Cedar Island 5K Swim in Avalon, N.J.

The water was cold and choppy, I swallowed gallons of saltwater and I got kicked & kicked others in the face, but on Aug. 25 I swam my longest open water race yet, the Cedar Island 5K Swim in Avalon, N.J.  The goal of the race organizers is to raise awareness and provide support to the troops and honor members of the military.

     On the morning of the race, mom, Kevin and I headed down to enjoy a nice day at the beach before the 4 p.m. race. Unfortunately, the weather was cool, cloudy and very windy which made for a poor beach day. So instead we enjoyed a long lunch (cheesesteaks, soda and French fries) and made our way to the start at the Avalon Yacht Club. There I met up with nine of my fellow members of the Rocky Run YMCA Creek Rats, a group of open water swimmers who joined over 200 other brave souls in the bay. They have all swam long-distance races, so knowing that they would be at this race eased my nerves.
     After checking in and receiving my chip timing band to wear around my ankle, I put on my orange swim cap and imagined that the water would be nice and warm. One by one, as we slowly walked down the floating dock, we jumped into the rough water. After about a minute of treading water, the buzzer went off and the churning of water began as swimmers sliced through the wake. The course takes you around Cedar Island, a square-shape marsh in Avalon's back bay, and is designed to go with the tide throughout the event. My heart was beating fast as I navigated through the sea of swimmers pulling and kicking towards the first buoy. Because the waves were so high, I tried breathing every four strokes and popping my head up every three cycles. But I swallowed so much water that my throat began to hurt.
     Navigating my way around the buoys was challenging to see, but as long as I saw a few other orange swim caps nearby I felt at ease. Swimming alongside the docks, I could definitely smell the gasoline from the boats as I maneuvered around straw and seaweed. I had no idea where the finish was, but I knew I had to reach it eventually and kept thinking to myself, "Just keep swimming" from "Nemo." Never have I swam so long in open water that I started to feel cold & that my underarms started to chafe, so I tried kicking harder to help distract me from the stinging salt.
     Finally, I could see swimmers climbing up onto the floating dock & knew the end was near. With wobbly legs, I pulled myself up the ladder & onto the dock & walked to the finish line with a time of 1:19:12. Unbeknownst to me while swimming, I finished within a second or two fellow Creek Rats! As I reached land, my wonderful mom was there with a beach towel to warm me up.

     After inhaling a donut, lemon water ice (great for my sore throat) and a slice of pizza, I felt good & very proud of myself. At a post-race party at Creek Rat Pete's family beachfront house, we enjoyed some hoagies and beverages and chatted with his very welcoming family. 

     This was a challenging, well-organized and rewarding race. The registration cost was reasonable ($55 for early birds) & benefited charity & each swimmer received a T-shirt, socks (different & awesome), an orange swim cap, a nylon drawstring backpack & a hand towel. I would definitely swim this again, and hopefully, the weather is sunny & warm next year. Thanks to Kevin & my mom for all their support & to my fellow Rocky Run YMCA Creek Rats.