Courtesy of Jaimie Monahan, Lac Léman, California.
Inaugural LGSA Classic Swim from Switzerland to France
After three years of organizing 70 km solo and relay challenges across Lac Léman, Ben Barham, Tim Davies, and Charlie Masding of the Lake Geneva Swim Association (LGSA) launched a new event to close its summer season on the lake that borders Switzerland and France.
Re-establishing an international competition that was part of the FINA World Cup circuit in the 1990’s, the LGSA Classic is a beautiful 12 km cross-border swim across Lac Léman from Lausanne to Évian-les-Bains, crossing the Swiss border into France.
Following in the footsteps of renowned professional swimmers like Shelley Taylor-Smith (site of her first world championship title), the Classic is a great test for those wanting a real bite into the world of marathon swimming.
On August 26th, 16 pioneers plunged into the pristine waters near Camping de Vidy in Lausanne on the Swiss side of Lac Leman. The return of the swim was seemingly welcomed by Mother Nature as she rewarded the organizers and swimmers with sunny clear skies, air temperatures of 29°C (84°F) and water temperatures averaging 22°C (72°F). The first finishers were Martyn Webster and Nuala Muir-Cochrane, who, interestingly, swam together at grammar school years ago, but had not seen each other since.
All swimmers, volunteers, and supporters met up at the finish at the Centre Nautique d’Evian-les-Bains on the French side for an awards ceremony complete with commemorative glasses for all swimmers, and a festive after-party on the lake.
Results
1. Martyn Webster 3 hours 50 minutes
2. Nuala Muir-Cochrane 3 hours 55 minutes
3. James Karn 3 hours 57 minutes
4. Valentina Zanotto 4 hours 0 minutes
5. Rachel Doyle 4 hours 16 minutes
6. Joe Patch 4 hours 17 minutes
7. Frazer Cairns 4 hours 34 minutes [wetsuit]
8. Philippe Schenkel 4 hours 41 minutes [wetsuit]
9. Mark Sheridan 4 hours 51 minutes
10. David Josephs 5 hours 2 minutes
11. Tiina Likke 5 hours 26 minutes
12. Peter Rice 6 hours 9 minutes
13. Clarissa Bruce 6 hours 11 minutes
14. Clarissa Vorfeld 6 hours 18 minutes
15. Pauline Barker 6 hours 37 minutes
16. Alexandre Michaux 4 hours 34 minutes (wetsuit, repositioned mid-swim)
Top photo shows David Josephs. Lower photo shows swimmer Clarissa Vorfeld and LGSA Secretary Charlie Masding.
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