Swimming in Lake Tahoe was on my bucket list, and completing a 2.4 mile swim as the only female finisher was beyond my wildest dreams! The race was part of Big Blue Adventure’s Sierra Open Water Swim Series, which took place on Saturday, June 16 in Tahoe City just off of Commons Beach.
The evening before the race a swim clinic was held so that the race director could review the course with us and to give us an opportunity to swim. The water temperature that day was reported to be around 60F. I met a woman from Boston, Polly Madding, who was also swimming the 2.4 mile event. We did a short swim together in wetsuits, and then took them off and went in again (very briefly!) I’ve been in the Pacific without a wetsuit at 58F, but Lake Tahoe seemed my colder. Perhaps seeing the snow covered mountains in the distance changes one’s perception of temperature.
By Saturday morning, the water temperature had dropped to 52F and it was quite windy, with the air temperature also in the 50s. I wore a long sleeve Blue Seventy Reaction wetsuit and gloves. I’d never done a swim longer than a mile in that temperature and I was concerned about my fingers going numb. All but a few also wore wetsuits. I’m not sure how many participants there were, but there appeared to be at least 50.
There was a quick race briefing to explain the course: left at 1st buoy, left at 2nd buoy, left at 3rd buoy, right at 4th buoy, come out at beach, walk a short distance back to the start, then do it again. I got in the water before the start and was suprised how much colder and choppier it was than the previous evening!
The race started at 9 AM, with the 1.2 and 2.4 mile swimmers going off at the same time. Lake Tahoe is at 6225′ elevation, and I’m used to swimming at 5400′; but, between the cold and the higher elevation, I had a difficult time getting my breath for the first 500 yards.
Toward the end of my first loop I couldn’t see but a few swimmers in the water. Alastair was at the beach when I came out and I asked him if I was last at that point. He said no, and that I was ahead of my anticipated time at the half.
Despite seeing some people ahead me drop out of the race, I started my second loop, swimming into the wind and chop, and barely able to see the first buoy. I was very cold, but I didn’t feel in danger of hypothermia – my hands weren’t numb, I could mouth words, and I didn’t feel disoriented. I was determined to keep going even if I was the last person over the finish line.
The “easiest” section was between the 1st and 2nd buoys – I felt like I had some assistance from the current and wind. The rest of it was very hard work! No doubt, this was the toughest swim I’ve done so far. After I rounded the last buoy, I had 2 kayakers flanking me and spoke to one of them, mostly so he would know I was OK.
When I came out of the water and crossed the finish line I had no idea how many had finished. Alastair was waiting on the beach with Polly and her family, and he explained that most swimmers dropped after the first loop or before, and most that attempted the second loop quickly dropped out, too.
The awards ceremony only mentioned the top 3 swimmers in each event, so I was still unsure of the results. I went up to the race director to ask about my age group results and he told me I was first. It wasn’t until I asked him to confirm that he meant the 60-64 age group that he said, “You were the only female to complete the 2.4, and there were only 3 men that finished. 90% of participants dropped out.” I was shocked!
Even though the awards ceremony was over, the race photographer and Alastair took some photos of me on the podium. Being the last one over the finish line has never been so gratifying! My official time was 1:19:14.
My Garmin data from the race