Brooklyn Bridge Swim

Though I've come to Brooklyn from Manhattan many times, this was the first time I'd visited and then swum back..

The swim in the East River took place on a beautiful, hot July Sunday morning, and ended a long weekend filled with fun activity.   On Friday, I celebrated my 39th birthday with a hot and hilly 55 mile bike ride up to Bear Mountain with my friend Shawn and some of her biking friends.  It's always good to escape the muggy heat of the city on a hot day, and while the temps were approaching the 90's, we had a tail wind cycling up Hudson River which made for a good ride.

Friday evening was fun joint birthday party, and probably a little bit more beer than I'm used to these days, with most of Saturday recovering from said birthday party.   However I was recovered enough to make it out in the evening for a 7.5 mile run in Central Park with Karim, a new running friend I met at a fitness boot-camp a couple of weeks back.   For the last part of the run, we ran around the reservoir, with the city skyline in the background, and ended up along a dark bridle path beautifully lit by fireflies.  Moments like that remind why I avoid running in the gym.

Melissa, Ariel, Ben, Shawn - pre-race excitement!

The next morning I travelled over to Brooklyn Bridge Park with Ariel, where we met Shawn and Melissa to register for the swim, get our bodies marked, and pick up our swim caps and timing chips.  The moments before an event can be hard when the old nerves build up, but I felt much less nervous than last year when I'd swum in NYC triathlon.  If I could survive the Hudson, then I should also be able to survive the East River as well!

The event was run by NYC Swim and they did a fantastic job of organizing it.  There were a few hundred swimmers, split into about 10 waves.  The 1 km route was clearly marked by buoys, and had kayakers all the way over the river to stop people drifting off course.  Also, every wave had a volunteer 'swimming angel' with a blue swim cap, in case anyone ran into difficulties.  The organizers were also great with supporting my logistical needs as I came fully equipped with crutches and a prosthetic leg that I'd need on the other side.  They were very friendly and accommodating, and checked in with me a few times before the swim to make sure I had everything I needed.

Made it to the other side!

All the waves lined up in the park, and before long we were on the beach and jumping into the water.  I was boiling in my wetsuit, so it felt good just to get into water to cool down.  As the swim got underway I had the familiar uncomfortable feeling of not being at ease in the water, as I adjusted to my new surroundings.  Probably from a mixture of nerves and the cold water, I started hyperventilating a little, needing to take a breath with every stroke.  Once I got my swimming rhythm going though, it got better.  My main concern was not going too much off course (really need to improve my sighting in open water swims!) and I was put back on course by a few of the kayakers as I went from buoy to buoy.

Apart from being bumped around a bit in parts, and a bit of a spluttering after taking in some water, I began to feel stronger as I made my way across the river, under the Brooklyn Bridge.  When I got to the other side, there was the usual adrenaline rush and feeling of accomplishment.  For anyone in the New York area, I would definitely recommend this swim as a fun and safe way of getting open water swim experience, with a unique perspective of the bridge to boot.