Open Water’s View Of Governors Island
Amy Bolger put together an outstanding photo gallery of the 6th annual Governors Island Swim here.
Cedric Cheung-Lau (below) won the 2-mile race in 37:32:00 over James Bedell Jr. (38:46:09) and Nathaniel Dean (39:50:02). 
One innovative thing NYC Swim and Swim Free did was to have a number of ‘Swim Angels‘ wearing different colored caps who were designated as helpers for anyone having anxiety or distress in the water. The Swim Angels made sure people were comfortable and happy, gave directional and sighting advice. Top-ranked triathlete Lidia Rekas reported, “The race was very well organized. The small participant field makes the event seem very special and intimate. I’ve made many friends through doing these events and see many friends racing them.”
“Governor’s Island is shaped like an ice cream cone. We first went over the “ice cream” and ended shortly after crossing the bottom of the “cone”. We were swimming against the current at the start, then had some calm water after we rounded the top of the island, and then a bit of tidal assist. There was very little chop, although there were a few boats that passed and they made very big waves.”
“I got to see the Statue of Liberty, the big cranes at the port nearby, a cruise ship parked in the yard, and lower Manhattan. On one hand, I wanted to swim hard to complete the swim in a good time, on the other hand I wanted to breaststroke the entire thing to make this experience last as long as it possibly could and take some time to enjoy the sights.”
“The event was a fantastic experience. Well organized, easy logistically, fun and low-key. It was the perfect distance to get some quality work in. The spectators also had a fun experience watching the swimmers and partaking in the rest of the excitement and festivities. This is easily the coolest swim one could ever do. I highly recommend it and look forward to completing again many times in the future.”
Photos by >Amy Bolger.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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