Race Report and Results from St. Croix Swim!

October 19, 2008 in St. Croix US. Virgin Islands
http://www.swimrace.com/coral_reef_swim_5mile.htm
DAMA swimmers who participated:
Kim Sarah Rice
Jason Mask
Matthew Davis

DAMA Swimmer Race Report

1. Name: Matt Davis
2. Race/Event: St. Croix Coral Reef Swim
3. Date: Oct 22, 2009
4. Temperature/Conditions: Mid 80's
5. Distance: Normally 5 miles, this year closer to 5.5
6. Number entered: 116
7. Swimmers you knew at the race: Gary Lin, an intrepid adventurer if I ever knew one.
8. New people you met while there:
I met a lot of wonderful people there, but most important were Kim, Jason and Gail.
9. Best and worst thing about the experience:
The best part of the experience for me was the swim itself. It was my first open water swim and I loved it. The worst part came about 15 minutes after I finished , when I realized that the race was over.
10. How you felt before and after the race/event:
I felt like a kid on Christmas morning before the race, and was just so excited to get into the water and start. I woke up 2 hours before the race to grab breakfast, and then was going crazy waiting for the start time.
After the race I was a little depressed. I hadn't trained in the water since I was 15, so it was a challenge just to get back in the pool. Then for 6 months swimming became an addiction, and my focus was preparing for St. Croix. After the swim, I just wasn't ready for it to be over with yet. Fortunately, Kim and Jason entered into the picture...
11. What challenges you had and overcame/dealt with?
The biggest challenge I faced was a shoulder injury. I tried to start training at the end of January, but I built the distance up too quickly and lost 2 months while my shoulder healed. When I started back in April I had to be very careful and increase the distance slowly.
12. What advice do you have for other swimmers?
One common problem people seemed to have was navigating between buoys and swimming a straight course (ahem, Gary). The buoys can be hard to see, and you can't just lift your head out of the water and get your bearings quickly, especially when the buoy is still far away. Try to find a large object behind the buoy (such as a house or a mountain), preferably on the shore, and easy to spot quickly. This will allow you to check your position more frequently and stay on course. I know a lot of swimmers who turned a 5.5 mile race into a 6+ mile race.
13. What would you do differently next time?
I would train with a swim team instead of doing it by myself. Having a coach and people to swim with makes a HUGE difference.
14. How did this year compare to last year for the same race/event?
This year the course was changed due to a recent hurricane. The race normally starts at Buck island, and swimmers cross a two mile channel back to the main island. There weren't enough boats left after the hurricane to support a channel crossing, so the entire race was parallel to the main island. The altered course ended up being closer to 5.5 miles.
15. What did you experience that you didn’t expect or what have you learned from this experience?
I clearly was not expecting too meet Kim, Gail, and Jason while I was in St. Croix. I learned that Kim and Gail have an insane ability to talk you into doing stuff, especially if you've been drinking. If you find yourself hanging out with Kim, drink water.
I also wasn't expecting rum to be so inexpensive. Rum drinks will always be at least twice as strong as normal.
16. What essential things should you know/bring with you if this is your first time participating in this race/event?
You should practice navigating in open water as much as possible before this race. There are tons of local lakes to choose from. My favorite is Lake Beaverdam because it's three miles from end to end and boats with gasoline engines are prohibited.
17. Do you recommend this race/event and why or why not:
This is a great race to participate in. The Buccaneer provides excellent accommodations and the non-swimmers in your group will have almost as much fun as you will. The race itself is in beautiful, warm, calm waters... what more could you ask for? It's a great race for first time open water swimmers, and if you're going to do it, then you might as well do it in a place like St. Croix. While you're there, be sure to take the snorkeling tour of Buck Island. Also, beware of the sudden urge to drink way too much rum.
18. Summary of highlights: Great race, perfect for first time open water swimmers, sad when it was over, fun vacation, too much rum.
19. Goals for the future: 12 miles around Key West on June 3rd. (I had been drinking with Kim when I agreed to do this).