La Jolla Rough Water Swim: The Big Wet One
Text and photos by Mary L. Peachin and Morgan Seidl
My adventures with the La Jolla Rough Water Swim date back more than a decade. In 2001, my husband David and I were welcomed by fog and gusting winds of 10 to 15 knots, which created three to five foot waves. Swells separated by eight seconds caused extremely choppy conditions in the 70-degree water. That was our initiation to rough water swimming.
Overcoming adversity seems to be a real hallmark of this annual event, which attracts athletes of all calibers to the San Diego area each summer.
Tucsonan Kathy Krucker is a great example. Four months after a knee replacement, the retired University of Arizona biology teacher, won her age bracket in the La Jolla three-mile Gatorman event. “When I wore out my knees, this granddaddy of all rough water swims saved my sanity,” she says. A competitive swimmer since childhood, for more than 25 27 years she has trained with Ford Aquatics Masters Program at the University of Arizona pool. “I’d have to check my treasure box for my medals to tell you how many times I have swam that race. It’s been at least 10.”
Throughout the year and ramping up during the summer, coach Jim Stites prepares members of the Ford Aquatics Masters Program for the race. “I’ve never missed that one hour and forty-five minute race completion requirement,” says Krucker. “The year I couldn’t use my knee joint, I was still able to train using a pool buoy for leg exercises. The La Jolla Roughwater swim always motivates me to stay in shape.”
Stites usually enters more than 20 participants in the race. “The La Jolla Rough Water Swim is our most popular event,” he explains. “Personally, I haven’t missed one since 1993. One year back in the ’90s, the water was 63 degrees. They had to pull some hypothermic swimmers out of the ocean. Roughwater swimming is like trails for a track runner… it offers freedom from walls and chlorine and the chance to swim in a natural environment.”
Among the many who have found special meaning in the race are twenty-something Melanie Benn, her limbs ravaged by bacterial meningitis, who attached swim paddles to arm prosthetics to take part. Bill Bell, when he was 78, swam the three-mile Gatorman event with elite athletes that included Olympians such as Aram Kevorkian, then a member of the University of Arizona swim team.
Touted as the premier rough water swim in America, the event is open to all ages. The courses include 250 yards (kids only), a mile, and pre-qualified swimmers can select the three-mile Gatorman. All entrants wear timing microchips velcroed around their ankles, and numbers are written on their shoulders in waterproof pen for safety identification.
In 1916, for the World’s Fair Pan American Exposition San Diego communities were asked to showcase themselves. La Jollans chose to host an ocean swim. World War I intervened so the second race didn’t take place until 1923. The Swim became an annual event in 1931, and has been held every year except 1948 due to the polio epidemic, and 1959 because of some unusual shark sightings.
Locals call the race, held each year the weekend following Labor Day, The Big Wet One. In order to preserve quality organization and high standards, participation is limited to 2,500 racers from 25 states. Arizona swimmers are second in representation to Californians.
At the event in 2001, after one look at the threatening weather conditions, David and I decided to turn in our ankle microchips and scratch the race. Eavesdropping on our conversation, several San Diegans encouraged us to participate by emphasizing the “fun of it all.” As peer pressure mounted, we acquiesced to having entry numbers written on our shoulders.
Bang! The starter gun fired and suddenly I was following the “over 40” women into the surf. Or I should say chop? Years spent scuba diving and ocean fishing had conditioned me to rocky conditions, yet suddenly my stomach was churning. As incoming waves tossed me like a salad, I wondered if I was experiencing a case of nerves or seasickness.
With my goggles fogged, it was difficult to see the turn buoys marked by 10-foot towers of colored balloons that had been bowed flat by the wind. Stopping briefly to check my direction, a swimmer behind me shouted, “don’t stop, I am tracking off you.” I didn’t reply that they were tracking the wrong swimmer. Shakily, my legs finally carried me up the beach across the official finish line. “Nice going” several onlookers told me.
David and I were both proud to finish, and happy to be counted among the “survivors” who received impressive medals. Eight years later and more than half a decade older, we decided to participate in the 2009 race.
During the winter months, I trained with swim coach Ted Quidley. Once again, the rough water did not disappoint. Aftermath conditions from Hurricane Jimella churned the seas and brought crashing 10-foot breakers. Entry and exit from the Cove was precarious. Our time was lengthened by the waves and currents, but we finished the race — one that required a dozen or so swimmers be rescued.
If You Go:
For More Information
La Jolla Rough Water Swim
Training
Start your training now for the 82nd Annual La Jolla Rough Water Swim on Sept. 9, 2012. Jim Stites coaches master swimming with practices at 5:30 to 6:30 a.m., and noon to 1 p.m. at University of Arizona Hillenbrand Pool. Contact fordaquatics.org or Jim Stites at swim1@qwest.net
Accommodations
The San Diego area has a wide choice of accommodations. If you want to make a weekend trip for the Swim, you might choose to venture further than La Jolla. Below are a few recommendations.
Grande Colonial: This landmark hotel has undergone extensive renovation in the last few years. It’s located in the heart of La Jolla, just a few blocks from the Cove. www.thegrandecolonial.com.
Glorietta Bay Inn: A charming, historic boutique hotel, located one block from Coronado Beach and combining Old-world charm with modern amenities. www.gloriettabayinn.com.
Hotel Palomar San Diego: Sophisticated, luxurious and artfully chic, the new Hotel Palomar is surrounded by award-winning theaters and nightlife, just steps from San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. www.hotelpalomar-sandiego.com.