I positioned myself near the back of the pack so that I wouldn't get caught in the initial melee. At the sound of the horn we waded in and were off! There was some initial contact as I passed and was passed by other swimmers but nothing too bad. As I passed the buoy for the sprint turn-around I was feeling good and steadily made my way past the second buoy. I started to feel some swells coming in the bay and looked forward to have them at my back on the return swim.

As I made it to the turn around buoy there was a lot of congestion which surprised me considering most of the wave had a good lead on me. When I came around I realized why, there was a current pushing everyone back. The race was started at a "slack tide" in an effort to avoid the current affecting the swim however the tide chart indicated the start of a low tide just after the starting gun. I figured the current was the tide and dug in and started the return stretch.

The current was a beast, I could feel it pushing on me and rushing past with each stroke. Using features of Morro Rock on my left side as a gauge my progress was very slow and the middle buoy never seemed to get any closer. A few swimmers from the second wave passed me so I figured most of the second wave was still behind me and I was doing OK. With the middle buoy still far out of reach I used a channel marker as my goal, gradually making to it and passing it. By this time I figured I had been swimming for at least 40 minutes, which was the high end of my target time and I still at least 500 yards out and hardly making any ground.

The middle buoy was now my goal as my arms started to tire. Knowing that slowing would let the current push me I was determined to keep going and not rest. The landmark on my left didn't seem to move and was trying to convince myself it was just an optical illusion do to parallax and distance until I passed the a fore mentioned channel marker for a second time. I visualized the bay and tried to recall if there was another channel marker but the seeds of doubt were growing strong.

What felt like another 10 minutes of going nowhere passed and I saw the Harbor Patrol pick up a swimmer who was not far behind me. A rescue paddler came up to me and asked if I was OK. Seeing the other swimmer pulled gave me a burst of energy and stubborn determination and I declined the help. As another swimmer was pulled I saw the channel marker for the third time I realized my swim was over and called over the rescue paddler.

Once on the Harbor Patrol boat I stopped my timer, an hour in the water and 0.94 miles (according to the GPS) despite only going about .6 miles on the course.. I made a comment about the out going tide and one of the rescuers noted the strong offshore wind was pushing the surface current more than the tide. As they pulled more swimmers from the water I could see how dramatic the current was, both boats and swimmers were getting pushed around.

After the remaining swimmers were pulled (about 10 of us on this boat, more on kayaks) they dropped us off on shore at the swim end. Technically I knew I was a DNF however nobody stopped us to take our timing chips so I decided to finish this race!

Improve my swim so that the current wouldn't shut me down so dramatically. Cutting towards the shore parallel to the course may have helped get out of the current.

Knowing my race time didnt matter I took my time in T1.

Hustled more if time was of the essence.

The ride up from the Embarcadero and out of downtown went smooth and I looked forward to settling in for a nice ride. As I crested the hill out of town the view up the coast was beautiful. The offshore wind was forming the waves with perfect faces and spray making me wish I was out there on my surfboard. As I passed through the sleepy bach town of Cayucos the coastline turned and the offshore wind became a tailwind giving me a nice push for a few miles leading to a steady gentle climb up to the turn-around.

As expected, on the way back the tailwind became a headwind making even the gentle decent feel like I was going uphill. My shoulders were sore from the extending swim so it was hard to stay in aero position. The return course took us through the main street of Cauyucos and past a few remaining spectators whose cheers helped to lift my spirits. Exiting town the strech down the coast was just as beautiful and the waves beconed me again. The ride back into Morro Bay was smooth and my legs were feeling good.

Not much, good ride considering the conditions.

Smooth transition, took my time.

After the trials and tribulations of the day I decided to take it easy on the run and enjoy the rest of the race. Out of transition the run started up a dirt road, over some sand, then to a trail through a tunnel of trees. With how long I was on the water there were not many racers left on the course so it was a nice serene moment. The trail opened up to a quiet neighborhood and finally the turn around with stairs down to the beach.

On the beach I could see Morro Rock looming 3 miles away. The tide was low leaving nice hard packed sand to run on along the water line. I kept my pace slow and steady pace to enjoy the run down the coast. The beach run ended on some soft sand, slowing me to a walk for a small stretch. Out of the sand, up to the board walk, around the final corner and I could see the finish line. I sped up just a bit to finish as strong as I could. The clock showed 3:50 and my race was finally finished.

Had my race started better I would have ran faster.

The orange slices at the finish were be best tasting things ever, hunger is an incredible spice. Drank a bunch of water and stretched out my legs.


Strength and speed in the water. Somehow most of the other swimmers survived the current so I need to improve that aspect of my training.


The swim was my toughest challenge in a race to date. Once that was behind me the course was very scenic and enjoyable.