On July 18th, there were 336 teams of six swimmers who competed in the annual 15.5 km Trans Tahoe Relay in Northern California’s Lake Tahoe from Sand Harbor Beach in the state of Nevada to Skylandia Beach in the state of California. The race is held at 1,897 meters (6,224 feet) and while many of the swimmers come year after year, there are always new teams with newbies who participate.
One such team was High Sierra with Dylan Hagglund, Vince Bruzzone, David Horn, Sean Lukins, Donald Ongaro, and Jordan Hagglund [shown above]. The team of Millennials and Generation Z’ers enjoyed themselves.
36-year-old David Horn said, “Our team has a mixed swimming background and came from a variety of professional backgrounds. I only began swimming regularly in my 30s. Some on our team, like me, have no competitive swimming background, and only took up swimming on a regular basis well after college. Others grew up competing on club and high school teams.
My desire to swim in the open water came following several years of growing comfortable in the pool. I wanted to challenge myself by completing a triathlon, which required branching out into open water swimming. Open watering swimming requires a different approach and mindset than pool swimming, which helps keep me motivated.
I was fortunate to be invited to join High Sierra’s 2026 Trans Tahoe Relay Team by team captain Vince Bruzzone. Vince first formed his team several years ago. Growing up, Vince and his family would vacation in Tahoe. Each summer, they would see boats gather at Sand Harbor Beach and travel slowly with swimmers to Skylandia Beach. The event seemed like an exciting and unique opportunity for someone like Vince, who loves spending time in Lake Tahoe. As Vince became a more avid swimmer in his adulthood, he decided to recruit his own team to compete in the annual event.
A spot opened up on the team this year, and Captain Bruzzone gave me the call. For me, the invitation to compete seemed like a wonderful opportunity to take a trip to Lake Tahoe with my family and to test my abilities as a swimmer. We were graciously hosted by another member of the relay team and his family. Overall, it was a fantastic family weekend.
2026 Trans Tahoe Relay
Horn continued his description, “The race day conditions could not have been better. The sun came out shortly into the race, with temperatures reaching the high 70s and low 80s. The water must have been in the low 60s. It felt very refreshing, given the heat. The water was deep blue and crystal clear. As a bonus, a bit of rain during our 6:30am boat ride to the starting line brought a massive rainbow to the beautiful Lake Tahoe sky.
The race was both fun and competitive. Some teams were clearly there to win, while others adorned their boats with goofy inflatables. As for High Sierra, our ultimate goals were to have fun and complete the race. Three of our six swimmers, including myself, were rookies to the event, so finishing was a big accomplishment for us. We got to know one another and enjoy this one-of-a-kind event.
“We finished 71 out of 79 in the Open Division with a 15-minute improvement from the team’s 2025 finish time.“
First-time Impressions
Horn said, “My advice for a first-time swimmer in the Trans Tahoe Relay would be to develop a training regime several months prior to the event and stick to it. You can’t recreate the atmosphere of the event, but you can prepare yourself for the swim. I completed my first Olympic-distance triathlon in April, which helped. I continued training in preparation for the Tahoe Relay, swimming 2-3 times per week. As the event drew nearer, I tried to get in as many long course swims as I could, which I think helped. Try to mix in a few open water swims if you can as well.
[But], the altitude dimension of the race should not be taken lightly. This is especially important for the first leg of the relay, which is a 30-minute swim. I’m not an expert, but I can say I did at least try to prepare for it in several ways. We arrived in Tahoe on Thursday, which gave me a couple of days to acclimate before the race on Saturday. I made sure to drink lots of water in the days before and during the race. At the advice of a friend, I even drank some beet juice before the race.
I also made sure to eat a small breakfast the morning of the race, and I brought snacks onto the boat as well. Overall, I think if you prepare for the swim itself, it might make it easier to gameplan for the altitude once you’re in Tahoe.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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