We call it our annual August pilgrimage back to the North Idaho waters of my youth. The Long Bridge Swim has really captured us over the years and it’s always a highlight of our summer calendar. Born in Kootenai County, Idaho, sharing these open water adventures with my daughter represents a recipe for meaningful memories in an element we both love.
We called this year the ‘Redemption Swim’ after this race/event shattered me last summer. I came into last year’s Long Bridge Swim with great bike fitness, but with very few swims under my belt. Between training hard for the Crusher in the Tushar and lack of pool access in Bozeman due to a summer shut down of our swim center, I knew last summer’s swim would be a struggle, but I had no idea that the struggle would be so great. My 2022 swim was the beginning of an unraveling of sorts as I came down with COVID-19 a week after the event, which led to a long battle with costochondritis, keeping me out of the water until the last day of January of this year.
My fastest two times at the Long Bridge came in 2019 and 2021 and were 58:42 and 59:32 respectively. These were big swims for me as my goal is always:
1) finish
2) go under the hour and 15 minute average
3) stretch goal—go under 60.
Last year, I came in with a lot of fitness, but I’ve always said there’s “fitness,” and there’s “swim fitness.” Swimming, especially for people like myself who took it up in my thirties and are self taught, is a highly technical sport and requires lots of time in the pool to develop and maintain a feel for the water. Needless to say, I didn’t have that feel in 2022 as I was in the water for an 1 hour and 23 minutes and it buckled me. So, I’ve been putting in the work in the pool since the end of January, not planning to be be THIRTY + minutes behind Kamiah as I was last year.
Kamiah really went for it on Saturday and had a crazy strong swim. Conditions are always a factor in whether or not you’re able to drop time (take last year for instance when she added four minutes from the previous year, but came in stronger than the previous year), but she went out fast and kept her tempo throughout Saturday’s swim. She swam the just under 2 miles in 43:41 (her previous best was 47:16) and she took 7th out of 289 females and 31st out of 550+ swimmers. This was a big jump, moving up from her previous best of 17th in the female division and 48th overall. Kamiah’s swim coach (a gold medalist in the Barcelona games) says that Kamiah’s strong in these events because they take endurance and open water courage–I love that.
She didn’t have a long wait this summer!! I came in 9 minutes and 41 seconds behind her (the closest I’ve ever been to her), putting in a strong and steady swim, going well under my previous personal best of 58:42, swimming a 53:20 and taking 112th overall, a massive jump from the year before and going way under my previous best of 152nd (2021).
This event is special. This experience is one we treasure. These folks really know how to put on an event. From the logistics of bussing us all from Sandpoint High School to the start at the south end of the Long Bridge, to the partnerships developed with local land owners to allow us to start from their back yard, to the open anthems (they always sing the Canadian anthem as well since there’s generally a strong contingent of Canadian swimmers), to the post race food, which included an abundance of gluten free goodies this year.
There’s just something about big, open water—and being the largest open water gathering in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a buzz and the hype is always real. I’m so grateful to share these daddy/daughter open water adventures and to doing it on the waters I grew up on, makes it all the more meaningful and memorable.
I’m so grateful to be this girl’s dad and I’m so grateful that we have our health, our strong minds and our capable bodies, to be able to share these adventures.
WNbL, mwl