2021 SwimRun NC
Background and Race Preparation
Back in October 2019, I saw an article on Slowtwitch that featured SwimRun NC. At the time, I had never even thought about SwimRun as a sport, but as soon as I saw that article and the stunning photographs, I decided that I wanted to do that race. All I needed was someone crazy enough to do it with me. I reached to one of my C26 Triathlon teammates, Katie Letchworth, about doing the race with me and to my delight, she said “yes”.
You must apply to race at SwimRun NC, with details of your previous endurance sports races. The organizers require a certain degree of endurance race experience to ensure that participants can safely navigate the difficult course. Katie and I put together our resumes and sent off an application to race. A day later, we had our answer… we were in the race.
We were excited to race in October 2020, but as we all know, the global Covid-19 pandemic hit, and that race was cancelled. We deferred to the 2021 race, which was pushed back into early November. Little did we know how those few weeks of delay from October would impact the water temperature for our race.
Katie and I do not live near each other, so we had almost no opportunity to practice together. In fact, we only practiced together once, during a triathlon camp we both attended in June this year. We both had Full Ironman races to do ahead of SwimRun NC, so we used the training for those races to get in shape.
We both successfully finished our Ironman races. I did Ironman Chattanooga in September and Katie did Ironman Texas in early October. Then, before we knew it, race weekend in North Carolina arrived. On the Saturday, we checked-in for the race and got to meet Herbert Krabel, one of the race directors who had provided us with so much information about the race. We then decided to go scout the course a little, before doing a quick practice swim in the Dan River. We checked out the lake where we would do eight of the nine swims and we also hiked to the Window Falls. At the lake, we met the other race directors, Jan Kriska and Jeff Beckelhimer and we also ran into Andrew Starykowicz, the pro triathlete who would be racing with us.
Our practice swim in the Dan River was an experience. The water was extremely cold (we later discovered it was 47’F). Once in the water, Katie and I looked at each other and thought … “What have we gotten ourselves into?”. It was too late however, the next day we had the race.
Lake At Hanging Rock State Park ~ Location For Swims 1-8
The Race
Race Morning
Race morning was similar to my other races. I was up early to eat my standard breakfast of bagels and apple sauce, before getting into my race gear. Race gear was obviously a little different for this race. I had on my SwimRun wetsuit, race bib, calf sleeves and trail run shoes. The pockets of my wetsuit were loaded up with swim goggles, swim cap, swim paddles, swim tether, nutrition and the mandatory safety gear (whistle and compression bandage). I also had my lasso / swim buoy to put around my waist, once the race started.
We were staying close to the race venue, so didn’t leave until an hour before the start. So different to triathlons, where you get to the race super early to set up transition. It was a cold morning as we joined the other 72 teams starting the race. Before long, everyone was lined up in the starting coral, ready for the mass start.
Run 1
The race director sounded the horn, and we were off. Our race began with a 4.7 mile run with an elevation gain of about 1,400 feet. The first half mile or so was along a gravel road and his where all the teams sorted themselves out by pace. It was important to find your place in the race because the route then became a single-track trail, with no place to pass, for about three miles. My partner and I settled into a good rhythm at a nice steady pace. We had a long day ahead of us and didn’t want to start too fast.
The trail wound its way upwards, and we crossed a small creek about eight or nine times. We passed a small aid station where the trail crossed a road and took a quick drink of water using our race cups. As we were getting towards the lake, we encountered our first challenge of the day – climbing through Window Falls. Just short of the falls we were directed off the trail and into the stream. Yes, we literally climbed up the stream to get to the falls. The stream was covered in bushes and while looking at where to place my feet, I scratched my head on a sharp branch. Less than an hour into the race, I had my first battle scar. The scratch was bleeding quite a bit, but I ignored and moved on.
To get through the falls, we traversed a path behind the lower falls before scrambling up some rocks to the upper falls. Getting up these falls was more difficult, and we had to use a knotted rope provided by the race organizers. We made it up safely and walked / ran the remaining trail that went uphill to the lake.
Traversing The Lower Window Falls (Photo Credit – Lionel Alva)
Swims 1-4 and Runs 2-4
The next part of the course was all completed at the lake in Hanging Rock State Park. There was no elevation to deal with, but we now had to face swimming in cold water, very cold water. It was 52 ‘F. We stopped at the aid station to grab another quick drink and I also ate a pack of chews. We completed Run 1 by traversing the area behind the dam and getting to the water’s edge.
Swim 1 was a very short traverse of an inlet of the lake. It was only 25-30 yards across. My partner and I donned our swim caps and swim goggles, put on our swim paddles and put our pull buoys between our legs. We got into the water and quickly completed the short swim. It was short but quite a shock to the system. I had worked up quite a sweat on Run 1, so the water felt even colder.
Once out of the water, Run 2 was less than a quarter of a mile along a single-track trail to the far end of the lake. It was time for Swim 2, a much longer swim of about 600 yards back to the aid station area of the lake. Katie took the lead for this swim, while I drafted off her by swimming behind her. For this swim, we had put on our tether, which was designed to stop us getting separated on the swim. I don’t think we ever got far enough apart for it to matter, but it was reassuring to have it.
Swim 2 was long and cold. We both started by swimming with our heads out of the water. Putting my face in the cold water gave me an almost immediate ‘brain freeze’ sensation in my sinuses. Gradually however, by occasionally putting my head down, I got used to cold and could swim normally by breathing to the side. Plenty of yellow buoys made navigating the swim easy and we made it to the swim exit in good time. Standing up to get out of the water proved quite challenging. The cold seemed to have affected my balance and I staggered on shore.
As we came ashore, we were greeted by race announcer David Daggett. We had fun interacting with David all day. He encouraged us and shared interesting “facts” that Katie and I had secretly supplied to him before the race. The friendly banter with David, was another of highlight of the race.
Having run up the small slope out of the water, I said “Hi” to my wife who was watching us at the swim exit and we rushed to the aid station. The organizers had hot chicken broth available. It tasted great and you feel it warming your inside. We could have stayed and drunk more chicken broth, but we needed to keep moving.
Runs 3-4 and swims 3-4 were a repeat of the loop we had just done across the lake. By now we were chilled, so getting into the water was less of a shock. We made it round the combined run and swim around the lake and back to the aid station, just in time to see the race leaders arrive down from the Moore’s Wall loop. They were absolutely flying.
After more chicken broth and some gummies, it was time to hit the next run, the Moore’s Wall loop.
Exiting Swim 4 (Photo Credit – Christine Rucker)
Run 5
Run five was a trail run up to the top of Moore’s Wall and back. This lollipop loop involves a climb of about 1,400 feet to the top, including the ascent of over 600, uneven, rocky steps. By now the race had spread out and my partner and I were alone on the course. We were both very cold coming out of the water, but our wetsuit kept our core temperature high. It was our hands and feet that suffered. My hands did warm up quite quickly, but my feet were numb with cold. They felt like bricks at the bottom of my legs and they felt like that for about the next hour.
It was quiet and peaceful as we slowly made the ascent. We joked that we must be in last place, but when I looked at my watch and realized we were well under the cut-off time, I guessed we were just not around other teams.
We walked pretty much all the steps. They were steep and of different heights. As we went up them, it became obvious we were approaching the top, because we could see for a long way through the trees. Just short of the very top, a race volunteer pointed the way to the fire tower, we climbed a few more steps and were there. At the top, we saw another three or four teams, which was reassuring. We grabbed a drink of water and stood for our mandatory photograph. The view from the top was spectacular.
We didn’t hang around long and started our descent to the lake. This section was by far the most technical part of the course. The trail consisted of angular rocks and lots of tree roots. It would have been very easy to roll an ankle on this section, so we had to carefully pick our way through. We must have been moving quite quickly however, because we soon caught and passed the team ahead of us.
The trail became less technical the closer we got to the lake. Our feet had finally warmed up and we were moving quickly. We caught and passed another team, before finally making it back to the lake for two more loops. I glanced at my watch. We had easily beaten the cut-off time. Finishing the race was now totally in our control.
At The Top Of The Moore’s Wall Loop (Photo Credit – Richard Hill)
Swims 5-8 and Runs 6-8
Having finally warmed up, it was time to jump back in the water. By now, we knew what to expect. This portion of the race was a repeat of the two loops around the lake that we had done earlier. The water was still a shock to the system, so cold.
This time around the lake, we were more efficient. We were now getting used to putting on our swim gear, tethering up and swimming together. I took the lead for the long swims this time around. I enjoyed leading out, mostly because I didn’t have to worry about getting tangled in the tether. On Swim 6 however, my race belt slid down around my ankles and I almost lost the tether. It was fun swimming with my legs apart, trying not to lose it.
One of the great things about the race was the volunteers. They were fantastic. Just before jumping into the lake for our last swim across it, I joked with the volunteers saying “I love you guys but I’m glad I won’t be seeing you again!”. They laughed back and then said, “Would you like some hot chocolate?”. They had brought a flask of hot chocolate for us slower athletes, and we were so happy to drink it. Slightly warmed by the sugary goodness, we got into the lake.
Happy To Be Out Of That 52’F Water (Photo Credit – John Segesta)
Run 9
After our last swim in the lake and yet another helping of warm chicken broth, we were ready to tackle the longest run leg of the race. This run was a 5.7 miles long descent back down to the river. Most of it was on the same trail we had used to climb up to the lake, but before that, we needed to climb through the Cascade Falls.
Just like our first waterfall adventure, this climb was quite a challenge. It was made harder by the fact that our hands and feet were numb from the recent swim. Strategically placed ropes helped but traversing a ledge that was only six inches wide messed with the mind, in addition to being physically challenging. Katie and I worked as team, giving each other a helping hand in order to get through unscathed.
The run back to the river was quite enjoyable. The trail was less technical, and the slight downhill grade made it easier. We soon caught up with two other mixed teams and ran with them for a while. Eventually, we decided we wanted to push ahead, so we passed by them and left them behind.
Close to the river, we turned left off the original track and ran up to another group of volunteers at the entrance to our last swim. We knew that the swim was going to be cold, but by now we knew we were almost finished, so we didn’t hesitate to get into the water.
Running Up From Cascade Falls (Photo Credit – Jessica Voss)
Swim 9 and Run 10
The water was indeed cold. It was colder than the lake at 47’F. It fair took your breath away when you immersed yourself in it. With the water level being quite low in the river, this swim was a combination of swimming, sliding over shallow rocks and walking. The first part was swimmable but staying under the water was tough.
Race time was not an issue for my partner and I, we just wanted to finish. We were therefore quite okay with not swimming as much as possible. Swimming would have been quicker, but also a lot colder. We ended up walking quite a bit of that swimmable section.
The second half of the river ‘swim’ was in very shallow water. With more normal water temperatures, racers ‘salamander’ this section by scooting over the rocks on their bellies. This again is faster than walking. Today however, every team we could see was walking this section and so we did the same.
While walking in the river, we started to hear music and could see buildings in the distance. We were almost at the finish line. Rounding a bend in the river, the steps up to the finish came into view and we could see people helping racers out of the river. We saw a friend by the exit taking photographs of us, while we crossed the very slippery rocks to the staircase up to the finish line.
We were there… run number ten and the shortest run of the race. Together, Katie and I climbed the ‘stairway to heaven’, reached the top and ran the final 50 yards down the finisher chute. We had done it. We had completed our first SwimRun event.
Overall Time : 6:02:33 (49th Overall – 16th Mixed Team)
Exiting The Dan River (Photo Credit – Jessica Voss)
Post-Race
After a few finish line photographs, we quickly changed out of our race gear and into nice warm street clothes. I quickly warmed up as we joined the post-race festivities. There was beer and pizza and a huge ‘door prize’ giveaway. I ended up with a T-shirt, Hoodie and a nice Orca swim cap. The atmosphere was superb. Very low key. We chatted with the race organizers and also talked to Andrew Starykowicz, one of the race winners for a few minutes. He was a super nice guy.
So, the big question is… will I do another SwimRun race? The answer is unequivocally… Yes!! This sport is nothing like triathlon, not even close. It is much more like adventure racing. It is still an endurance sport, but having a teammate makes a huge difference to your day. The time flies as you both have fun. There is someone there to help you through the tougher moments and together you race in beautiful environments. The only question is… which race to do next?
