Spetses Mini Marathon weekend

Open Ocean Swimming

I beat it down to the waterfront at 9 a.m.  to watch the open-ocean swimming events (1500, 3000, and 5000 meters) only to learn that the start had been delayed owing to high winds and large swells. I looked toward the mainland—the 5000-meter event is an out and back—and was astounded at the prospect of such a self-propelled passage even in the calmest weather.

Horse and buggy show--forty years ago twas the only vehicular traffic

The wind is blowing a full gale (a 4 on the mariner's Beaufort scale) but the forecast called for a slight let-up at noon, when the races would be held.

That middle podium is aspirational

Over 600 as of yesterday--top 30 or die

Among the alphabeticallhy privileged

Main venue, Poseidon Hotel--also start and finish for all running events

Sea taxis at rest

Calmer in the inner-harbor

Summer returned by noontime, but the winds remained steady and the event management decided a crossing to the mainland would be too perilous, owing to the currents more than anything eles. The organizers rightly saw the potential for losing participants in the current which flows directly into the commercial shipping lanes, heading toward the next island, Hydra (Leonard Cohen's home for 50 years).

So the venue was moved about 1000 meters to the east, which involved resetting the large ocean buoys that mark the course. The wind was still so strong that motorcycles were getting blown off their stands.

The video of the start does little justice to the actual sensation of several hundred extremely fit swimmers setting off in a pack---actually, more like a school. From a short distance it reminded me of the feeding frenzy of bluefish on Long Island Sound--a violent churning of the water.

Last minute change in the start--a safer venue

Standing by

The line up

And they're off...

Stumbling to the finish line

Coast Guard vessels, life guards on paddle boards and in the water, three drones flying at 200 feet, a host of precautions, plus one innovation over previous years: the 3000- and 5000-meter swimmers were obliged to wear harness floats whose bright blaze buoys trailed behind. This proved an important change, as within the first mile the weaker swimmers (a relative concept) were drawn away into the open ocean. Various vessels chased down several dozen of them down and hauled them aboard before tragedy could strike.

The 5000 was reduced to a 1500-meter triangle (completed thrice for a mere 4500 meters). The lead group, all members of the Greek Olympic team, completed the first 1500 meters in under 21 minutes--roughly my race pace for 25 kilometers on land.

Here is a video of the start of the 5000 meter swim::

Here is the start of the 10K: