Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. It is not often that American supermarkets carry goods for open water swimmers. Not necessarily swimsuits and googles, but still something to wear. The chain store Whole Foods does carry items of interest. Desitin, lanolin, goose fat, duck fat, porpoise fat, diaper rash ointments, and Vaseline. They have
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Open water swimmers, especially channel swimmers and marathon swimmers, have an interesting relationship with lanolin. They use lanolin for prevent chafing or to reduce the initial shock of cold water. They use lanolin with Vaseline or Desitin or Safe Sea or other ointments and creams or anti-chafe spray
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Channel swimmers, ice swimmers, marathon swimmers and open water swimmers around the world use relatively little equipment, but what they use comes from a long history. While some channel swimmers use Channel grease, lanolin and a variety of other combinations including Vaseline, Desitin and axle grease
On November 30th, Dr. Steve Minaglia completed an 11 hour 10 minute two-way crossing of the Pailolo Channel between the islands of Molokai and Maui. Escorted by pilot Paul Luuwai from Maui and paddle boarder Blair Norris from Oahu, the 40-year-old Professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu tells of his
So you are caught in the middle of a giant pack, a swirling mass of humanity at the start of a large open water swim or triathlon. You do want to avoid physicality and you wish the athletes behind you and beside you would stop slapping your feet and swimming into you. What do you do? What can you do? What should you do? One means to protect yourself and
Why Open Water Swimmers Get Slimy, Slick And Slithery Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Right before the FINA World Championship races, the elite athletes get ready by putting on their skin-tight swimsuits, adjusting their goggles, getting body marked, putting on their transponders, and greasing up. But greasing up is a bit different among
A true conversation at a security checkpoint in an American airport: Uniformed TSA (Transportation Security Administration) Personnel: "What is this stuff?" Swimmer: "Lanolin." Uniformed TSA Personnel: "Where did it come from?" Swimmer: "Sheep." Uniformed TSA Personnel (with a furrowed brow): ----- Swimmer: "Seriously, lanolin comes from the glands of
ISSUE: How to Prevent Chafing? PROBLEM: Chafing is irritation or lacerations due to repeated rubbing around the neck, underarms, shoulders, and along swimsuit lines and other friction points. There are fundamentally three types of chafing: 1. Skin-on-skin chafing: improper stroke mechanics and a cross-over kick or breathing can cause chafing. 2.
