Warning, this event was expired!

Swim Hobbs Island is Part of the “Triple Crown of the Tennessee” series of swims, representing the three largest open water events to take place on the Tennessee River. Any swimmer who completes all three races will achieve a Triple Crown award, depending on how quickly they achieve this feat. Complete all three events in a single year – gold. Two years – silver. Three years – bronze.

The 6th Annual Swim Hobbs Island open water swim through the Tennessee River hosted by the Team Rocket Triathlon Club (TRTC) will be held on Sunday, September 12, 2021.  The 5-mile swim will begin at 8:30 am, and the 1- and 2-mile swim will begin a few minutes later in waves (See Schedule of Events below). 

<Sanctioned by Southeastern Masters Swimming for United States Masters Swimming, Inc.> <Sanctioned by USA Swimming for USA Swimming, Inc.> Each of the several swims offered in this event will be dual sanctioned by U.S. Masters Swimming (18 yrs and up, typically) and USA Swimming (usually 17 years and younger).  During registration, swimmers can become one-day members of one or the other organization, or indicate their current organizational membership if already members. Swimmers who are members of both USMS and USA Swimming must declare at the time of registration which organization they will represent. Current USA Swimming Rules, including the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (“MAAPP”), will govern this race. COVID Considerations: We plan to follow the requirements of any currently extant state or local order. Measures that may be taken, if appropriate, are: pre-race screening forms, masks, physical distancing, sanitizing, and check-in/out with minimal touch required. Details will be provided in pre-race instructions. If the in-person race needs to be cancelled for COVID reasons, no refunds will be given but rather a virtual swim will be in effect, described briefly in the Refunds section at the bottom of this page. More detailed info will be provided at that time. **Swimmers may register online until Friday 9/10/21 at midnight! No day-before or day-of-race registration!!!** Early registration starts at $40 for 1 and 2-miler and $100 for the 5-miler, and incrementally raises as the race nears. It is FREE to be a volunteer kayaker for the 1 and 2 mile swim flotilla and also for the accompanying kayakers on the 5-miler! All kayakers for both the 5 mile and for the flotilla must register on THIS registration site just as the swimmers do – it will just show a $0 balance at the end of registration. Enjoy t-shirts and all you can eat ice cream bar at the end for everyone, kayakers, swimmers, and volunteers alike.

Schedule of Events

There is no packet pickup – cap pickup and check-in is on race morning as described below.

Race Day: Sunday, Sep 12, 2021

6:30 AM – 7:30 AM:  Cap pickup and check-in at south end of parking lot at Ditto Landing nearest greenway – south of boat launch ramps.

7:45 AM: Mandatory Swimmer & Kayaker Safety Meetings (kayaker meeting is at dock, swimmer meeting is at race start)

8:00 AM:  Kayakers for 5 Mile Swim begin entering the water.

8:00 AM: National Anthem at race start

8:15 AM:  5 Mile Swim lineup and final check-in

8:20 AM:  5 Mile swimmers enter the water.

8:30 AM:  5 Mile race begins

shortly thereafter…  2 mile race begins

shortly thereafter…  1 mile race begins

9:30 AM – 2:30 PM:  Swimmers, kayakers, spectators, volunteers can enjoy complimentary food/drink

10:30 AM or as soon as results are finalized: 1 & 2 Mile Swim Awards

11 AM or as soon as results are finalized:  5 Mile Swim Awards

NOTE:  5 Mile Swimmers MUST Complete the Swim in Under 5 hours (1:30pm) and MUST be at the tip of the island (the turnaround point) at 3.5 hours, or 12:00pm. Race Director reserves the right to pull you after that time.

Course Description

5 Mile Swim: Around Hobbs Island

This is a five mile circumnavigation of Hobbs Island that will start just south of the Ditto Landing Marina along the Tennessee River Greenway. Swimmers will enter the water via ramps on the shoreline and will swim clockwise around Hobbs Island and finish at the same location as the start. Because the first few miles are against the river current, this swim will take longer than a typical 5 mile swim in the pool. Due to the rocky slope and the difficulty in finding a safe water exit location, the swim may end up calculating at approximately 5.25 miles. We figure if we can swim 5 miles, we can swim a few more tenths for a safe exit.

 5 Mile Swim Rules:

All 5 milers are in a NON-WETSUIT category and no swimskins are allowed. Swimmers are not permitted to wear or use any additional device or substance to help their speed, pace, navigation, buoyancy, or endurance during a swim (such as webbed gloves, fins, snorkels, audio players, etc.). Medical identification items may be worn. Any kind of tape on the body is not permitted unless approved by the referee. You may touch or hang onto a kayak for safety with no penalty against awards, but making forward progress with a kayak will be grounds for disqualification. No touching other people other than incidental contact unless for safety reasons. Have your kayaker carry hydration and nutrition, and also carry extra nutrition with your kayaker in case this swim takes longer than you planned. The 5 mile time cutoff is the tip of the island at 3.5 hrs or 12 noon and finish by 5 hrs or 1:30 pm.

Kayakers:

ALL FIVE MILE SWIMMERS ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN KAYAKER TO ACCOMPANY THEM. If you do not have a kayaker, you will not be allowed to swim. This rule is for your safety as the river will be open to boat traffic. Boats will be unable to see you if you are swimming alone. YOUR KAYAKER WILL NEED TO REGISTER ON THE SAME REGISTRATION SITE WHICH IS THE SAME ONE THE SWIMMERS REGISTER ON (It will show a $0 balance at the end of registration). and specify who they are kayaking for (it will show a $0 balance at the end of registration). Your kayaker will receive a race t-shirt as they are a vital part of this race. All of this is included in the race fee that the swimmer pays. We have a very limited number of kayaks donated by various members of the local endurance community that can be allotted on a first-come first-serve basis, so, swimmer or kayaker, indicate in your registration if you need one.

KAYAKERS MUST HAVE AND WEAR LIFEJACKETS AT ALL TIMES.

5 MILE KAYAKERS ESPECIALLY: Here is a blog post by a friend of ours who is a very experienced open water marathon swimmer, sharing her tips and experiences on how to support your swimmer best. We recommend you review this! It’s simply fantastic! Thanks Sydne Didier! 2 Mile Swim Event

This is a two mile out and back that will start just south of the Ditto Landing Marina along the Tennessee River Greenway starting just after the 5 mile swim start. Swimmers will enter the water via ramps on the shoreline. Swimmers will swim upstream approximately to the Whitesburg marina and turn around. The finish location will be the same as the start. Because the first mile is against the river current, this swim will take longer than a typical two mile swim in the pool. Please be aware that this is NOT an event for beginner swimmers. You should be able to swim 2.5 miles continuously in a pool before tackling this 2 mile event.

2 Mile Swim Rules:

Two categories of swimmers are allowed, WETSUIT and NON-WETSUIT. NON-WETSUIT: No swimskins. Swimmers are not permitted to wear or use any additional device or substance to help their speed, pace, navigation, buoyancy, or endurance during a swim (such as webbed gloves, fins, snorkels, audio players, etc.). Medical identification items may be worn. Any kind of tape on the body is not permitted unless approved by the referee. WETSUIT: wetsuits and swimskins are allowed. BOTH CATEGORIES: Safety equipment such as NewWave Swim Buoy are allowed, but no self-inflating devices such as the “Swim-It” and no pull buoys. You may touch or hang onto a kayak for safety with no penalty against awards, but making forward progress with a kayak will be grounds for disqualification. No touching other people other than incidental contact unless for safety reasons.

Kayaks:

Kayaks for individual swimmers are not allowed (see below FAQs). The swim will have several dozen roving kayakers, SUP, etc that will provide roving support to all swimmers. These kayakers will need to register on THE REGISTRATION SITE WHICH IS THE SAME ONE THE SWIMMERS REGISTER ON (It will show a $0 balance at the end of registration).

KAYAKERS MUST HAVE AND WEAR LIFEJACKETS AT ALL TIMES.

1 Mile Swim Event

This is a one mile out and back that will start just south of the Ditto Landing Marina along the Tennessee River Greenway starting just after the 2 mile swim start. Swimmers will enter the water via ramps on the shoreline. Swimmers will proceed upstream to the closest tip of Hobbs Island and turn around. The finish location will be the same as the start. Because the first half mile is against the river current, this swim will take longer than a typical one mile swim in the pool.

 1 Mile Swim Rules:

See 2 mile swim rules above.

Kayaks:

See 2 mile kayak rules above.

Event Strategy

Current and Time Cutoffs: Current in the Tennessee River normally varies greatly because this stretch of the river is controlled by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) via flow rates from the Guntersville Dam. However, every year we submit a flow reduction request to TVA for the race. NEVERTHELESS, they do not have to honor this, and they may not, and we have minimal input into this decision. We are grateful that they are often able to do this for our safety and comfort. For your information, typical TVA-adjusted flow rates for this race in the past have been ~19,000 cubic feet per second, which translates to a very reasonable current for most open water swimmers. That said, be prepared to swim longer than a typical 1, 2 or 5 mile swim in the pool. The 5 mile time cutoff is the tip of the island at 3.5 hrs or 12 noon and finish by 5 hrs or 1:30 pm. No time cutoffs for 1 or 2 milers.

Temperature: Water temperatures are typically between 75 to 83.  IMPORTANT: If water temperatures exceed 78, wetsuits and neoprene caps will be disallowed for safety reasons. We would also encourage you to stay well hydrated before and after, select an appropriate pace for your temperature and comfort. If water temperature exceeds 87 degrees (extremely unlikely given historical conditions), we will cancel the swim due to safety.

Spectators: Because of the configuration of the riverbank, you can stand along the edge of the Tennessee Valley Greenway and see for about a half mile up- and downstream in the river. If you would like to see the entire race close-up, consider being a safety kayaker.

Miscellaneous Info Awards will be as follows 5 Mile Swim Top 3 Male Swimmers Top 3 Male Masters (40+ years old) Top 3 Female Swimmers Top 3 Female Masters (40+ years old) 2 Mile Swim Top 3 Male Swimmers Top 3 Male Wetsuit Swimmers Top 3 Female Swimmers Top 3 Female Wetsuit Swimmers Top 3 Male Masters (40+ years old) Top 3 Female Masters (40+ years old) 1 Mile Swim Top 3 Male Swimmers Top 3 Male Wetsuit Swimmers Top 3 Female Swimmers Top 3 Female Wetsuit Swimmers Top 3 Male Masters (40+ years old) Top 3 Female Masters (40+ years old)