Grace van der Byl did it again at the S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge on Day Three. She dominated, not unexpectedly, the most difficult stage of the 4-day marathon – a tough, cold 17-miler (27.3 km) in Apache Lake.

Just finishing over 5 hours, she separated herself by 20 minutes over the field.

But everyone who swam had to dig deep as they faced relentless 20-30 mph wind gusts and 62ºF (16.6ºC) water.

As the course winded it way through the dramatic landscape, the swimmers and kayakers were slapped silly with a constant, chilly reminder that the Apache Lake stage is only for the tough-minded and those who could swim what was perceived to be upstream.

But the field was able to sleep in for today, a brief respite before the final assault of Roosevelt Lake. “We will start at twilight and swim the final 10 km,” explains David Barra. “The water should be warmer – like in the low 70s they say – but the highlight of the night will definitely be [race director] Kent Nicholas‘ glow-in-the-dark swimsuit. His son made it for his fourth grade science project so we are all looking forward to that.”

Swimming under the stars in warm, clear water, among the stars of marathon swimming, should make for a grand night on Roosevelt Lake in the Arizona desert..

Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association