The Shortest Lake Ontario Crossing

Labour Day Holiday, Monday, Sep 7, 2015

The Pier to Pier swim is a ~2.4km swim between Hamilton and Burlington that takes place on the Labour Day holiday.  It has been nicknamed the shortest Lake Ontario swim crossing, and with a name like that how could I not take the plunge?!  Besides with the heat wave still gripping Southern Ontario the only sensible thing to do was go jump in the lake anyway.  The end of season swim had a lovely water temp of 70F/21C.  

A group of swimmers consisting largely of the Triathlon Club of Burlington (TCoB) http://triburlington.ca/, and the Lake Ontario Swim Team (LOSTies) http://lostswimming.com/, converged on the Hamilton pier to start the 2.4km swim over to the Burlington pier.  We were also supported by several kayakers who helped ensure our safety during the crossing. 

It was 9am when we all jumped off the pier and began the swim.  Honestly, with the weather conditions, it was one of the nicest swims I have ever done. The water was warm and clear, there was absolutely no waves, swell or wind, and the sun was shining down on us just right.

The group of swimmers each fell into their own rhythm and spread out into their own space, which was different from most of the swim races I’ve done before. But I had to remind myself that this wasn’t a race and it was meant to be just for fun. So I didn’t worry about keeping up with the rest and just settled into a relaxed pace for a change.  I estimated it would take me about an hour to swim the distance between the piers. 

One thing I came to realize on this swim was that I need to invest in a pair of tinted goggles.  Beginning my swim training, I spent most of my time in the pool, but now that I’m doing more and more open water swimming the sun has become a bigger factor in my training plans.  During this early morning swim, the bright sun was on my right side the entire time, so I had to breathe on my left, which caused some strain on my right shoulder as I felt I pulled it more during the breathing stroke.  This has caused some right shoulder tendonitis (overuse) and I need to be careful to breathe on both sides more evenly to become a better swimmer. 

But its hard to complain when the sun is shining on you and you’re having a glorious swim across the lake. So I found solace in the moment and kept swimming.  

I was about 40min into the swim when I began to feel hungry.  I had an iced coffee, half a bagel, yogurt and banana for breakfast about 90min before the swim - but at this moment, two thirds the way into the swim, I wished I had eaten more.  I stopped and looked around me, but there was no swim-up bar or coffee shop near me (this wasn't a Cuban vacation afterall). I was surrounded by water and nothing else.  I suppose I could have stashed a gel pack inside the sleeve of my wetsuit or given to a kayaker to hold onto, but it seemed unnecessary for a swim I thought would only take me an hour.  So I pushed my hungry thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on completing the last third of the distance so I could actually go eat something. 

Nearing the Burlington side, there was a slight chop in the water, but nothing significant enough to alter my course or breathing.  I continued my front crawl, and spotted every few strokes, as I narrowed in on the Burlington Pier and cruised past the many white tents set up in Spencer Smith Park for Ribfest (maybe that's why I was so hungry?).   

I arrived at the Burlington pier after swimming 2.5km in 62min.  Not bad for my first time doing this swim.  

It was a beautiful swim, with a fantastic group of people (swimmers, triathletes, and some kayakers as well).  I can say for sure that its an event that I would like to do again, and I’d highly recommend it to others who feel comfortable with open water swimming.