This is the toughest swim I have ever done in my life! I was told by my teammates to swim slightly upstream to avoid getting dragged by the current and having to end up being pulled out or placing an exaggerated effort to return to course. I took their words to heart, to say the least.

In the first few meters, I got kicked and elbowed and dragged down quite a bit, but I guess I was pretty much doing the same to others. I just remembered to relax and keep moving. I figured this was even worse than most triathlon starts because there was no visibility whatsoever.

After completing the first 1k, the current got stronger and the water colder. This is where the Caroní river began. I continued swimming and felt pretty much on my own. Then the current got worse and waves started coming in. It's funny how the waves were going in the opposite direction of the current. I kept using certain spots on land for sighting and many times had to swim upstream to be on course.

I reached a huge navigation buoy, not for the race but for the actual vessels and ships that use the river. That green thing sucked me in! I tried to round it on the top, but kept getting dragged down by the current and the whirlpools created by that buoy. After what seemed like an eternity, I decided to go below it (against the advice of the organization and my experienced teammates) and later managed to remount upstream.

It was funny how as I got closer to land the current got much stronger. I swam the last 1k practically in a parallel position to the finish as I was scared of being dragged down. I got passed by a black cap (a "special" swimmer) which was very exciting. As I got closer, I saw another green cap (my category) and decided to pass. I guess the other guy caught on and we sprinted in. I beat him by 3 seconds. So I guess I survived for about an 1hr 22min and actually "raced" for about a minute!

Avoid battling with the windmill....sorry I meant the green buoy.

Just watched other racers finish. I was horrified by the large number of swimmers downstream, suffering to make it to the finish line while others were DNFing all over the place. They swam and swam but hardly seemed to move. I nearly cried in excitement as a 76-year old Peruvian woman crossed the finish line.


I need to become a better swimmer. This was my first ever "swim-only" competition since learning to swim properly in August 2004. Still, I felt I did a good job sighting, breathing and keeping my cool. I also swam very conservatively just in case I got dragged downstream.


I loved this challenge! I will also try to do this race every year now. I finally feel like a swimmer!