The first real swimrun - Lauwersmeer Swimrun 2022
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
I have been waiting for this start for two years! The first time was registered in February 2021, but shortly before the event, in September, the registration had to be canceled - due to spring fall on a bicycle the whole warm season could not swim. Closer to the next summer, the limb recovered and after the pair test swims I decided that I could take a chance - somehow swim.
The competition takes place in the devils where - in the very north of the Netherlands, near Groningen. 200 km from the house in one direction. Therefore, as last year, I recorded at the longest distance - 15 miles, solo. Routes of different categories intersect and in case of which you can always get off. Made a summary plate to estimate the total distance of the steps. At the same time I looked at past results in order to understand how much time, on average, people usually overcome them.
It was my first real swimrun, so I wanted to clarify all the incomprehensible moments as much as possible. Although two questions remained unresolved until the very end - the markup of the ( distance had no idea how difficult it would be to loop without a watch with GPX so as not to get confused ) and the weather - mid-September it is already quite cold, especially in the north, and even more so in the sea.
A couple of days before the start, a letter came that they expect cold weather, a storm, so they change the route and reduce all distances: 10 km - 9.5 km 10 miles - 14 km 15 miles - 20.5 km
7 km were cut from my distance. On the one hand, it upset me, but on the other, the organizers are more visible.
Start day. In the morning, the air temperature + 15, the sky is tightened with clouds. I collect the gear:
In addition to proven equipment I add only the neoprene sleeves from the wetsuit - I have never swam in them, but in cold water they should be very helpful.
Jumping in the car and driving. The weather is not at all pleasing - then a downpour:
It’s just serious:
But sometimes the sun is still shown:
I’m getting there. The rain began. I am looking for where to stick a car - parking near the starting town is closed. I find a place about a kilometer away. People begin to drive up. Someone immediately changes into wetsuits and scratches in the rain, someone takes bags and goes like that. The rain subsides, and I also go to register.
Coldly, the windmill, but, like, the sky began to clear:
I get a starting bag - a hat, a chip and a vest with the number:
I begin to change clothes, in parallel I look at people - who is in what. Compared to the past, the people are more serious - many people with kosher pool buoys, in the right sneakers, belts with carbines, hydriks.
I change clothes, as if paraffin and go outside for a briefing:
The organizers explain something about the rules and markings, but because of the wind you can hear it well, plus a hat on your ears, plus trembling from the cold.
The briefing is over. We are building at the start. I try to stick to people in blue hats - they are from my distance, if they tell me anything.
Shot, run (running in the center of the frame):
I’m just awful. Still, here, behind the turn, after 50 meters you will have to jump into this stupid cold water…
But no. We turn and continue to run somewhere. And then further and further. Through some industrial zone, then across the bridge:
Some kind of march doomed. Finally, we run up to the marina. Around the yacht, some barges. And the pier:
Damn, but how to gradually enter the water, check the temperature, wash your face? Oh. Okay, I’ll have to jump since I arrived. About a meter to the muddy water. Flew.
What a refreshing water! Your mother. I start to swim after the rest. The points are stained, it is visible badly, there is a chatter on the water. About two hundred meters used to water temperature. Swimming moored ships and yachts. The water looks pretty dirty. I really hope that at least there is no piece of iron under water.
We sail to a small pier. One single staircase of chains, at a fairly high altitude. And the turn. Balancing afloat, gradually swimming up to the stairs:
Finally, we manage to squeeze out of turn (x who sailed here earlier, who later - we fight for life, we can say) and I can not easily get out on land.
So. Well, we figured it out with water - invigorating, but you can swim. The connection begins:
Well, then there were many running and many swimming stages. The people sucked, so there were no more traffic jams at the exit from the water. And the exits were all mostly beach-like. The water temperature was quite comfortable. Although after the second stage of some trembling man, about sixty years old, he was heated with a foil cloak, so everything is individual here. The rain began several times, but when you are already in the water, somehow anyway. The main inconveniences were delivered by a welded wind and waves. At some stages, there was a feeling that you were on the treadmill - working with your hands, and you remained in place. The blessing in some of these places was shallow and could go. Although the speed was about the same. I basically swam so as not to clog my legs with such a power walking.
There were no problems with marking. Although the running route was confusing, there were signs and volunteers, and someone was constantly running nearby:
Before going into the water, volunteers usually also stood and showed with their hands about where to swim. But the distance to the eye was quite difficult to figure out - it seems like a stone’s throw, but in reality it can turn out to be a kilometer. At the exit from the water, there were also people in vests, on which one could navigate:
Although with the last swimming stage I messed up: it was very good that way to gather the people on the penultimate run (there must have been four people) and there was no tail before going into the water. The volunteer showed where to sail, I saw a man in yellow and a thug fence, but it seemed to me that there would be a way out, so I aimed along the coast. In fact, it turned out that you need to go around the barrier. I had to swim around him, and this is seventy meters from the coast. One dude swam after me, and stupidly climbed over there. Well, while I was returning, several people overtook me. Next time you need to be more careful.
Two and a half hours later, at the height of the buzz, the finish came. Issued a medal:
Showed the results:
Total (protocols):
- time - 2:33:37
- 7th of 26 for men solo
- 8th of 31 by m / h solo
- 9th of 41 if you fold m / h of solos and pairs m + m, w + w and m + w
I don’t remember that there were any other races on which I regretted that everything ended so quickly. At first I thought that somewhere I got lost and finished too early, but no - the clock showed about 20 km of distance traveled. That really was not enough of these circumcised because of the bad weather of eight kilometers to enjoy to the fullest.
The route turned out like this:
A pair of clips from the scene: times, two. And a link to the official photo album.
The layout in stages (by hours, I used Coros Pace 2 in running mode, just making a compartment before the start of the new stage) was as follows: running 1.73 - swimming 920 - running 300 - swimming 320 - running 880 - swimming 1.08 - running 830 - swimming 640 - running 3.37 - swimming 570 - running 2.74 - swimming 250 - running 4.46 - swimming 400 - running 260 - swimming 720 - running 240. Total: 14810 run and 4900 swimming.
I must say that there were no swam five kilometers after the finish line in their hands. Still, the load is distributed very well - the legs work on the run, the hands rest, on swimming the contrary. In the end, you do not have time to get very tired. That evening, when I went to bed, I was rocked very hard - waves. Plus, the neck hurt a little for a couple of days - when you swim with a buoy in open water and you need to look forward, the neck deflection is quite large and the restless muscles strain. Swimming needs to be improved.
In general, the shell showed itself not bad. At first, glasses flowed a little, but pulled tight and had norms. Pull Buy and its mount were not very convenient. He is wearing my thigh, and so as not to crawl down onto the run, I tie it with an elastic lace from the sneaker to the belt. As a belt, I use the elastic triathlon belt for the number. In short, the design is shaky and on snot.
He took several gels with him, ate two ( on the 5th and 12th kilometers ). They lay with a whistle in their pockets. It is quite convenient. Although if you participate in longer starts, where more power and additional equipment are required, it will be more convenient with kangurukha under the hydric.
Strategically, there was very little information on the duration of the running and swimming stages. And then if the running area is long, then you can get around more people. And if it’s short, then don’t drive to escalate the pulse. Usually this information is written by a marker on rowing shoulder blades. It will be necessary to try.
Upon arrival home, I ordered an inelastic belt, a larger pool buy and a cable that is attached when they run in a pair (suddenly I can find someone who wants to participate in some start, where only commands are allowed):
I didn’t have time to try these things last year, so I’ll test it. A couple of days ago, just registered at Lauwersmeer Swimrun 2023. Well, I hope to find and participate in a couple more starts.