Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Winston Crooke is confident…for good reason.
The triathlete and race organizer offers all the benefits and experience of a channel swim without the cold, distance, tidal flow, ocean swells or expenses of the more traditional channel crossings between England and France or Spain and Morocco or Oahu and Molokai.
“I have created the perfect cross channel swim race,” describes Crooke about Swim Nevis and its Nevis to St. Kitts Cross Channel Swim Race. “We have warm, clear, calm seas that presents a difficult and challenging 4 km swim, but it is not crazy hard.”
The cross channel swim between Nevis and St Kitts in the Caribbean Sea can either be competitive or recreational. “It is your choice of two different categories. Plus, we offer clinics and open water training on-site with coaching by International Masters Swimming Hall Of Fame Honoree Karlyn Pipes, British Olympian David Carry and his wife Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medalist Keri-Anne Payne.
A US$1,000 prize is also available for a record-setting swim.
The next crossing will be held on March 26th 2017 on the Caribbean Island of Nevis.
To register, visit here.
Interested swimmers can also download a free guide, Top 10 Tips For Women In An Open Water Race*, here.
Pipes advises newcomers, “Learn to pace. Many swimmers start out WAY too fast at the beginning of a race or training session, and then struggle just to survive.
Teach yourself to slow down. Start out each session with at least 10-15 minutes of warm up at the easiest speed possible. Think about opening up your body like a finely wrapped present. Appreciate the wonderful gift that you are and you will be surprised by the rewards. Warm up is also a great time to practice good technique and relaxed breathing.
Once you have warmed up, gradually build to a faster pace maintaining good technique. In the ocean, I like to mix up my speeds by swimming 30 strokes easy with excellent form, 20 strokes with a more powerful pull, and then 10 strokes SUPER fast! Repeat this 30/20/10 sequence up to four times followed by 100 easy strokes as active recovery.”
* Top 10 Tips For Women In An Open Water Race
1. Take advantage of the draft
2. Wear your goggles under your cap
3. No jewelry
4. No crazy swimwear
5. Don’t shave right before the race
6. Avoid unwanted chafing and skin burn
7. Relax into your stroke
8. Pace yourself
9. Consider growing your nails
10. Carpe Diem
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association