Todd P, swimmer number 3, is going to take on the Mount Everest of swimming challenges and cross the English Channel some time between September 24th and October 1st. This is 21 miles (28 miles calculating in the current) of nasty choppy shipping lane swimming in 55-60º F water. Less than 1,000 swimmers have accomplished this feat. It will take approximately 12-13 hours if all goes well. We'll follow Todd via the ET blog with periodic updates on his journey. - Coach Craig
After a few weeks of cold-water swimming, culminating with a six-hour swim around Diamond Lake Island, I changed gears a little and headed down to Key West. Each year for the last 32, swimmers from around the world have gathered to swim 12.5 miles. Starting as a few people just getting together on a Saturday morning to swim around the island, the current race has blossomed into 122 swimmers from at least 6 countries, including a few who have attempted the English Channel. Craig and I picked out this race as a good test for the coming Channel swim. Minus the water temperature, which was 85 degrees, this swim had all the necessary obstacles, including distances, single support via a kayaker, salt water, and the hardest: multiple open water feedings. My goals where pretty simple: don't throw up from salt water going up my nose, finish around the 6:30 hour mark, and keep an even feeding schedule.
I did not meet my kayaker, Monica, until the night before the race. I was a little concerned about letting the race director supply my support kayaker, but these concerns could not have been more unfounded. Monica had tons of experience with the race and was the owner of a kayak shop in Key Largo (Florida Bay Outfitters, www.kayakfloridakeys.com). She turned out to be the most valuable resource. She kept my feeding schedule on time, helped pace me, and provided protection from the chop for the last few miles when I was sure I was going to drown. I felt pretty good about my swim going into the start. Armed with a pound of pharmacy grade zinc-oxide, some tint goggles, Monica as my support, and a very well organized feeding plan, I waded out to the race start feeling pretty relaxed.
At the start, I set a slower pace than I thought I would push the bulk of the race. I wanted to calm my heart rate down as quickly as possible, and then set up a consistent race pace. It took about 30 minutes, but I was feeling great. I set up my pace and stuck to my 20 minute feeding schedule through the first 1:20. This was my fourth feeding and I was at the 4-mile mark. I was shocked. It meant I was pushing the equivalent of a 1:10 100 yard pace, which is about 6 seconds faster than my fastest pool time. We had just come through the shipping channel where the currents were strongest and the weather was predicted to have a nice eastern wind all day. This meant a nice current should be pushing me along all day and faster times. I started factoring in a 4-hour swim time and kept swimming. As I topped out around Sigsbee Park Island, the half way mark, I was still on pace for a 4 to 4:30 hour swim, so I changed my feeding plan. I dropped the complex carb drink for straight water and Gatorade Endurance. This turned out to be the worst idea ever.
Slowing down the pace a little, I cruised past the mile 7 checkpoint and headed to the 8-mile buoy to head through Cow Key. The Cow Key channel is about 75 yards wide and like swimming in a river. This is where the world changed. The nice easterly wind had turned into a southeastern one, which meant the water flow through Cow Key Channel was pushing directly on my head. I hit the channel as a straight shot down the middle, swam as hard as I could and shortened up my stroke. After a few minutes of this effort, I realized I had not made any progress forward. Luckily this was one of the few spectator spots and my parents and wife had come to watch from the bridge. My dad had watched a few swimmers come through and told me to swim as close as possible along the shore. This turned out to be a lifesaver. Two hours later I swam out of Cow Key Channel which was only a mile and half long. At mile 10, I was completely clear of the channel but was on the Atlantic side of Key West. The wind change meant a nice chop hitting right about my left shoulder. By this time, I thought I would be finished but still had two and half miles of hard swimming to go. My energy was gone. I was trying to play catch up at this point, which is an impossible game. I must have looked like death, because Monica asked if I was going to make it. I am not even sure I answered her; I think I just put my head down and started swimming.
I took a little comfort in the fact that no one had really passed me except a relay team. I was really concerned about finishing the race at this point. I knew my intake had not been enough to swim another two hours, since I had the brilliant idea to change things up at mile 6. With no real options, I put one arm in front of the other and tried to focus on breathing and staying out of shallow waters, the latter being the hardest part.
My focus was on all things non-swimming during the last 2.5 miles. I watched the fish, a stingray the size of my whole body, and just kept the arms moving. My pace at this point was embarrassing and it was just about finishing. At the six-hour mark, I saw the concrete pier, which was close to the finish. Three other swimmers had caught up with me by this point and the only thing I focused on as I rounded the 12-mile pier was the finishing buoy. All four of us swam up to the finishing buoy close to one another and I laid my hand on the best feeling plastic ball I have ever felt. Still being about 200 yards off shore, I had to make it to the beach. Since I could not talk Monica into towing me in, I swam to the beach and took those first few steps. Exhausted, I checked-in and asked my rough placing. The lady counted up fifteen swimmers in front of me and I was shocked, but was more focused on beer and food.
After a quick two beers and some shrimp, I headed off for a massage and some rest. Around 7:30pm, my parents, wife, and I decided to head out for some dinner. On the way over, I remembered the awards ceremony was ending at 8pm, so I decided to stop by to get my official place and time. My expectations where pretty low given how bad I felt and knowing that last year's winner in my category finished in 4:35. When I walked up to the race director to find out about my finishing time, she said I finished in 6:49. She looked over at another sheet and said, "Oh, you won your category." Then she handed over my trophy, a nice big conch shell with "1st Place" on it!
