Blue Marsh Lake near Reading for ows practice?

Blue Marsh is great! You can swim between the two sets of bouys and not be in the way of the boats or kids "swimming". I'm not sure how far it is from one end of the bouys to the other but I'm guessing somewhere around 250 yards.

where is blue marsh located in reading?

422 west then 222 north exit at rt 183 then turn left and about a couple miles up on left. About 45 minutes from where you are.

thanks!

If you do an OWS somewhere count me in... Call me.

k steve. i was thinking about going up mid week soon

Thanks, and friend and I will be heading up there tomorrow morning assuming the whether is ok. for a swim-bike brick, last one before the Philly SheRox Tri (my first) Aug 2nd.

I live near there - I safety boated for a friend a couple of weeks ago by the Church Road parking area.  I'm going to be doing again next weekend, if a few more people want to join in.  It's a no wake zone, but boaters are in the area, so a safety boat is needed.

You can also add in a bike and/or run from there as well.  Mountain or road.

I'm might be as well. when are you all thinking of going?

I'll go Sat if anyone is interested. I could also go Friday. I'll bring my bike and or shoes if anyone wants to do something after.

What time sat and where at the lake are you meeting?

http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/sb/recreation.htm#swimming

From the web site. Don't know what time yet but probable 8 ish. I'm going to put the word out with some other friends and get a group together.

I'm going to be there on Saturday with one or two people.  I plan to bring my kayak and bike.  We'll be meeting at the Church Road parking lot, off rte 183. The nice things about that spot are that (a) free to park, (b) options of bike loops - a shorter 7 mile loop to the north, or a longer 20 miles to the south.  Plus there is the trail to run on.

OK, I'm in for 8am on Sat. none of my training partners are interested so it'll be just me. I'll bring my running stuff and bike stuff if anyone is interested. I don't know the area so I would want to ride with someone. I mountainbike raced there years ago. Are there still trails that I could navigate on my own? I'll bring a mountain bike if anyone wants to go, I'll also trail run if there are any takers.
I just want to make the best of the long trip...

My ph # if anyone wants to contact me. 267-718-8506

There is an awesome mountain biking trail.  From Church Road, there is a loop that goes to the old ski area; I think it's around 7 miles or so.  Going clockwise the first half is very technical with lots of hills and roots, scary single track on the side of the hills with steep drops; then a flat and fast return.  I am not at all fast on the trail, either on foot or on the bike. I'll be checking with the two other guys that are planning to swim to get a firm time commitment.

OK, I have one friend who can't make it, and another who can.  We will be at the Church Road parking lot between 8 and 8:30 on Saturday.  You can't miss me - I have a bright yellow Xterra, with "Gearboy" on the license plate, and I'll be hauling a 17 foot long kayak on the roof.

I'll be there. I am on call for work so it could change at any minute but I'm keeping my fingers crossed I really need to swim. I haven't been in the water since a week or so before IMCd'A.

Thought I could make it but I have to finish a job that got rained out today. Post a message if you are going to do this again. I could probably get a friend to paddle as a safety boat also. Let me know how the water was there used to be fairly ugly.

The water was good.  Warm, not a lot of floating debris.  We added on a mountain bike leg, where sgillen totally smoked me.  At one point, he cycled back to make sure I hadn't crashed (I hadn't, at least at that point).  Got muddy and a little bloody, so it was all good.You're not too far, so if you want to swim one evening after 6, let me know.  If I'm free, I'd be happy to paddle.

Thanks a lot for waiting for me so i could swim. I am usually very punctual but totally misjudged travel time. Do you have time and distance info from your garmin for my swim?

Yep - 0.93 miles, 35:02 minutes.  It worked out very well, since my friend was only doing a 0.5 mile swim.  Plus I got to paddle twice.  And hey, if you want to full 6 mile swim out to the wake zone, just let me know!

How is the water up there?  I would love to go swim there before IMKY.

The water is warm enough to go without a wetsuit.  Right now, there is not much debris floating in it, but like any lake, it is pretty dark.  Parking is free off Church Road, and the water there is a no-wake zone, but there are boaters and fishermen, so it pays to have a safety boater.  Let me know if you need one - I'm always happy to have an excuse to bring the kayak out.

How about Friday, the 14th, in the early evening? I'm looking to get in an hour OWS with sighting practice. Plus an hour of easy road biking - probably 15 - 20 miles. Anyone interested in meeting up?