A buddy and I were thinking of doing this next year. I think it always falls around the same time as Eagleman…
I was scouting for some feedback from anyone who’s ever done it… I’ve never swam anywhere near that distance and it intrigues me. At the end of a 1 mile swim, my mind starts to sputter. My brain would probably turn to goo at the end of 4.4!
It’s been about 20 years since I did it last, but as I recall it was a bit choppy, the water smelled of diesel fuel, and the tides could be wicked if they didn’t start you at the right time and you didn’t boogy. Once you get to the SouthEast side of the bridge it gets a lot easier. Most folks who bail do it before that point. -Robert
I did it in 2003. wow - hardest swim i’ve ever done. my arms were jelly at the end (it took me 2:45 and I’m a 1:05 IM swimmer). i would do it again if i could. it’s the same weekend as eagleman (usually same day).
the water does smell a bit like diesel (that sucks) but they usually time the tides so you are being slowly pushed one way for the first hour and the other way for the 2nd hour. there are literally 100 boats out there offering support (kayaker, etc.) there is even a food boat at the 1/2 way point if you want a bananna, gu or water.
you have to register the day it opens - usually it sells out in 2 to 3 hours. ~650 people is the max they will take.
it is definately a challenge. i have a friend who’s done it 4 time (3 without a wetsuit - ouch). he loves it and goes back every year.
I’ve done it four years running.
Last year was no freakin joke. The support kayakers were getting seasick! By far the worst conditions I have been a part of at the race.
I’ve never smelled or tasted the diesel although at other races I do smell the exhaust from the support boats and most often the support jet skis. Those two cycle engines aren’t known for their smells. Particulalry considering the fact that outboard motors and jet skis pump the exhaust into the water. So it does linger for a few minutes. Definitely not a big deal at this or any other race.
The best way to gauge your preparation is with the qualifying swim. If you can do the three hour continuous pool swim and have a substantial time cushion yo uwill be fine.
Plus if you are ever driving over the bridge you can mention to whomever is with you that you swam the whole thing. Why would you be driving that way? You’ll have to make up your own reason!
The best way to gauge your preparation is with the qualifying swim. If you can do the three hour continuous pool swim and have a substantial time cushion yo uwill be fine.
By qualifying swim, do you mean there is an event prior to GCBS you must enter and post a certain time to qualify???
You must send qualifyig evidence with your application.
Qualifications include
Previous gcbs swim results (obvious)
Previous one mile or longer open water swim results
Signed statement on pool letterhead that you swam 3 miles in a pool continuously in under 2:15.
all you have to do is either have swam in the Ches. Challenge 1 mile (a mile open water) or get it signed off that someone watched you do a 2 mile (I think…don’t quote me) continuous swim in the pool. Our master’s coach signed for us.
Never done the 4.4 mile…I stick with the mile! but it sucks that its on Eagleman…they used to have them back to back in the past. Bad planning, b/c a lot of people did both.
I did it with my neighborhood gang with our dads following in boats in 1976 (age 15), before there was an organized event. We took a long, long time to get across. Like half a day. We timed it so the current would pull us north for a ways early on, then we stram straight and let the outgoing tide pull us back to the bridge. We came back to the neighborhood pool as conquering heroes, since nobody had ever heard of anyone doing it before (of course, they had but we didn’t know it). Nice to see its an annual event now.
I did it back in 2001, before I started doing triathlons. Did it without a wetsuit too before they started giving separate awards for no wetsuit. It helped that I had more body fat back then with the water temperature in the upper 60s - I’d probably freeze to death now with my current body composition.
It was a blast and I’d do again in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for Eagleman. In my training, I had done plenty of two hour workouts getting up to 4 miles, but that still didn’t prepare me mentally for the challenge of just swimming continuously without stopping for 4.4 miles. I remember my shoulders being so incredibly tired for that final mile and how hard it became to get my arms out of the water for my stroke recovery.
My favorite part of the swim is that you swim between the two bridge spans that cross the bay. Each of the supports to the bridge have numbers on them that go down in descending order, so I remember counting down the concrete supports as I passed each one.
It’s one of the premiere open water swims you can do in the US. Definitely something to do once in your athletic career if you have the chance.
You must send qualifyig evidence with your application.
Qualifications include
Previous gcbs swim results (obvious)
Previous one mile or longer open water swim results
Signed statement on pool letterhead that you swam 3 miles in a pool continuously in under 2:15.
I’ve only done olys so far… Think they would accept 0.9 mile results?
A qualifying time of a 0.9 mile event will suffice! FYI & FMI