How do you even begin to summarize an endeavor as large as the One Water Race? I will start by saying that it didn’t begin as we stood at the starting line in Arholma. It took almost a year of preparation just to get there. Countless hours of training, meeting with our team, and building our strategy. We worked hard, putting in the time so our bodies would be physically able to complete the distance ahead. We fine-tuned all the gear, fuel, and equipment necessary for a race of this magnitude. We practiced swimrun and navigation skills, all while strengthening our mental fortitude, so we could be as ready as possible for the test ahead. After all this, some of us still didn’t really understand what we were in for, but we stood confident as those final minutes counted down. We felt ready and knew we were up to the challenge.
After so many months of training and seemingly never-ending workouts slowly ticked by, the last few days before the start flew by in a blur. There was a certain calm as we stood at the battery awaiting the countdown, but that turned into a scramble at the announcement of “3, 2, 1, GO!” We quickly opened our maps, drew out our route, and before we knew it, we were racing south. Having competed in many swimruns, I was used to the jittery excitement as all the teams raced away from the starting line, but quickly realized that this was a completely different ballgame 200m into the run as the first team turned down a separate trail from us. Then 2km later when the group split yet again, I realized that this was no ordinary swimrun race. There was an additional sense of adventure on top of the sport that I already love, and I was here for it! After a short run, we were in the crisp water for the first time, and it felt wonderful. The second island is where I knew that this was a far cry from the typical swimrun races that I have competed in so many times. As we bushwhacked across that island without course markings, only relying on our map and compass, I knew this was something special. Throughout the morning we skipped across islands, moving swiftly, and confident in our route choices. The swims felt good and the islands weren’t too tough. We arrived at checkpoint 1 less than a minute behind the leaders and we were feeling great. Our fueling strategy was on, our navigation was good, and we were in high spirits. Despite alternate route choices, we could see the leaders in every swim and were excited to be in the mix with the top teams.
The first 10 hours went off without a hitch as we raced through stage 1 and checkpoints 2 and 3. Barely making the channel crossing before a giant ferry barreled through was amazing. It certainly surprised me as I took a breath only to see an enormous boat pass right behind us, the wake kindly pushing us in the right direction. Those weren’t the only impediments while swimming. There was wind and chop too, but we pushed through, always relishing the smooth water in the shadow of the islands. One advantage that we enjoyed was that we have 3 strong swimmers on our team. We were able to rotate each swim, sharing the load and remaining relatively fresh. This was part of our strategy and it was paying off. However, a long swim leading up to checkpoint 4 made us acutely aware of the colder water temps. Knowing that stage 2 would have some more long swims, Kayla put her full suit on and was nice and toasty getting back in the water. Not long thereafter, the next time we met Melissa, Justin put on his hood and I donned my sleeves. Our pace started to slow ever so slightly as we closed out stage 2, but we still felt good and were moving well.
As we entered stage 3 and night mode, we faced our first navigational challenges. The very first island in the stage was a struggle and we lost significant time getting across. We still moved well in the water, but at night it was difficult to find the best routes across very rough islands. On 4 separate islands between checkpoints 5 and 7 we were struggling to find the route, especially in the last 200m trying to find the smallest trails that would bring us to the water’s edge for our next swims. We had a bit of a low point at night, but that was offset by the sheer beauty of a full super moon rise over farmhouses. We were in awe of the incredible archipelago at night, lit by the moon and stars. We were even able to navigate using the moon during a few of our swims. It was amazing to be traversing these islands, just human versus nature, feeling so blessed to be a part of this epic adventure.
As we trudged through the night, Melissa recognized that we had lost our momentum. She was very honest and real with us about how we were doing, forcing us to recognize why we were there. She inspired us and it was just what we needed to find our motivation again. We had reestablished clear goals with each island, picking up our tempo with renewed vigor and found our legs again. We were running, but the increased pace brought additional friction and chafing to Kayla’s skin. At this point, she had been in her full suit for 20 hours and we didn’t realize the extent of her torture until it was too late. She was an absolute warrior on those last few islands, gritting through the pain and maintaining pace despite having to run with a hobbled gait. As we made our final push to checkpoint 9, we accepted that our dream of the lighthouse door would not be realized this year.
In a race of this magnitude any number of things could go wrong with any member of the team, but in those 32 hours we accomplished so much together. Yes, it was hard to end our One Water Race bid when we were all feeling physically strong, but we learned a great deal along the way about ourselves and our team. I have heard it said that no one race exists in a vacuum. If we stop here, that could be considered a failure, but if we take everything we learn and apply it to the future, it is merely a stepping stone to what comes next. We grew stronger together, supporting one another and raced as one. I stand proud of Team 2 USA and all that we accomplished. This is just one chapter in learning what our human capacity is. We have pushed our potential even further out and are nowhere near discovering our limits. We know that we have what it takes to make it to Landsort.
One Water Race, you pulled off an amazing feat putting on this race. The logistics involved in taking care of the racers, media, and volunteers was awesome. It was an unforgettable experience.
