The water temperature at the start of Day Three of the 2024 SCAR Swim Challenge was expected to be cold’ish near the dam of Apache Lake – and it was: 12°C (54°F). No surprise there.

The winds were also expected to gust, but it was tougher than expected. The day at the office for these SCAR swimmers was not easy at all – especially for their kayakers.

With oncoming wind gusts up to 37 knots (or 43.5 mph or 68.5 kph) across the lake, swirling all over the lake led to no relief in sight at times.

Escort kayaker Chris Morgan said, “During the last two SCARs, I have found it easier to kayak near the shore when the winds pick up on Apache, especially after the marina (the halfway point of the 22.8 km course), but the winds and waves today were relentless from shore to shore. So I decided to take [65-year-old] Antonio [Argüelles] – who is planning on a double crossing of the English Channel this summer right down the middle of Apache – into the belly of the beast.

In response, Argüelles admitted, “The swim was not easy, but it was very good preparation for the Channel. I knew that kayaking was very difficult today for Chris and everyone.”

The final results [see below] showed the effects of the brutal 37-knot wind gusts. According to the Beaufort Wind Force Scale, it was an 8 – gale force winds (see here). How strong were the winds at times? Winds during a Small Craft Advisory are typically running up to 33 knots – and winds howling across Apache Lake yesterday were stronger than 33 knots.

Andrew Wallace, Cecelia Wigal, Dana Price, Gina Harden, Jamie Tout, Jennifer Dutton, Mike Gregory, Robin Batchelor, Terri Dietz, and Tom Linthicum were among the swimmers who DNF’ed – and these swimmers are not rookies, they are hardened proven marathon swimmers.

Race director Kent Nicholas said the winds have never been tougher. “Sometimes, there is a tailwind on Apache. Sometimes, we fight the headwind. Today, was a fight.

It was a big day on Apache with a headwind that made it difficult for paddlers to stay with their swimmer. Thunderstorms threaten the finish, but we beat it to the finish.  Big nod of tenacity to Carol Wortman, Shelley Stewart and Marnie Whitley who saw it to the end.  Big props to everyone on the paddle.”

The race is on and the excitement is building for the final swim in Roosevelt Lake. Nicholas described what to expect on the 10 km night swim of Day Four, “Jay Eckert from Florida making a move on Nikko Price.  Lorelei Schmidt continues to swim strong and Taylor Stallings-Pinnick from Florida crushes Apache.   The SCAR Swim has never been closer: Nikko with a cumulative time of 12 hours 52 minutes leads Jay at 12 hours 53 minutes by only a minute and change after three lakes. On the female side, 15-year-old Lorelei Schmidt from North Carolina is holding on to her lead as Taylor Stallings-Pinnick from Florida is gearing up for the last swim at Roosevelt.”

Apache Lake Finishers

1. Jay Eckert, Florida 6:16:05.9
2. Nikko Price, New York 6:22:09.2
3. David McGlynn, Wisconsin 6:34:46.9
4. Steve Leitch, South Carolina 7:06:56.9
5. Lorelei Schmidt, North Carolina 7:07:26.8
6. James McDonald, California 7:16:03.6
7. Taylor Stallings-Pinnick, Florida 7:16:36.2
8. Steven Sherry, Arizona 7:17:08.8
9. Erica S. Esterly, Arizona 7:38:27.2
10. Emily Lane, Colorado 7:43:49.5
11. Allison Crush, Tennessee 7:49:53.0
12. Malena Hankins, Georgia 7:55:37.6
13. Grabriela Rojas Molina, Venezuela 8:00:30.2
14. Mary Singer, Washington 8:24:24.4
15. Sara Stevenson, South Carolina 8:28:28.5
16. Eric Kinney, California 8:46:29.8
17. Lars Durban, Washington 8:57:36.1
18. Eric Durban, Washington 8:57:36.2
19. Bradley Lundblad, California 9:10:17.0
20. Erika Gliebe, California 9:12:29.0
21. Peter Hayden, California 9:21:43.4
22. Antonio Argüelles, Mexico 9:28:02.6
23. Carol Wortman, Maryland 10:30:39.3
24. Shelley Stewart, Florida 10:51:07.1
25. Marnie Whitley, Arizona 11:26:10.3
26. Mackenzie Thomas, California 11:54:04.1 [wetsuit]
27. Andrew Wallace, New Jersey DNF
28. Cecelia Wigal, Tennessee DNF
29. Dana Price, Arizona DNF
30. Gina Harden, Florida DNF
31. Jamie Tout, Texas DNF
32. Jennifer Dutton, Florida DNF
33. Mike Gregory, Australia DNF
34. Robin Batchelor, North Carolina DNF
35. Terri Dietz, Hawaii DNF
36. Tom Linthicum, California DNF

2024 Swimmer List:

1. Allison Crush
2. Andrew Wallace – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2022 SCAR veteran
3. Antonio Argüelles – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – Oceans Seven swimmer and Triple Crown veteran
4. Bradley Lundblad – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023 SCAR veteran
5. Carol Wortman – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
6. Cecelia Wigal – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
7. Dana Price – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2022 SCAR veteran
8. David McGlynn
9. Edie Markovich – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2021 SCAR veteran
10. Emily Lane – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
11. Eric Durban – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2022 SCAR veteran
12. Eric Kinney
13. Erica Esterly – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
14. Erika Gliebe
15. Gina Harden – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2021 SCAR veteran
16. Grabriela Rojas Molina
17. Heather Fairbanks – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
18. James McDonald – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
19. Jamie Tout – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2016, 2018, 2021 SCAR veteran
20. Janelle Westfall
21. Janet Craig – 2023 SCR veteran
22. Jay Eckert
23. Jennifer Dutton – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2019, 2023 SCAR veteran
24. Jennifer Irwin
25. Jennifer Murphy
26. Jennifer Whitlock – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
27. John Collins
28. Julia Ver Voort
29. Kerston Corns
30. Kristiana E Fox – 2023 SCAR veteran
31. Lars Durban – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2022 SCAR veteran
32. Laura Ruberto
33. Lorelei Schmidt – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
34. Mackenzie Thomas
35. Madison Carioty
36. Malena Hankins – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
37. Marnie Whitley – 2021, 2022 SCAR veteran
38. Mary Singer – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
39. Marysue Balazic – 2023 SCAR veteran
40. Melissa Housmyer – 2023 SCAR veteran
41. Michelle Squyer – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2019 and 2020 SCAR veteran
42. Mike Gregory – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – Triple Crown veteran
43. Mike Healey – 2022, 2023 SCAR veteran
44. Nikko Price – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
45. Paul Valitutto – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
46. Peter Hayden – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 SCAR veteran
47. Rob Forst – 2022, 2023 SCAR veteran
48. Robin Batchelor – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
49. Sara Stevenson
50. Sara Wolf – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
51. Shelley Stewart – see MSF marathon swimming resume here
52. Sophia Bouhaddou
53. Stefan Reinke – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023 SCAR vetera
54. Steven Sherry – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2023 SCAR veteran
55. Taylor Stallings-Pinnick – 2023 SCAR veteran
56. Terri Dietz
57. Tom Linthicum – see MSF marathon swimming resume here – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 SCAR veteran
58. William Polson
59. Steve Moby Leitch – see MSF marathon swimming resume here

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com. For additional photos and information, visit Facebook here.

MSF = Marathon Swimmers Federation (see here).

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline”