3 Strategies That Make Open Water Swimming Exciting

Jul 12, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Competitors race at the start of the men's open water swim during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ontario Place West Channel. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports Images

By Robbie Dickson, Swimming World College Intern.

Open water races, just like pool swims, involve a variety of strategies that lead competitors toward success. Every swimmer and coach develops a strategy that works for them and what they hope to accomplish in the race. Some of these will crash and burn and others will take you down the path of glory.

Here are just a few of the most memorable ways to complete open water races:

1. The Fly and Die

Photo Courtesy: Simon Watts/Open Water Source

For only the third time ever, swimming in the 2016 Olympics extended beyond the 50m pool. While two hours of pack swimming may not be interesting to some, Jarrod Poort from Australia took it upon himself to “liven” up the race. With plenty of strategies in his “tool box”, Poort decided to try out the good ole “fly and die” strategy. This tactic is mostly used when someone really does not want to have to swim a 200 butterfly ever again. This typically ends up with a puzzled coach, some laughing teammates, and lot of parents cringing as they watch the strategy unfold.

But there really is no better place to test out your new race plan than at the Olympic Games. After the first lap (of four), Poort led by nearly a minute over the closest competitor, and the lead went well over the minute barrier with half way to go. But from there, the bold strategy seemed to be catching up to Poort as the lead was trimmed to 40 seconds with one lap to go. And as many could have predicted (and cringed as it happened), Poort began to get caught by his competition. His strategy may have earned him 21st overall, but his spot as a legend was forever solidified. Poort was a good sport about his efforts, taking to Facebook afterwards to tell his tale. This race may be remembered for the multiple disqualifications or for the photo finish that deciding factor between the gold and silver medalists, but plenty of people will forever remember this race because of Jarrod Poort’s brave “fly and die”.

2. The No Feed Strategy

Photo Courtesy: David Farr

This is probably the face many swimmers make when they are told they can’t get out of their two-hour workout to grab a snack because they are starving. Well, at the 2014 US Open Water Nationals, Ryan Feeley decided to test out the strategy of not feeding for the grueling two-hour race. Feeley built up a sizable lead over his competitors during the first two (of six) laps of the course, but slowly started to be reeled in by his competitors. As the majority of the competitors would veer off course in order to feed, Feeley would remain in line with the course and completely avoid the chaos of feeding.

If you were not a swimmer, you would think that staying on course would be a smart choice because the fastest path is a straight one. But in the 10k, it is imperative to give your body some sort of fuel in order to remain competitive for two consecutive hours. The lack of feed stops as well as the hot California sun began to take their toll. Before the halfway point was reached, the chase pack had caught and began passing Feeley. However, he did manage to hang on for the duration of the race and earn an 8th place finish. Like Poort, he also took to social media to discuss his race plan. While it is highly recommended not to attempt this strategy for a 10k, it will definitely get your swim remembered for years to come.

3. The Hangout Until the Very End Strategy

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Many swimmers and coaches may consider this the “Save up Sally” approach, but that is way too demeaning when talking about the “marathon” of open water swimming. Andrew Gemmell is considered one of the smartest American open water swimmers of all-time. He has been a prominent member of the national team for many years. He broke out at the 2009 World Championships, winning the silver medal in the 10k. At the national level, Gemmell won the 2014 and 2016 10k crowns. He is widely known for his opportunistic strategies, which is letting the competition do the majority of the work while he nestles himself comfortably in the front pack.

At the 2016 Open Water Nationals, the field was loaded with international superstars who would be using this as an opportunity to tune up before the Olympic Games later in the summer. Unfortunately for Gemmell, he would not be joining them in Rio as Sean Ryan and Jordan Wilimovsky earned their spots at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia. But this did not deter him, as he did what he always does, hung out and let everyone else do the work early on.

Throughout the first hour and a half, Gemmell conserved his energy but made sure he was always in striking distance of the leaders. With about 20 minutes left, he moved into the top five and began using all the energy he had been storing at the expense of his competitors. Coming around the final buoy, Gemmell was in a pack of five and it looked as if it would take a photo finish to decide the winner. But he had other ideas, and turned on the kick he had been saving for this very moment. It propelled him to the lead, and allowed him to claim another national title. While this strategy may irritate your teammates in pool practices, it is a very respected tactic in open water swimming.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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7 years ago

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