North Shore Challenge v.4.0 [Swim Diesel]
When you stand on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie and look out across the vast expanse of blue you can’t help but feel a sense of awe. Or at least I can’t. Lake Erie can be a monster but it can also be a gem. With the North Shore Challenge you never know what you’re going to get from the lake and you sort of hope for the best. This year the conditions were perfect and set us up for an incredible day.
I chose to not swim. My reasons are my own but one of the great things about not being in the water is I got to be out and about with the swimmers. I was also able to help out the race directors wherever needed and get some great pics. As an added bonus I got to help out with the Mighty Minnows swim which is just a whole lot of fun and excitement.
I arrived shortly after 7am thinking I would be early. I was not. True - the 10km swim wasn’t set to start for a while but there were all the 10km swimmers and their kayakers buzzing about getting themselves ready. The water was flat and perfect temperature. It was quite the site to be seen in truth. I was a little bit envious of the marathon swimmers and I had fond memories of the battle last year.
Once the warriors left it was back to puttering around trying to help as needed. Swimmers for the other two events began piling in to the beach area of Turkey Point. It was great to be around when so many familiar faces showed up. There were a handful of swimmers in full on “beast mode” who had done the Bring On The Bay open water swim in Ottawa just the day before and I was glad to see them. It is a feat that I have pulled off myself and I will tell you that parking your rear in a vehicle for so many hours in such a short time span AND doing sporting events does take its toll. But – we open water swimmers tend to have a streak of that “try me” attitude.
Watching the mass of swimmers collect on the beach was one of those moments where it all sinks in. Josh and Annaleise started this swim only a few short years ago and it is already the 2nd biggest OWS in Ontario. If you’ve been you can understand why. The energy on the beach as I walked by taking pictures was incredible. Lots of smiling faces. No look of dread anywhere. Everyone was there to swim and have a great time. With the added measure of the personal swim buoys there was greater visibility and safety. You still have to respect the lake and the conditions but you could almost taste the “can do” in the air.
At some point all of the swimmers were in the water. This left volunteers, spectators, and parents kicking around waiting for the crowds to come back in. It wasn’t much of a wait as my teammate Greg Streppel torched a lane through Lake Erie to crush the 10km swim and get out before the majority of the 3.8 and 1 km swimmers. In a special moment for him and the family – his teenage daughter Josephine was the top female swimmer in the 1km event. Maybe it’s in her blood.
When the majority of the shorter events swimmers had come in I had the privilege of starting the Mighty Minnows swim. If you’re not familiar with this it is something that we introduced in the SWOOWS which the North Shore Challenge is a part of. In essence it is an event for kids who are 12 and under. If you have a child who is on a swim team and can do the 1km then that is where they should be. But for more novice kids the Mighty Minnows swim is for them. All the kids wear the personal swim buoys, parents are allowed beside etc. for the whole distance. It is long enough to be “an event” for them, and it is both exciting and fun. It’s also priced much lower as it is meant to be a fun event that encourages participation and introduces kids to the sport. For the kids in the water it’s a big deal and its one they won’t soon forget.
Once we had the Mighty Minnows out of the water and most of the other swimmers as well we had them all go over to the Pavillion for presentations and a barbeque. I however did not go over. As a swimmer who is usually closer to the back end of the back than the front I know what it’s like to get out of the water and there be nobody left. I hung out on the beach as did a fair handful of other people to make sure that everyone made it back to shore and was welcomed in. This facilitated two special moments for me.
The first was swimming in with our last 10kmer. Kim was about 1km out when the Turkey Point crowd began to really get into gear. The power boats and jet skis were quite frankly getting to be too much. Kim was protected by a kayaker on either side, a power boat, and a jet ski. I’m not sure the mentality of these guys out on the water that feel the need to come as close to other people as possible but it is asinine. Our support on jet ski on multiple occasions headed guys off to make sure they weren’t near our swimmer. There were no “close calls” or “near misses” or anything like that. Our swimmer was protected and safe. But as a swimmer in the water you have to deal with all of these extra waves being created as well as battle your brain which starts to think “what if something goes wrong?” Kim is no rookie and knows her stuff but standing on shore I was simmering to a boil. Finally when I was confident enough that I could make it to her without getting hit myself I dove in and joined the pod. With a few meters behind us we were shallow enough to be able to stand at which point I got a giant hug from Kim. (How many people can say they’ve done that in a race!) Her daughter and granddaughter got in on the act and together we made our way to the finish.
The other special moment was one that was one that didn’t start with warm and fuzzies. Our dearest friend Jen attempted the 10km swim. Sadly she didn’t make her cutoff time at one of the checkpoints and had her race terminated. I was on shore when the boat delivered her and along with several other people offered words of comfort. It was a moment of heart wrench as she knew she could do the distance. As you often hear said “it wasn’t her day”. But there was more to this swim than just the swim for her. Jen was teamed up with a kayaker named Paula. Paula is no slouch herself and the two bonded immediately. On this day Jen did not complete her swim but did gain ever so much… and there lies the mystery of the sport. Even when things go miserably you can find treasure. Something special happened her this day and it will not be a day that either lady will ever forget.
As all good things do….the event came to an end. I missed the crowds dispersing but I’m told that the 4th edition of the North Shore Challenge was a success. I stuck around and helped with tear down and buoys etc. It was a great day with great conditions and even more spectacular people. If you only do one OWS per season this is the one you want to go to. See you next year.
For more info on THE SWOOWS go to www.theswoows.com.
Until I touch the wall.....
Michael Kenny
Masters Swimmer
Cambridge Mavericks
Marathon Open Water Swimmer
2015-16 Global Swim Series Champion
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