Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Throughout the calendar year, there are some weeks when open water swimming events simply overwhelm the senses. This week is one of the jam-packed open water periods that kicks off today.
Today, starts off the festivities with speed and color in the beautiful aqua-marine waters of Cancún, Mexico. This morning, a very fast FINA 10 km Marathon Swimming World Cup is held right off the shallow waters of the major resort town on the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea. The race showcases Olympians and world champions like Brian Ryckeman (Belgium), Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria), Ky Hurst (Australia), Spyridon Gianniotis (Greece), Allan do Carmo (Brazil), Igor Chervynskiy (Ukraine), Rostislav Vitek (Czech Republic), Igor Snitko (Ukraine), and Jose Hervas (Spain).
Additionally, female superstars like Swann Oberson (Switzerland), Martina Grimaldi (Italy), Angela Maurer (Germany), Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), Olga Beresnyeva (Ukraine), Erika Villaecija (Spain) and Jana Pechanova (Czech Republic) will be competing.
Two days later on Thursday, the Mexican Swimming Federation follows up with another fast, competitive field in the 15 km FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix on the same course in Cancún.
On Friday, April 27th, the Americans face off with each other at the Open Water Swimming Festival in Miromar Lakes in Fort Myers. The multi-race event on the western shores of Florida offers race for age-group swimmers, adult / masters swimmers and the very fastest elite swimmers of America. On Friday morning, there will be a much-anticipated showdown where only the top two women will be selected to represent the United States of America in the Olympic 10 km qualification swim. With a lifetime of dreams are on the line, Ashley Twichell, Christine Jenning, Haley Anderson, Eva Fabian, Emily Brunemann and Becca Mann will be in the mix in a hard-fought, high-pressure 6-loop race.
The American men’s national championship race will follow the women’s race on Friday.
Then just up north in Atlanta, the dozens of race directors for the wildly successful Swim Across America will have their annual summit where they will plan even greater expansion of their domestic series that has raised over US$40,000,000 for cancer research.
And then the weekend activities really starts to pick up the H2Open Day in England on Saturday, April 28th. H2Open Magazine will celebrate and announce the Charity Swim of the Year (2swim4life, Channelling Positivity, David Walliams , Roger Allsopp), the International Swim of the Year (2011 European Open Water Swimming Junior Championships at Navia, Spain, Lorne Pier to Pub Swim in Australia, Rottnest Channel Swim in Australia, Hellespont in Turkey), the Best UK Event (British Long Distance Swimming Association 2-Way Windermere, Bridge to Bridge Henley to Marlow, River Thames, British Gas Great British Swim Series, Dart 10km), Coach of the Year (Bernd Berkhahn, Dan Bullock, Kari Furre, Paul Newsome), the nnovation of the Year (AquaPulse Waterproof Heart Rate Monitor from FINIS, Queenford Lake Relays, Swimovate Poolmate, Zoggs Predator Flex – Polarized), the Inspirational Swim of the Year (David Walliams, Diana Nyad, Roger Allsopp, Windermere 12-way Warriors), the Open Water Ambassador of the Year (Colin Hill, Kate Rew, Steven Munatones, Thomas Noblett), and the Open Water Swimmer of the Year (Forrest Nelson , Oliver (Ollie) Wilkinson , Roger Allsopp , Stephen Redmond ).
In Florida, the Crippen Sunset Mile celebrates the life and legacy of Fran Crippen is a beautiful tribute to a man who legacy will forever shine over the sport of open water swimming.
Across the pond, there is also the new Ibiza Ultra Team that includes the 10.6 km Vuelta A S’Espalmador and the 5.3 km Vuelta A Es Pas in Formentera in the Balaeric Islands, Spain.
Then on the other side of the world is the Tri Master Sprint Distance in the Philippines, the Kapas Marang Swimathon on Kapas Island in Pantai Peranginan Kelulut, Malaysia, the stunningly spectacular 5 km Coogee-Bondi in New South Wales, Australia, the 2 km coastal South Curl Curl Ocean Swim, and the 3.8 km Kings of the Coast Ocean Swim Festival as part of the Queensland Ocean Swim Series.
Australia, America, Mexico, Spain, the Philippines, Malaysia, England…and many other places between, it is one great week on the world’s waterways.
Copyright © 2012 by World Open Water Swimming Association