The Swim the Suck Tennessee River Gorge Swim has got to have one of the more unusual English open water swimming event names.
Its early website is creatively designed and its 10-mile downstream course should be entertaining in the traditional sense of the word.
The October 16th race will take the non-wetsuited swimmers through the beautiful river canyon surrounded by the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. The canyon features lush hillsides that ascend up to 1700 feet on both sides that in mid-October will be illuminated with bright orange, yellow and red foliage colors.
Race director Karah Nazor Friberg, an English Channel swimmer, explained, “We expect most swimmers, who will be escorted by experienced kayakers, to finish the swim in 4 – 7 hours. The expected water temp is 70°F (7.7°C), we will follow the English Channel swimming rules so wetsuits and swim aids are not allowed.”
“The primary allure of open water swimming is my love of boundary-free water-in-motion and the outdoors. I made the move to swimming in oceans, lakes and rivers, while performing my postdoctoral research at the University of California San Francisco. Open water swimming allowed me access to an uninterrupted stroke rhythm and breathing pattern so I could swim for hours on end. As a white-water paddler, I have internalized the basic principles of water-in-motion. Paddlers think in terms of currents, eddies and ferry angles, and these same principles apply in swimming in ocean currents. There’s nothing like hitching a ride swimming in a strong ebb or flood tide, or the feeling of swimming against the current, or swim ferrying across the current as in a kayak or on a SUP.”
Great explanation and accurate description of what millions of other swimming enthusiasts experience in the open water.
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.