It was a last minute decision for most of us, and some of us are still wondering why in the world did I agree to this especially after swimming only 3 times in the last year, one week prior to the race, having never swam open water before. You can tell which one of us is a real planner :)
The water temperature was a cool 18 and it was a slightly sunny, breezy, and wavy day. The parents were out having a grand time, there was live music and a barbecue going. And hot chocolate. Lots of hot chocolate. And blankets. The sun was really shining before the race and again right after. Go figure eh!?!?!?! Thems the breaks...."This 3:04" aka "This Kayla" (#04) placed 33rd overall, 5th in the Female Under 19 category, and 19th in gender with a time of 1:17.05. Awesome girl you are soooo tough! She was the first one from the group to go in to get acclimated to the water temperature before the race and pumped us all up! She was also the one shivering the most afterwards! :)
Jenna P. (#271), fresh off a wondrous vacation in the Bahamas, gave it her all. Unfortunately due to the last minute nature of entering the race combined with the timing of her vacation, she wasn't able to do any specific training for the event- which adds to the magnitude of her accomplishment. I am so proud! She placed 65th overall, 6th in the Female Under 19 category--the youngest swimmer to complete the 3.8km race, and 36th in the gender category with a time of 1:34.24! What a beast eh? I paced with her the whole time and then she just had to go ahead and speed up at the finish and beat me. Grr. Just wait until next practice girl, I'll get you my pretty... :)
And then there was me, #211. With a time of _:__.__ (Ok, I can't lie- 1:34.36), I came in a bold 66th place, 13th in my "___" age category, [Ok ok I am not lying just pleading the 5th :) ], and 37th in the gender category. It wasn't a "race" for me, it was a "please-survive-and-don't-embarrass-yourself" expedition :) I have never swallowed so much icky water in my life (the water wasn't that bad, just churned up due to the weather conditions), and I didn't expect to feel a little motion sickness while swimming. Thanks waves. Lake Ontario, don't expect to get a Christmas card from me this year mister. Just the fruitcake. Next year I want to bring my dog :) Why didn't I write this blurb in the white font?
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| Training for the big race was SOOO fun :) |
When you get out of water that cold after being in it so long, your body is shivering, legs are wobbly, you have a headache and it's hard to visually focus for a few minutes let alone speak properly... and you are hungry! Plus the air is so cold you almost want to run back into the water! It would have been nice if they had warm showers nearby! I am so proud of my girls, considering the circumstances, you're amazing for entering and following through!
Honourable mentions:
Annaleise Carr edged out "This 3:04" in 4th place but Annaleise has the advantage of having a tremendous amount of lake swimming experience. Great job, it was a treat to see her swim! (Congratulations on finishing your 75km crossing of Lake Erie, having raised $130,000 for Camp Trillium-you rock!)
For complete results of the race and varying distances, click here: http://www.sportstats.ca/searchResults.xhtml?eventname=Toronto+Island+Lake+Swim
Next summer we are going to actually plan to enter the race and really training for it! Everyone from the team will be welcome to join us for whichever distance they choose to race in, and we will begin in June or July! This will be a fun team event, for those with a brave soul :)
Special thanks again to the supportive parents and family members who made the day really fun & enjoyable. Maybe next year we'll get a few to try the 750m :P
b.
