Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Several athletes flew directly from Kazan, Russia at the 2015 FINA World Championships to Québec, Canada to participate in the 10 km Traversée internationale du lac Mégantic.
The Traversée in lac Mégantic is the only 10 km point-to-point race on the FINA/HOSA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup.
Italian Rachele Bruni, after finishing fourth in the recent World Championships and qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, comfortably won over the rest of the field including World Championship medalist Anna Olasz of Hungary.
The Traversée internationale du lac Mégantic was Bruni’s fourth victory on the 2015 pro circuit after winning the Patagones-Viedma (Argentina), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and Setubal (Portugal) races.
The field was a mix of veterans like 40-year-old German Angela Maurer and Stephanie Horner of Bathurst, Canada. The 26-year-old 2-time Olympian Horner was happy with her result, especially in front of friends and family. “I’m pleased with fifth. Of course, long-term, I hope to improve with that, but I feel like I swam a strong race and I’m a strong swimmer. This race, against this tough field will give me good experience going forward.”
Horner’s transformation to an elite open water swimmer is a great way she can extend her career and utilize her talents. “When I [started swimming at an elite level], I was anti-open water. I’m learning to like it now. I’m learning when to apply the speed and when to go for it. I’ve always had a strong sprint.”
Horner competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 400m individual medley, and the 4x200m freestyle relay. She followed that up at the 2012 London Olympics in the 400m individual medley. Lots of meters, but something different than a 10 km in a lake. “It’s a completely different kind of swimming. It’s aerobic, where indoors is more of a sprint. You have to adapt to the elements out here. Every race is different. There’s strategy and you have to save energy and know when to push and when to fall back.”
Women’s Results:
1. Rachele Bruni (ITA) 2:23:09.00
2. Anna Olasz (HUN) 2:23:42.70
3. Angela Maurer (GER) 2:23:44.10
3. Christine Jennings (USA) 2:23:46.30
5. Stephanie Horner (CAN) 2:24:05.80
6. Jade Dusablon (CAN) 2:24:46.30
7. Astrid Iturbe (VEN) 2:26:35.80
8. Victoria Mock (CAN) 2:28:02.80
9. Sabryna Lavoie (CAN) 2:33:26.60
10. Kaitlin Gervais (CAN) 2:35:20.90
11. Gabrielle Soucisse (CAN) 2:36:58.80
12. Marie-Charlotte Hamel (CAN) 2:41:25.20
13. Rosalie Levesque-Pero (CAN) 2:49:34.40
14. Marie-Laurence Lortie (CAN) 2:49:40.10
The men’s results are here.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association