New York's famous Coney Island was the venue for the Aquarium Mile which saw Jane Kelsey win the non-wetsuit division in 20:38 just ahead of California's Bill Ireland.The challenging Coney Island 5K saw a field of 54 swimmers brave full-force tidal flood currents on their return trip from Brighton Beach. Veteran marathon swimmer Rondi Davies, after racing neck-and-neck with top male finisher John Acton for much of the swim, prevailed over the elements and her male competitors in 1:25:53. John followed in 1:30:37 with David Barra third in 1:33:28, making a top-three sweep for the training partners from CIBBOWS (Coney Island Bright Beach Open Water Swimmers).
Photo of the start of the CIBBOWS - NY Aquarium Mile and Coney Island 5K open water swims by Peter Figetakis.
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I'm always surprised to see my name in an article. But I wanted to mention how friendly and welcoming the race was for visitors--and how hospitable CIBBOWs were. The race included a reception at the New York Aquarium with food and music after the race, electronic timing, and an ample supply of kayakers to shepherd the swimmers. The course did turn out to be a little more challenging than expected because of having to swim into a current on the long middle leg of the 5k. That was balanced by having the current with the swimmers on the other two symetrical legs.
Swimming at Coney Island, riding the Cyclone, seeing all the tradition of the Coney Island Boardwalk made this a great event for out-of-town visitors who want to see a different--and wetter--side of New York. There were a number of swimmers who did the double with the premiere Liberty Island Swim on Friday and this swim on Saturday. If the schedule is the same next year, its a great swimming weekend.
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