When I mentioned that one of my goals was to try open water swimming, my triathlete and fitness instructor friend Stephanie was enthusiastic; she suggested doing a relay triathlon in Bryan’s memory. (They were lifelong friend of Bryan’s; her husband Chuck was Bryan’s college & grad school roommate.)

We compared dates and events, and finally settled on the Kirkland Triathlon this last weekend. Unfortunately, Chuck hurt himself a couple days before the event, so Steph rallied to do both the bike & run – she is amazing! (She’s training for the Portland marathon two weeks from now.)

One disadvantage of this event was that it was at 7am. In Kirkland. That meant leaving the house at 4:40am to make the 5:20am ferry. And — cold, 68° lake water never seems very appealing at that hour of the day.

There were over 1,000 entrants in this triathlon, and a few dozen relay teams. A triathlon is swim, bike, run – and relay team members have to tag each other in the transition area between legs of the event.

Because the triathlon had so many participants, we started in waves of about 50 – 60 swimmers, 5 minutes apart, and each wave had different colored swim caps. We’d wade in until we were waist deep after the group ahead of us took off, then wait our turn. I prefer to start near the back, I don’t care for the melee at the front. The water wasn’t nearly as cold as I was afraid it would be, I was fine.

The first 100 yards or so are always tough, adjusting to the cold, the crowd, the different stroke technique. (for me, seven strokes head down, one with head up, to stay straight) Then I found my rhythm – and this time I started passing people. A lot of people. Maybe enjoying it was not the best sportsmanship, but it was satisfying. According to Steph, I finished about a third of the way back in my group – not bad for starting in the back row. If it had been longer I would have been able to pass more swimmers.

Then Steph took off on her bike like the experienced triathlete she is. (She’s done an Ironman and a few ½ Ironman tris – I admire her strength & endurance.)

I couldn’t get to the finish to watch her because the course was laid out like a pretzel and crossing the course was nearly impossible. I hung out in the transition area, overheard the swimming organizers debriefing, and apparently they rescued 6 swimmers in trouble, and pulled out another 66 who asked for assistance. My gosh! I can’t imagine trying a deep water, lake swim unless you were completely prepared for it.

Would I do another relay triathlon? Definitely! It was fun and I think I supported our team creditably. I’d also like to shoot for a longer swim next summer, if I find the right event.

Thanks, Steph, for this awesome opportunity!