Record setting open water swim

[mattb]

Last weekend an old friend of mine set a record for open water swimming here in Gunnison, Co. We have the largest body of water in Colorado, Blue Mesa Reservoir and she swam (almost) the length of it which ended up being about 13 Miles.
She is an oncology nurse and cancer survivor so she did the swim not only to establish a record but also to raise money and awareness for Rocky Mountain Cancer Assistance.
I went out early for the 7:00 am start at the West end of the reservoir. I shot the start and then got in my kayak to get some photos from the water. I also drove to a couple more spots along the way and finally met up with her again at the finish. She had tough conditions (head wind and waves) in the afternoon which caused her to stop a couple Miles short of her initial goal, but she still made a very impressive effort and established the record. Another factor is we are at 7700 ft. above sea level here which makes for thin air and cold water. It was done under English Channel rules which means no wetsuit and no physical contact with the support boat for the 10+ hr. duration. Rebecca is a tough lady!


IMGP3233.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr


IMGP3313.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr


IMGP3339.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr


IMGP3374.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr

[groovehouse]

Oh mattb, that second image with the sun glistening on the water is top notch!

[Old Timer]

Nice work Matt, and big congrats to your friend Rebecca.

[armando_m]

I really like when stories worth reading are posted with the photos to illustrate the story
Congrats to your friend!