The  Naples Island Swim in Long Beach, California had peaked with popularity in 1970 with 700 total swimmers.

With its annual race tomorrow, event director Greg Shea announced that 711 swimmers have already entered the race that started in 1903, 119 years ago.

Shea explains, “This event has been going on in many different configurations and held by many organizations over the last century and a bit. The Long Beach Century Club, The Long Beach Grunions, Beach Swim Team, and the Queen Mum of our Event, Lucy Johnson, have all carried the baton to keep this Long Beach Tradition alive.”

Why is this local race important? It not only keeps a local tradition alive, but it is also an excellent training ground for volunteers four years in the future.

2028 Los Angeles Olympic 10K Marathon Swim

Many, if not most, of these volunteers will play key roles in planning, executing, and/or volunteering for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim to be held in Long Beach at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

With the event slated to be held on a 4-loop 2.5 km rectangular course on Alamitos Beach in Long Beach, the race promises to be lightning fast. The water will be warm (20-22°C). The water will be glassy flat and, most likely, the most tranquil Olympic marathon swim in history, especially if the event is held in the early morning hours.

Alamitos Beach sits behind the the Long Beach Breakwater, a long protective seawall that prevents ocean waves to hit the shoreline. The U.S. Navy moved to the Port of Long Beach in 1940 and used the breakwaters for military purposes.

Photos of the Long Beach Breakwater by Brian Addison.

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