Phil's Epic Adventures : Merrimack 10.6k Swim Race Report

7 mile swim route

WOW! That was a long time in the water, 3 hours and 9 Minutes! My much anticipated marathon swim is complete and I can check off another endurance bucket list event. The day started off a little chilly as I got out of bed at 5:00 am to 46 degrees temp. I knew that the water would be warmer than the air so that was not going to be an issue. The water temp was around 68-70 degrees and was perfect for the swim so I decided to go with my sleeveless wetsuit. There were 20 other crazy individuals like myself doing the 2nd annual Merrimack 10.6k Swim in the mighty Merrimack River from Tyngsboro to Lowell. For some reason I was a little nervous about this swim as the farthest I had ever swam before this event at one time was 3 miles. I did not sleep very well the night before as the anticipation of getting this done was on my mind.

The event was low key and the start was relaxed as we all got in the water and the starter said "if everyone is ready then lets go" and we were off. The first two or so miles seemed to go by really slow and I did not get the downstream current that I expected. I guess that is because the river bends and curves. I had never had to take nutrition on a swim before but this time I stuck two Powerbar Gels into my wetsuit and my kayak support held my bottle of Powerbar Perform. My strategy was to have a Gel and some perform every 2 miles and that seemed to work well. During mile 3 or 4 I did hit a good stretch where the current had me going at a very good pace and was hoping it would last to the end but unfortunately it did not. I just kept relaxed and my pace consistent and I kept on going. I knew that when I reached the Rourke Bridge there was one mile to go. It seemed that the bridge would never come. I told myself that once I could see the bridge I would take my last nutrition and finish the final leg. As I approached the bridge I wondered if Mary lee would be on it and she was. As I was passing under I placed an order with Mary lee for Dunkin Donuts coffee for me and my Kayak support Jimmy Lombardi. One mile to go from the bridge and it was the longest mile at least it seemed long. I finally reached the finish and got out of the water a little wobbly but happy to complete another epic endurance event. At the end of the day the 6.6 mile swim turned into 7 miles due to zig zagging on the course along the way. I finished 13 out of 21 swimmers but for me this was not a race, it was survival and making sure I could make it to the finish. You can see my mile splits and map of the swim route by clicking this link: Merrimack 10.6k Swim (7 miles) by pschoenig at Garmin Connect - Details