Swim The Suck In Tennessee

Swim The Suck In Tennessee

Steven Munatones 07/12/2010 Open Water Swimming No Comment
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.

Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones
Steven Munatones
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