Sunday, July 5, 2009

Hanging On And Hanging Tough

In the cool 59°F (15°C) waters off the California coast, Olympic 10K swimmer Mark Warkentin won the Rabobank 1-mile Ocean Swim in Santa Barbara.

Mark, focusing on family life with a son expected in a few weeks and coaching a new swim team now, told Blake Dorfman of Presidio Sports, "The next generation of open water swimmers is nipping at my heels. It’s starting to slip. I got so much yardage and training in before the Olympics that I’m still hanging on."

The CIO Solutions 3-mile race will be held today and the Semana Nautica 6-mile race on July 12th which are both part of the Semana Nautica Festival which has been held since 1933.

The summer-time fun-filled festival originated when the locals challenged the crew of five US Navy battleships, moored outside beautiful Santa Barbara, to a series of contests along the beach. Originally called Fleet Week, the festival earned immediate popularity and changed its name to Semana Nautica in honor of the town's Spanish heritage.

Photo from Presidio Sports.

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