05 Sep - Waikiki Roughwater Swim

Labor Day was the Waikiki Roughwater Swim.  Like last year it was a great event - beautiful course, great people and lots of fun.  

I entered last year's time on my application and for some reason they put me in the second heat of five.  What this really did is allow me to see how all the fast people swim open water.  I wouldn't even know how to replicate what I saw.  

After the race we met up with the family and wandered down to the Hale Koa pool.  Boys played for hours and we ended up in sort of a pruned, brain dead haze.  Not a bad day. 

 Race course - same every year.  We had a nice following current this year.

 

 Nearly the same time as last year - 1:17.  My goal in this year's swims was to be a functional husband and dad post races, unlike last year.  Considering I had pretty much the same times and managed to be functional I'm calling it a win.

 

Good buddy Drew made it out for four of five races this summer.  He really honed his pre-race routine:  Don't train, catch the red-eye out of Vegas, land at 5:00 am morning of the race, pick up McDonald's breakfasts for the family (Thanks Drew! Zach has learned to love the Spam that comes in the Hawaiian McDonald's Big Breakfast.), come to the house about 7, change from airline uniform and go to swim.  Post race is getting hooked up at some fat ocean front room in Waikiki, sleep, enjoy the sites and catch up with Stickneys for cheeseburgers at Teddy's.  Other variations included trying the swims without goggles.  Only this guy can pull it off.