While organized and competitive stage swims in lakes, rivers, and oceans are now de jour across the global open water swimming map, from the SCAR Swim Challenge in Arizona to the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim in New York and the Au I Na Mokupuni Ekolu Endurance Challenge Invitational in Hawaii, the Tex Robertson Highland Lakes Challenge was the first known competitive stage swim in the United States.

The 3-day, 3-lake stage swim started in 2007. Now on its 15th edition, the event is held in the beautiful hill country of central Texas, organized by 3-time 1972 Olympic gold medalist Sandy Neilson.

The Weekend Warrior Challenge includes the following 3 stage races:

• Friday, October 25th: 5 km Tex’s Darn Challenge in Inks Lake
• Saturday, October 26th: 3.5 km LBJ Loop or a 2 km short LBJ Loop in Lake LBJ
• Sunday, October 27th: 5.5 km Swim the Canyon in Marble Falls

Single Stage Warrior Swims are also available.

Neilson says, “One thing I love about hosting events is the camaraderie within the group of swimmers, paddlers, volunteers & hosts.  It’s wonderful to see the fastest swimmers wait around and cheer in all the other swimmers to the race’s end.  We really enjoy each day we can spend together around the water with these special people.

While we are usually greeted by a serene glassy lake in the morning, it is not unusual for conditions to change and for swimmers to be additionally challenged by wind, rough waters, currents or dropping temperatures on top of the race distance.  The course does not always parallel the shore and Mother Nature, as a reminder, can sometimes be unforgiving.  It is not for the casual swimmer.”

As an example of the Uncertainty Principle of swimming in the Hill Country of Central Texas (near Austin), the water temperature at the Tex Robertson Highland Lakes Challenge can range from a low of 65°F to a high of 81°F (18° – 27°C).

Co-founders Keith Bell and Sandy Neilson are shown below. They have founded five masters swimming programs in the Austin area, coaching thousands of swimmers together. They have organized and hosted over 100 events over the last 20 years and contributed to over a $1 million dollars worth of fundraising for charities ranging from the Historical Deep Eddy Bathhouse rebuild project and swimming lessons for at-risk children.

For more information, visit the Facebook page here or the Winning Isn’t Normal website page here.

The race is named after Tex Robertson, a Gold Medallion winner of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

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