Winning World-class Workouts

We had the opportunity to ask many of the world's best pool and open water swimmers what their most difficult practice was before the RCP Tiburon Mile this year. They gave us some insight into the incredible amount of hard work these young athletes do in order to become world-class. Here is a sampling of their workouts (all in 50-meter pool unless indicated):

Olympian and world 5K champion Melissa Gorman: 3000 + 2000 + 1000 @ 1:10 pace

Waikiki Roughwater Swim champion Luane Rowe: 10 x 800, descend 1-5

Olympic gold medalist and MythBuster Nathan Adrian: annual 24,000-yard practice on New Year's Day. "We did all kinds of stuff that took 6-7 hours total."

Olympic gold medalist Caroline Burckle: 20 x 400 every other 400 fast

World 25K champion Brendan Capell: 21 x 500 alternating 1 @ 6:10 + 1 @ 6:00 + 1 @ 5:50

World 5K and 10K champion Vladimir Dyatchin: 10 x 2500 @ 1:10 pace per 100-meter interval

World 5K and 10K silver medalist Ekaterina Seliverstova (shown above): 6 x 2000 @ 1:13 pace per 100 meters + 10 x 1000

World championship swimmer Eva Fabian: 50 x 100 @ 1:10 in 25-yard pool + 1-hour for time (did 5700 yards). Other tough workout was 2000 (descend each 500) + 3 x 500 + 2 x 100 + 2000 (descend each 500) + 3 x 500 + 2 x 100 + 2000 (descend each 500) + 3 x 500 + 2 x 100

Pan American Games medalist and RCP Tiburon Mile founder Bob Placak: 10 x 500 with last 500-yard swim at 4:33

2-time Waikiki Roughwater Swim champion and world 25K silver medalist Trent Grimsey: 15 x 500 @ 5:40, descend 1-3 (last set of 3 was 5:12, 5:10, 5:05)

Olympic gold medalist Ous Mellouli: 100 x 100, "done in high school in France on a crazy interval"

All-American J.K. Koehler: 30 x 1000 @ 11:30 interval (in a 25-yard pool) that "took 7 hours by myself, but I did it again in college with some teammates"

Olympian and world 5K bronze medalist Chloe Sutton: 30 x 100 @ 1:15 averaging 1:05-1:06 per 100 meters

RCP Tiburon Mile champion Kane Radford: 10,000 swim for time

These practices remind us of the tough workouts that 7-time world professional marathon swimming champion Paul Asmuth did at Mission Viejo Nadadores under coach Mark Schubert and the famously tough individual medley workouts that Olympic silver medalist Allison Wagner used to do.

Photo of Ekaterina Seliverstova by Daylife Publishers.

Australians Sweep Waikiki Roughwater Swim

After swimming on the winning teams in the Maui Channel Swim, Trent Grimsey and Luane Rowe, both of Australia, moved to Oahu and defended their Waikiki Roughwater Swim titles yesterday, Hawaii with winning times of 42:20 and 47:21 respectively.

They are now both headed to San Francisco to see if they can continue their streak at the RCP Tiburon Mile. Olympic 1500-meter gold medalist and world champion Ous Mellouli, who has been thinking about getting into open water swimming, will give Trent a good run for his money.

With Trent and Luane's victories, the Australians have won from coast-to-coast this year in America with the top three finishers at the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim also from Australia.

Race of Champions

Trent Grimsey of Australia took a gamble and surprised an amazing field of Olympic and world champions at the 9th annual RCP The exuberance of the Olympic medalists is a joy to see.

Swimming by himself, far to the left of the main pack, Grimsey won by 14 seconds in 20:31 over Olympic 10K bronze medalist Thomas Lurz and world open water champion Vladimir Dyatchin.

Grimsey went stage left right from the start and proceeded on his own line across the 1.2-mile channel from Angel Island to the City of Tiburon just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The lead pack with Lurz, Dyatchin, Brendan Capell of Australia and Oussama Mellouli, the 1500 gold medalist, took a different line across the channel, all drafting and jostling with each other, but they couldn’t chase down the lone-swimming Grimsey.

“I didn’t second-guess myself and once I went for it, I was committed to my plan,” said Trent factually and confidently.

Grimsey, who similarly dominated the 2008 Tiburon Mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, is also a great pool swimmer with a best time of 15:12 in the 1500-meter freestyle. “I decided to swim wide and go to the left [of the other swimmers] because I breathe to my right and I wanted to see the field. I basically went fast the entire race.”

The women's race was much different with the women close to one another. "I could see all my competitors and knew where they were," said world 25K open water champion Britta Kamrau. Kamrau reached the shoreline together with two-time world open water silver medalist Ekaterina Seliverstova of Russia. As they both ran up the beach, Kamrau was just a step ahead. “I am not good at running and I have never done a race where there is a run at the finish. I just put one step ahead of the other and beat [Seliverstova].”

Kirsten Groome of Louisiana and Luane Rowe of Sydney followed closely behind the top two women to take third and fourth respectively.

As the open water world looks to the 2012 London Olympics, the importance of swimming fast in cold water is key. At 63°F (17°C), the Tiburon Mile provides great preparation.

More comprehensive coverage and additional photos and results will be provided by Swimming World Magazine and the Morning Swim Show.
The top 30 overall swimmers are as follows:

1. Trent Grimsey in 20:31
2. Thomas Lurz in 20:45
3. Vladimir Dyatchin in 20:46
4. Brendan Capell in 20:47
5. Oussama Mellouli in 20:52
6. Andrew Beato in 21:14
7. Charles Cullom in 21:16
8. John K. Koehler in 21:37
9. Charles Peterson in 21:44
10. Aljaz Ojstersek in 21:46
11. Britt Kamrau in 21:48 [first woman]
12. Ekaterina Seliverstova in 21:49 [second woman]
13. Kirsten Groome in 21:54 [third woman]
14. Luane Rowe in 21:57 [fourth woman]
15. Alex Kostich in 21:59
16. Eva Fabian in 22:00 [fifth woman]
17. Dawn Heckman in 22:00 [sixth woman]
18. Chloe Sutton in 22:01 [seventh woman]
19. Noa Sakamoto in 22:09
20. Charlie Rimkus in 22:09
21. Steffan Troxel in 22:10
22. Sergiy Fesenko in 22:30
23. Angela Duckworth in 22:34
24. Erik Vendt in 22:37
25. John Flanagan in 22:39
26. Isaac Howell in 22:42
27. Madison Livingston in 22:45
28. Gary Wright in 22:46
29. Brock Redondo in 22:51
30. Evgeny Bezruchenko in 22:59

Photo copyright by Elliott copyright. Used by permission. Photo shows the different colored caps of the elite swimmers.

Copyright © 2008 by Open Water Source

Ous Against The World

Who are better race car drivers: NASCAR or Formula One drivers? Who are better pilots: helicopter or jet pilots? Who can throw a ball better: quarterbacks or pitchers?

The swimming world has a similar issue - who is better in the water: pool or open water swimmers?

It is clear that the world's best marathon swimmers cannot beat world's best pool swimmers in the pool...and the reverse is generally true.*

But, the Tiburon Mile may be the best venue to determine the world's best athlete in the water. The race is not a marathon swim (i.e., over 10K), so the advantage does not go to pure open water swimmers. The race is not in a pool, so the advantage does not go to pool swimmers. Rather the distance and venue is a good compromise between pool and marathon swimming.

So, who might be the favorite in Tiburon Mile this Sunday? Smart money is on Oussama Mellouli, the 2008 Olympic 1500-meter gold medalist.

But, as many open water swimmers know, there are no lanes no lines, no walls..and no mercy.

The $10,000 winner-take-all cash prize is incentive enough, but the pride of beating Olympic medalists and world champions from 20 different countries may be the bigger honor.

Founded in 1999 by Robert C. Placak, the RCP Tiburon Mile annually attracts a wide range of swimmers between the ages of 13 and 80, but the eyes of the media and fans that line the banks of San Francisco Bay are on the elite competitors.

As a great tribute to his vision and passion for the sport, Placak has not only developed a well-deserved reputation for organizing the world’s most competitive open water race, but he has also helped raise over US$650,000 for local charities, including this year’s beneficiaries, Hospice By The Bay and the Special Olympics RCP Tiburon Mile.

Mellouli, the 2007 world champion in the 800-meter freestyle and 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the third-fastest time ever, will be facing a tough crowd, including:

• Andrew Beato, an Australian World Championship Open Water Team 5K specialist
• Evgeni Bezruchenko, Russian-born 2001 gold medalist at the World Championships in the 10K Open Water Swim and member of the 2007 Maui Channel Open Water Swim winning team and 2008 Trans Tahoe Swim winning team
• Brendan Capell, 2004 25K World Champion, 2007 2nd place RCP Tiburon Mile and highly ranked FINA World Cup and Grand Prix competitor
• Vladimir Dyatchin, Swimming World Magazine’s 2007 Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year, winner of the 2006 and 2007 RCP Tiburon Mile, multiple 10K World Champion
• Eva Fabian, 15-year-old who placed 2nd in 2008 USA Swimming National 10K Open Water Championships
• Sergey Fesenko, from the Ukraine, a three-time FINA World Cup medalist, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Team member, and 5-time NCAA All-American, 4th place in 2006 RCP Tiburon Mile and son of 1980 Olympic gold medalist Sergey Fesenko, Sr.
• John Flanagan, 4th at the 2001 World Open Water Championships and member of the 2006 and 2007 champion Maui Channel Open Water Swim team and 2004 Waikiki Roughwater Swim Champion
• Trent Grimsey, world-class Australian pool and open water swimmer and overwhelming winner of the 2008 Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• Kirsten Groome, 2006 USA Swimming 5K national champion and top 5K and 10K open water specialist
• Dawn Heckman, 14-time NCAA All-American, 1999 and 2000 Pan Pacific gold and bronze medalist and winner of the 2008 La Jolla Rough Water Swim
• Britta Kamrau-Corestein, multiple-time world and European champion in the 5K, 10K and 25K
• J.K. Koehler, Jr., NCAA 1650-yard freestyle finalist, Olympic Trials 1500-meter finalist, member of 2008 RCP Tiburon Milers’ Trans Tahoe Swim winning team
• Annika Lurz, German silver medalist in the 2005 100-meter freestyle world championships, silver medalist in the 2007 200 freestyle world championships
• Thomas Lurz, multi-time world and European 5K and 10K champion, placed 2nd in 2006 RCP Tiburon Mile after a photo finish with Vladimir Dyatchin, won the 2005 and 2006 World Open Water Swimmer of the Year and bronze medalist in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
• Chip Peterson, gold medalist in the 10K and silver medalist in the 5K at the 2005 World Swimming Championships, gold medalist in the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships 10K, 2007 USA Swimming 5K national champion
• Erica Rose, 1998 world 5K champion, member of six World Championship teams, on the US National Team for the past eleven years, holds nine national titles and voted USA Open Water Swimmer of the Year four times
• Luane Rowe, Australian winner of the 2008 Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• Noa Sakamoto, 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 200 and 400 freestyle, 2007 Waikiki Roughwater Swim champion and member of the 2006 and 2007 champion RCP Tiburon Milers Maui Channel Open Water Swim team and 2008 RCP Tiburon Milers Trans Tahoe Swim winning team
• Ekaterina Seliverstova, Russian silver medalist in 2007 and 2008 5K World Open Water Championships
• Chloe Sutton, 16-year-old winner of the 2006 and 2007 Tiburon Mile, two-time USA Swimming national 10K champion, 10K gold medalist in the 2007 Pan American Games and 3rd-place finisher in the Olympic Trials 800-meter freestyle
• Steffan Troxel, a Scholastic All-American and a NCAA qualifier in the 1650 from Indiana University
• Eric Vendt, 2000 and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the 400-meter individual medley, American record-holder in the 1500-meter freestyle (short course), holder of six U.S. National titles and member of 2008 Olympic Team

Additionally, members of the University of New Mexico, University of the Pacific, Stanford University and Cal Berkeley swim teams and Special Olympians from Ireland, Trinidad and across the USA are scheduled to compete.

On the media front, four-time Olympic gold medalist John Naber, three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, Olympian skier Jonny Moseley and Lauren Costella will provide live race commentary in a special Comcast Sports Net broadcast in November.

Swimming World Magazine will cover the star-studded event in print and online with real-time updates provided by Twitter (by Steven Munatones).

9:00 am PT on Sunday, October 5th – catch it online, on your mobile phone, in print and on TV.

Photo of Sara McLarty, 2004 Tiburon Mile winner.

"Next Grant Hackett" Wins Waikiki Roughwater Swim

19-year-old Australian Trent Grimsey, who swam a 15:12.36 1500-meter freestyle at the 2008 Australian Olympic Swimming Trials, has found his niche in the Pacific, as he dominated the 39th annual Waikiki Roughwater Swim. Earlier this year, Grimsey also won the 2008 Oceania 10K Open Water Championships earlier this year in New Zealand.

Grimsey led a 1-2-3 Australian sweep in the men's race, winning the swim across Waikiki in 47 minutes 59 seconds. Grimsey took off from the start and won going away. "I kept looking around, thinking I went off course."

"Trent could be [Australia's] next Grant Hackett," said distant second-place Josh Minogue finisher. "He's really good. This is not surprising to us to see him that far ahead."

Brendan Capell placed third with a time of 52:27. John Flanagan of Honolulu was fourth in 53:45, Alex Kostich of California was fifth in 52:54, and defending champion Noa Sakamoto of Honolulu was sixth in 53:12.

Similarly, Luane Rowe from Sydney convincingly won the women's division, finishing eighth overall and more than eight minutes ahead of the second-place woman. "It's hard not to get distracted. The water is so clear, and you can see all the fish."

"The Australians were very, very impressive," Flanagan said. "Two of the guys just took off in the beginning, and I knew there was no way to catch them."

The other 740 swimmers from around the world who finished the race also thought so.

Photo of Waikiki Roughwater Swim wave starts from Swim Without Borders.