After Provincials most of your competitive options will move outdoors from the pool. There are still indoor races being held, Red Deer and especially with US Masters and the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver. And, of course. Nationals looms for some of you.
There is a pretty comprehensive list of swims at VOWSA. And a new Facebook Group has been set up here for Canadian Open Water Swimmers. The Lake Ontario Swim Team and the Global Swim Series are two other resources for your OW fix.
Following are some options that Alberta’s swimmers might want to consider for 2016, especially if you want to combine a vacation with your swimming. If you have any updated information or other suggestions please leave a comment.
Close to home there is Tony Smith’s Grizzly Open Water Swim Challenge at Quarry Lake in Canmore on July 16
http://www.grizzlyevents.ca/open-water-swim.html
And on August 14 in Edmonton at Lake Summerside there are 1k and 4K races being hosted by the Making Waves Swim Club. Details here.
Nearby in BC there a 4 races that have attracted Albertans for racing opportunities.
The Interior Savings Across the Lake Swim, the largest and longest running open water swim event in Canada, also on July 16 in 2016
The Interior Savings Rattlesnake Island Swim is a 3.1km or 7km swim across Okanagan Lake in Peachland, BC. August 6, 2016
http://rattlesnakeislandswim.com/
The Lake Windermere Open Water Swim (now part of the Canaqua Sports Inc. open water swim series) This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, August 7th. You can choose between two distances: 2 km and 5 km, both out and back swims which start and finish at James Chabot Provincial Park in Invermere, BC.
http://www.heartoftherockiestri.ca/lwows.html
There are no details for 2016 yet but there should be another Kelowna Apple Swim this year
http://appletriathlon.com/events/other-events/
In Vancouver there is a long running series of races run by VOWSA – the Vancouver Open Water Swim Association.
There are three races in the series:
Canada Day Challenge on July 1, 2016 at White Pine Beach, Sasamat Lake, Port Moody BC
Bay Challenge on Saturday, August 6, starting at Sandy Cove Beach in West Vancouver and finishing at Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver
Kitsilano Challenge on Saturday, July 23 at Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver BC.
South of the border, in Big Arm Montana, is the 3 day / 4 event Flathead Lake Swim Series: July 16, 17 & 18
http://www.katsmasters.com/#!flathead-lake-swim-series/c1p30
The Long Bridge Swim, in Sandpoint, Idaho, is a 1.76 mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille.
August 6, 2016
A little bit further away, but my favourite, is the Barbados Open Water Swim in Carlisle Bay in Bridgeport. You can choose from 1.5k, 5k or 10k swims.
http://www.swimbarbadosvacations.com/2016-agenda.html
and last, but not least, we have a National Championship!
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