Tiburon One Mile Swim
Ed and Pat did it! They competed in the Tiburon One Mile open water swim on Sunday and Ed accomplished his three goals:
1) Not to drown.
2) To finish the race and not get pulled out the water by a rescue kayak.
3) Not to come in last.
Lynn (the team coach) and Mac and I (the team cheerleaders) watched as both Olympic gold medalists and our beloved guys crossed the finish line. Ed and Pat completed the swim in 41 minutes. The water conditions were perfect, with very little wind and a water temperature of 63 degrees. Overcoming his irrational fear of being eaten by sea monsters and his very rational fear of being so far from shore, Ed fought through the mental challenges posed by the race and accomplished a great feat. Pat, a seasoned veteran of open water swims, was at this side the whole way offering support and encouragement. We're very proud of both of you!
5 comments:
Great Job Everyone! Ed, we knew you could do it. You are an inspiration to all of us. Must have been special to have Mac, Tine, Mom and Pat there with you at the finish. Wish we could have been there too. Miss you guys!
Congratulations on your great finish in your first open water mile swim event.!!!!We were elated to be a part of this race with you.
You set a goal and achieved it. We had a great weekend with you,Tine, and our cutie "Mac".We look forward to many more swim events with you in the future. "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES". Give Tine a birthday hug today from us, and hugs and kisses to Mac. We love you, mom and Pat
I'm not too proud to say it,... this swim scared the crap out of me. Once I left the island and was in the open water I got pretty freaked out. I really wish you couldn't look down into the merky depths below. Every shadow under water was a Great White in my mind. I kept scanning the water for sharks (I don't really know what my plan would've been if I had actually seen one) and putting myself into a complete panic. Next time I'm just going to knock back a few beers, close my eyes, and jump in the water and go.
Ed did great!! For his first ever competitive swim event in San Francisco Bay - not known for its friendly currents, critters, temperature or tides - it was a courageous mile swim from Angel Island across Raccoon Straight to the bayside village of Tiburon (which is the Spanish word for "Shark")!
My first open water swim, the La Jolla rough water swim in 1976, was filled with the same fears Ed saw and felt.
What all of us know and will remember is that Ed set a goal and made it - he finished!!
Ed is at the beginning of a new journey, a journey I started at age 11 which has brought me many fond memories and the best of friends, many of whom I still swim with 25 years later.
I am proud of Ed and am glad I was there to help him with a successful beginning of his new journey and can't wait to do it again next year!
Pat (aka Paco)
Nice work Man! I'm sure it's nice being in a wet suit in that water. Plus, if you get cold, you can use your own "water" to improve the temperature...sweet!
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