind Kendra (one of Paula’s pacers) just got back on the boat. We’re bang on track 10pm est. 9 central (Michigan City time). The destination is Washington Park Beach in Michigan City
9:40am
33out of 54km eta 10:30est tonight Paula picked up the pace now the sun is out. She is doing great.
6:45am
Half way, sun is out,looks like it is going to be a sunny day 4 paula
5:50am
24km in 12 hours, morning is breaking paula doing great and looking forward to some sun winds are at about zero so good news so far!!!
10:30pm
weather is good paula looking strong 1 to 3 foot waves water temp 68 we can see the smoke stack at michigan city woot woot
8:30pm
4km in 2 hours,going into waves,fairly calm. doing good.clear sky.nice sunset over the city
August 24, 2009 / by srhernan / Make A Comment / Filed under Swim Reports
Dave called me just after noon yesterday and notified me that the water temperature had risen to 61F. The swim site had chops of up to two feet, but they seemed to be diminishing as the day progressed.
I arrived at Ladder #1 at around 4:30pm and managed to do a fairly quick out-and-back to Oak Street Beach. I decided to wear the wetsuit which helped a lot by providing more buoyancy in the chops. But I was right at the borderline as far as comfort level. I think if I had been in the water any longer than 35 minutes, I may have started to overheat a bit.
For those of you doing the Chicago Triathlon next week, it’s still touch-and-go regarding wetsuits. We’ve got some warmer weather forecasted for this week, but we’ve also got some storms in the works whose winds might lower the water temperatures. Be prepared for anything – it’s not unusual for the lake temperature to drop 10F or more overnight…
August 22, 2009 / by Steve / Make A Comment / Filed under Cool News, Extreme!
Some disappointing news, folks. Paula and crew ran into some heavy weather 8 hours and 12 miles (20 km) into the swim. She was doing fine in the 8-foot waves, but her crew called off the swim due to an increasing small craft advisory.
The upshot is that Paula’s going to try again on Sunday. Apparently, 8 hours in the rough water isn’t enough to take it out of her. The weather forecast looks great, too. So we’re going to treat this swim as a pre-event “tapering” workout…
