Glens Falls Masters - Lake George

32.2 miles (51.8 km)

13 hours, 7 minutes on September 19-20, 2016

Observed and documented by Brady Stark

Contents

Team Members

  • Michael O’Keeffe, 37, USA, Palo Alto, CA, USA
  • Patrick O’Keeffe, 40, USA, Queensbury, NY, USA
  • George Stark, 51, USA, Queensbury, NY, USA
  • Dennie Swan-Scott, 40, USA, Queensbury, NY, USA

Support Personnel

  • Bob Glandon, boat captain
  • Brady Stark, observer
  • Mike Stark, kayaker and swimmer support
  • Ted Wilson, kayaker and swimmer support
  • Willow Swan-Scott, swimmer support

Route Definition

Length of Lake George, New York, from Ticonderoga to Lake George Village.

  • Start: Diane’s Rock, Ticonderoga, NY 43º49’34.07”N, 73º25’34.45”W
  • Finish: Village Dock, Lake George Village, NY 43º25’19.22”N, 73º42’40.65”W
  • Route Distance: 32.2 miles (51.8 km)

The swim proceeded from Diane’s Rock in the north, following the winding channel past Black Point, the most direct route past Sabbath Day Point, through “The Narrows”, through the middle of the Canoe Islands, and directly to the Lake George Village Dock at the southern end of Lake George.

Download KML route path.

Rules

  • This four-person relay was conducted in traditional costume without special equipment, strictly adhering to MSF rules.
  • The relay swimmers swam in one hour shifts with swimmer transitions conducted according to MSF rules. Any swimmer failing to swim for his or her full hour was permanently removed from the relay rotation.

Swim Data

  • Start: September 19, 2016 11:00pm EDT
  • Finish: September 20, 2016 12:07:07pm EDT
  • Elapsed: 13 hours 7 minutes 7 seconds

Summary of Conditions

  • Water Temp: 68F
  • Air Temp: 63F to 75F
  • Wind: calm to light winds

GPS Track

Trackpoint frequency: 10 minutes. Download raw data (CSV).

Speed Plot

Observer Log

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Narrative

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This relay made it’s first attempt to swim Lake George as part of the 2017 Lake George Marathon Swim, which was unfortunately canceled due to poor weather conditions. A window of favorable weather was predicted for the next Monday night, and the relay team and support personnel were all available to re-attempt the swim independently.

The weather forecast was correct, and the group made its way by boat from the southern end of the lake, arriving in Ticonderoga just before the planned 11pm start time. The weather at the start was clear with an air temperature of 63ºF and no wind. Patrick O’Keeffe started the relay at exactly 11pm EDT from Diane’s Rock with a very strong effort, covering approximately 2.9mi. Light winds did pick up, creating some chop, as the team was exposed to the open lake water. Michael O’Keeffe entered the water for a transition at midnight, and put in another strong leg, covering approximately 2.8 miles. Dennie Swan-Scott entered the water next at 1am. She faced some choppy water and managed to cover approximately 2.2mi. George Stark took over at 2am to knock out another 2.2mi in light chop.

The relay proceeded through the night and into the morning with very nice weather (becoming 75ºF by noon) and no notable incidents, covering the following distances:

The final leg for each swimmer was less than one hour; and, per the stated rules, each swimmer was taken out of the relay order for future legs. Fortunately, George Stark was comfortably able to finish the relay at the Lake George Village Dock as the last eligible swimmer. The group celebrated by following George into the finish of the swim, taking care not to touch him or swim in front of him in the process. The Glens Falls Masters relay was greeted at the Village Dock by friends, family, press and some curious onlookers.

Photos

Media Coverage

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