Waikiki...Sydney...Acapulco...London...Johannesburg...the Caribbean. This weekend, the sport of open water swimming is holding several showcase events around the world.
What a sport. What a lifestyle.
What venues!
The annual Hawaiian Christmas Looong Distance Invitational Rough-H20 Swim is on Sunday and has been run for 27 years by Jim Anderson. The race, which has attracted many of the world's best swimmers over the years, is often referred to as the the Double Roughwater Swim because it is runs along the Waikiki Roughwater Swim course and is twice its length. Participants rave about the beauty of the coral reefs and marine life of Waikiki Beach and currents that often run against the swimmers at least part of its 7K course.
The annual Bonaire EcoSwim (see photo above) has been run for 8 years by Randy Nutt. The stunningly gorgeous event offers 1K, 2K/2 person relay, 3K, 5K and 10K races in an official marine park in the Dutch Caribbean Island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles, located 50 miles north of Venezuela.
The 50th anniversary of the Maraton Guadalupano is held on on December 6-7th in the beautiful, exciting beach of Acapulco, Mexico.
The Outdoor Swimming Society's December Dip in London on Saturday will feature Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist Cassandra Patten.
The 9th African Swimming Championships in Johnannesburg, South Africa on Sunday will feature a 5K race with such world-class athletes like Natalie du Toit and Chad Ho participating.
The Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim in Sydney Australia is a traditional Australia classic open water race that is capped at 2,000 participants due to its tremendous popularity. The race offers AUS$5,000 in cash and prizes and a AUS$1,000 Dash for Cash where, traditionally, whoever gets the waves gets the cash (i.e., in the sprint to the finish, whoever catches the wave into the finish wins).
A great weekend to take to the open water, the world over. Enjoy.
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