KOHALA COAST — Swimmers will trade in the comfy confines of the pool for a swim with the fishes at the Cinco de Mayo Splash today at Anaehoomalu Bay, where more than 200 participants are expected for the 1-mile open-water race.
The race is the first leg of the Triple Crown of open water swimming on the Big Island. The series also includes the 1-mile Hapuna Rough Water Swim on June 9, and wraps up with the 1.2-mile King’s Swim, which was moved from its traditional Fourth of July date to June 30.
When it comes to describing the series of swims, Kona Aquatics coach and Hawaii swimming guru Steve Borowski says it best.
“It’s a whole different animal,” Borowski laughed. “There’s a lot of strategy involved, things you don’t worry about in the pool.”
After the conclusion of the King’s Swim, awards will be handed out to the top male and female swimmers with the lowest cumulative time between all three events.
Aapo Eerola and Karlyn Pipes were the top finishers last year at the Cinco swim. The defending Triple Crown champions are high schoolers Weilyn Foo on the male side and Maile Lawson for the women.
Youth has a habit of finishing at the front of the pack in the events. Borowski — a Hawaii Waterman Hall of Famer and legendary coach — is a big proponent of open water swimming as training. Many of his young Kona Aquatics pupils — like Foo and Lawson — have excelled at the events, as have a slew of other youth athletes from clubs around the island.
“If the pool is closed, we will go down to the pier and swim in the ocean,” Borowski said. “The younger kids might be a little afraid of it at first, but once they get used to it, they love it. It’s great training and it usually ends up that the younger swimmers that have excelled in these races.”
With volcanic eruptions and earthquakes stealing the headlines in recent days, nature has proven to have one heck of a curve ball. And that remains true when it comes to ocean swims, which are not only a battle against other swimmers, but also the unpredictable elements.
Winds, currents and even a few extra sea life spectators will all be on hand for the swims, making it harder to prepare for than the predictability of the pool.
Borowski said the Cinco and Hapuna are tough tests, with trade winds often becoming a factor. But the slightly longer King’s Swim in Kona can also provide a unique set of conditions, depending on what Mother Nature decides to serve up.
The A-Bay venue has the additional hurdle of having to swim back into shore almost directly into the morning sun, which has led front-runners astray on more than one occasion.
“Each one is different,” Borowski said. “A-Bay is shallow with lots of coral heads. There could be a few more bumps and scratches.”
Borowski will be announcing today’s race from shore, and can usually identify a swimmer from afar just by their stroke in the water. He has a list of favorites in his head, but being the first race of the three, he won’t be surprised if there’s a new face or two toward the front of the pack.
“This will be the test. We will see who’s coming into it in shape,” Borowski said. “There are a lot of great up-and-coming swimmers in all the age groups and you never know if someone visiting will show up and be able to take it. I think it’s up for grabs.”
This year’s Cinco de Mayo Splash will benefit ALS TDI, in honor of Karen O’Riordan Kelly, and The Daniel Sayre Memorial Foundation.
