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2010-07-05 7:11 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
In open water swimming the 10k is often referred to as "marathon swimming".  I think it is a good comparison.  Just like in a 26.2 mile run, the elite athletes finish in just about two hours.  The normal swimmers are closer to 3 hours. 

The elite athletes are racing the entire 6 miles, the regular guys are just trying to finish.

That said, there are MUCH longer open water challenges.  You will often hear about OW swimmers going for 24 + hour swims.  Keep in mind, it's not the norm.  At these distances, say 50 miles, it's not about racing as much as it is about finishing.  Just like running 150 miles, it would be challenging to run at race pace the entire way.

If you are looking to swim a marathon, I say start training for a 10k.

Here's what it looks like for the pros.


2010-07-05 7:25 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
scott h - 2010-07-04 1:23 PM A century ride is in no way harder than a marathon. Case in point. There is no pro level running race that does a marathon everyday for 21 days. They do close to or longer than a century everyday on the TDF. Up mountians no less. I can get up and function just fine afer a century. It takes a couple weeks to get my legs back after a marathon. As far a swimming ive never dne more than 2 miles. Im sure a 10k would be really tough and a distance that would get you plenty of respect.


But cycling just doesn't beat up on the body the way that running does.  Swimming, biking, and running are three very different activities, that challenge people in very different ways.  By your reasoning, since TdF takes several weeks, doing, say, the first 1500 miles of it is easier that doing a marathon, since there are still over 500 miles to go.  Converesely, swimming challenges you in very different ways - there is a lot of mental factors, as well as cooling effects on the body in colder water, and the issues of coordination of movements in ways that are not really equivalents in biking or running.  I can stop pedalling altogether and still make forward momentum on a downhill, or even a flat strecth (for a short period).  I can slow down to a walk and still make forward progress.  I might be swimming very hard, and make little progress due to wave action (or conversely, make my best time ever if the river is running high and fast). 

Also, most people will not do TdF.  Ever.  But lots of people do centuries, as well as marathons.  I take the OP's question to really mean "is there an equivalent long distance swim that attracts recreational athletes in the way that centuries and marathons do for bikers and runners".  I don't have an answer, but I suspect that it partly lies in the fact that there are a lot more weekend races and activities for runners and bikers than there are for swimmers.  I can easily find dozens of 5-10 k's, as well as bike rides (races and charity/fund raiser style rides) on any given weekend, but would have a hard time finding swim events that I could just show up and sign up for.
2010-07-05 8:00 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
mrandell - 2010-07-05 8:11 PM In open water swimming the 10k is often referred to as "marathon swimming".  I think it is a good comparison.  Just like in a 26.2 mile run, the elite athletes finish in just about two hours.  The normal swimmers are closer to 3 hours. 

The elite athletes are racing the entire 6 miles, the regular guys are just trying to finish.

That said, there are MUCH longer open water challenges.  You will often hear about OW swimmers going for 24 + hour swims.  Keep in mind, it's not the norm.  At these distances, say 50 miles, it's not about racing as much as it is about finishing.  Just like running 150 miles, it would be challenging to run at race pace the entire way.

If you are looking to swim a marathon, I say start training for a 10k.

Here's what it looks like for the pros.


Agreed. 10K for sure. I just did a 5K swim and found it comparable in terms of energy expenditure to doing a HALF marathon.

The longest bike I've done is 60 miles, and definitely that was significantly harder and a lot longer than the 5K swim, so I'd say if you're talking about a century as 100 MILES, you're looking at a 10K swim (assuming an athlete is just about as good at swimming as biking)
2010-07-05 8:11 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?

Another way to look at it is how hard is it to train to complete the distance in a reasonable time?

I add reasonable because folks could easily build up to walk a marathon or ride a 10 hour century. 

 

I would go with:

Marathon- requires some base run fitness and then 6 months of dedicated training.

200 mile bike-  I think this would take the same as marathon in training, and bring in pace management. 

10k swim- I've never done anything greater than an IM swim, but I've chased my wife in a kayak on a couple of 5k swims.  5k is manageable with just base swim fitness.  10k would require a lot of prep and planning not to mention some very sharp swim endurance skills.

 

 

2010-07-05 1:56 PM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
ChrisM - 2010-07-04 2:09 PM Alcatraz in no way equals a marathon or a century, and its not even in the universe of catalina/English channel. Alcatraz is a bit over a mile, which can be swum in about 30 minutes. the other two are 20+ miles. i've done alcatraz twice, i wouldn't be able to do the other two... 


No, it's not.

But to the OP's question, when you first start running you might dream of doing a marathon.  When you first start swimming you might dream of swimming from Alcatraz. 

Both of these things are difficult enough that they'd seem nearly impossible for someone who is totally unfit, but in reality are very possible to accomplish within 1-2 years of getting your butt off of the couch.  
2010-07-05 2:28 PM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
The problem is, distance OWS is not as popular a sport as running or cycling.  Most cities have a marathon, and most of us can search the internet for a few minutes and find a century within a reasonable distance of where we live.  Alcatraz and the other Bay Swim referenced earlier are localized events and even then have a fraction of the participants as a similarly "glamorous" marathon or century.    And equivalent events don't even exist in much of the country.

Like, say, fer instance, Oklahoma...


2010-07-05 10:52 PM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
We have an 8k swim coming up here in Las Vegas soon if anyone is interested.  Slam the Dam, swimming across Lake Mead in the shade of the Hoover Dam.  Kayak support is required.
2010-07-06 12:47 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
No comparison between a century and a marathon, IMO...marathon's more difficult...and I say that even as someone who's a decent runner and a crappy cyclist.  I've done numerous training rides over 100 miles but I don't think I've ever gone beyond 20.5 miles or so on a training run (even after multiple marathon finishes).  And I've come off a 104 mile ride and knocked out a 17+ mile run with a ton of climbing the next morning.  I can't imagine turning around after one of my marathons and doing, say, a metric century on the bike with lots of climbing the next morning.  Heck, after my last marathon, I ended up in the med trailer on an IV...wasn't gonna do much of anything the next day.

Personally, swimming more than 3 miles nonstop would be a big deal right now, but doable.  Have to agree that a 10K swim definitely pegs the "OMG" meter...

2010-07-06 5:41 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
Probably a 10k.  That's about the longest distance you can do without having to truly qualify.  All the biggies (Catalina, Swim Around Manhattan, Swim Across the (Long Island) Sound, etc.) you pretty much have to APPLY to do.  If you don't have some seriously long swim races on your resume they will shoot you down.  Which kind of stinks because you basically have to do one of them to do the others...it's circular reasoning!

I have done three 10k's and I would put the effort and training in line with a marathon (which I have done 7 of).

5k's just are not enough...too easy to one off...kinda like a half-marathon!
2010-07-06 7:30 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?

I just did a 4.3k OWS and sure I'm tired, moreso than if I'd done it in a pool with walls to push off of and no sighting to do, but I'd say a longer swim would be needed to compare to a century. Depending on conditions:dealing with waves/chop? that will tire you out. I was in a flat water lake.

Take your pick of distance swimming events this August 8th and report back to us as to which compares to a century: 

http://www.traversee-memphremagog.com/nage_amateur.php?tZ=1278418296

"Looking for a challenge? You are courageous and bold, have endurance and guts? You love to swim and are ready to challenge the great Memphrémagog Lake? Join in the amateur swimming challenge of La Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog. Test your skills at the 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 5 km or even the 10 km race. Each year over 200 swimmers, male and female, take the challenge...Your dream is to participate in the open water 34 km great marathon?..."

 

2010-07-06 7:52 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
spudone - 2010-07-04 2:17 PM

People do some crazy open water swims, though.  There's a guy near my area that swam from USA San Juan Islands to Canada (7.5 miles, really freaking cold).


Yikes!  The water up there is really cold!  I think its something like about 56 degrees year round.  If I was going to swim 7.5 miles SJI would be the LAST place I would start from!  That dude is hardcore!


2010-07-07 4:12 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
So for the ultra distance equivalent, last summer someone swam across Lake Winny twice, where Timberman is held.  42 miles.  Totally insane.
2010-07-07 7:19 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
chayes - 2010-07-04 9:24 AM

smilford - 2010-07-04 9:20 AMBut that was 100x100 on a fairly tough interval,

You officially get a "dang,you're a serious swimmer."
I can't imagine 100x anything.  If I looked at a century as "100 x 100 miles at moderate pace" I'd never be able to do it!Tongue out


well, yeah, if you looked at your century as "100x100 miles" then you'd be doing 10,000 miles. Not sure I could do that either....in 5 years, much less at one sitting!

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2010-07-08 8:58 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
'round here, we have this:

http://www.nycswim.org/Event/Event.aspx?event_id=1902&from=overview

28.5 miler around Manhattan (check out the entrance fee on that puppy). That, my friends, is a swim. Probably on the verge of "ultra swimming". If the distance doesnt get you, the water pollution will

Edited by JohnAgs3 2010-07-08 8:59 AM
2010-07-08 9:52 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
chayes - 2010-07-04 9:02 AM

So if you get into running, do it for a couple of years, you at least think about doing a marathon.  If you get into biking, do it for a couple of years, you at least think about doing a century.  Is there an equivalent kind of benchmark for swimmers? 


If you consider only the objective measure of energy or time requirement, and leave out subjective considerations like degree of difficulty (i.e. waves, chop or adverse currents) there is an approximate 4:1 conversion for running miles to swimming miles. So 400m of swimming = 1 mile of running.

Using that as a benchmark, FINA, the world governing body of swimming, has designated any distance of 10k or greater as a marathon. Multiplying 6.2 miles x 4 = 24.8 miles, which is as close as any standard swim distance comes to 26.2. However there is no officially designated distance for a "marathon" in swimming. I did the Tampa Bay Marathon in April, but it's 24 miles equates to 96 miles of running, and my time of 11h46m would probably be a reasonable projection for a 96 mile run (for a far better runner than me.)

But an objective comparison of swimming to running is hard. For me it would be far easier to swim 10k than to run a marathon. In fact I'd far rather swim around Manhattan, than run its perimeter, even considering it would probably take me longer. This is because a non-impact swim of 8+ hrs would be far easier on my body than absorbing the pounding of a 28-mile run.

So if there's a similar bike-to-run conversion factor, you could apply it to the 100 miles of cycling in a Century, then multiply the result by 4.

As for Alcatraz, while it has an iconic significance for a lot of people, it's a relatively unchallenging swim for anyone who is comfortable in both open and cold water. I swam it Dec 5 in 52F water with a group from the South End Rowing Club. They organize a club Alcatraz swim twice a week and many members have done it dozens of times, making it a very routine training swim. I swam with Steve Hurwitz, the all-time record holder, that day. It was trip #356 (or maybe 536) for him!

Edited by Total Immersion 2010-07-08 10:00 AM
2010-07-08 10:08 AM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
Should have been a pole.


2010-07-08 2:32 PM
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Subject: RE: What's the swimming equivalent of a century?
smilford - 2010-07-04 8:20 AM

If you ask me..

Swimming: 10k+
Cycling: 120miles
Running: 26.2



I've never ran over 20 miles though, I've done the other two and I'd say the 10k swim was tougher. But that was 100x100 on a fairly tough interval, so that may skew my perception of it. I'm sure you could do a much easier 10k workout.


Agreed...and I think that's the proof that IM swims are too short!!
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