Tiki Swim - 2.4 Mile - Swim


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Oceanside, California
United States
A Dolphin Safe Event, LLC.
67F / 19C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 28m 4s
Overall Rank = 137/193
Age Group = Male 50-59:Wets
Age Group Rank = 16/21
Pre-race routine:

PB and honey and a mocha on the way out the door. It was the usual 2 hour drive for a SoCal race. Everything was straightforward, parking, check in, packing the stuff into the onion bag to meet me at the other end.
Event warmup:

The air was chilly, so I trotted on the beach to warm up a little. I just got wet enough to feel comfortable with the surf. The water was warmer than the weather, so everyone wanted the gun to fire.
Swim
  • 1h 28m 4s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 05s / 100 yards
Comments:

The Tiki Swim is taking off in popularity, and sold out for the first time. There were 350 swimmers, up 50% from last year, and I'd guess there will be over 500 next year.

For finishing so far back in the field, I sure had fun! The conditions were so nice, everyone I talked to said the swim felt easy. My GPS plot says I was arrow-straight all the way up the coast - I tried to sight on far buoys, rather than the next one, and since the buoy line curved toward the coast, I saved a few yards. There were a lot more swimmers this year, and were relatively easy to draft. I'd draft unless a swimmer headed away from the straight line to the harbor. Even though the Pacific was fairly flat, you'd only see buoys every few looks, but the line of yellow caps was easy to keep track of.

The course was a little long. People commonly said it was 1/4 mile long, my Garmin said I went 2.6 miles.

Like last year, it took forever to get to the first buoy, it was a smooth swim along the beach, and felt fast down the harbor. Strava says I had a 1:49 pace everywhere but rounding the jetty.


What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This swim is just plain fun. 2.4 miles in the Pacific this time of year is something I can't get enough of.
Post race
Warm down:

It was definitely fun to hang with friends over the pancake breakfast.

I can't wait for next year!

Event comments:

The promoter does a fantastic job. I couldn't recommend it more, and I'm sure our crew will be even bigger next year.




Last updated: 2013-08-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:28:04 | 4224 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Age Group: 16/21
Overall: 137/193
Performance: Average
Suit: 19
Course: To the end of the pier, North to harbor, and back down to the boat ramp.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5