tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post7013864399540964442..comments2014-05-13T23:21:20.042-07:00Comments on Geek in Deep: Catalina Swim SuccessChristopher Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17241278779029116062noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-25118470948553806392008-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:002008-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00We were so glad to have been able to be there and ...We were so glad to have been able to be there and witness the feat--truly incredible!!! i still can't really comprehend how a human body is able to do that. <BR/><BR/>Your support crew was awesome, too, and I feel lucky to have met such wonderful people. <BR/><BR/>You're amazing! Good job doesn't quite seem enough of a sentiment. WOW!brooklynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05168308274727068924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-67871063287037580582008-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:002008-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00*Christopher Roberts * completed his *Catalina Cha...*Christopher Roberts <BR/>* completed his *Catalina Channel* Crossing yesterday afternoon! <BR/><BR/>I hope that both he and *Dave Galli who successfully crossed from Catalina <BR/>last month* will also post their experience here on the group as well. The <BR/>swimmer's view is always different than the support crew's! <BR/><BR/><BR/>On my 2nd attempt at supporting a marathon swim (a real rookie!) I wrote <BR/>this quick story of our day: <BR/><BR/>Chris had a fantastic epic Catalina Channel Swim effort yesterday. <BR/>He was so fit - and prepared. He swam fast and well. <BR/><BR/>We all met a a delicious Italian restaurant in Long Beach for dinner. <BR/>Chris's wife Ellie and the kids made us terrific "Team Chris" shirts to <BR/>wear on the swim! <BR/><BR/>Watched huge fish unloaded from our *escort boat, The Outrider*. Amazingly <BR/>when we got on board it was sparkling fresh with no hint of fish or guts <BR/>anywhere! <BR/><BR/>Set off to motor to the Catalina Island start from Long Beach a little late <BR/>and actually began the swim at 1:10am. Chris was very relaxed and conversed <BR/>with family and friends easily before he set off. <BR/><BR/>There was a nice big moon out which seemed to light up the swim and <BR/>Chris started off at a quick pace with Jen Schumacher (swimming Catlina next <BR/>year) pace swimming <BR/>and John Steed on the escort kayak. <BR/><BR/>Through the swim Nova Masters Lynn Kubasek (swimming Catalina next <BR/>year) turned out to be one of the key <BR/>kayak escorts as well as Chris' brother Jordan. Jim Fitzpatrick <BR/>(Catalina/English Channel swimemr) and <BR/>John did fine pace swimming along with Chris. <BR/><BR/>However there was a good 5-6 hours that Chris swam on his own without a <BR/>pacer. Not sure he was stoked about this, but he swam very well through <BR/>these hours. I was happy to see him do this as it demonstrated even more of <BR/>his strength and determination to work thru some trepidation of wide open <BR/>ocean swimming - alone. <BR/><BR/>Even though I was supposed to be on board as a "pace swimmer" and coach, I <BR/>did very little swimming on this crossing. I am not big on the whole pace <BR/>swimmer practice as I have written before. In addition I've been training <BR/>for some big pool swim races, which open water swimming plays havoc on in <BR/>regard to technique and body parts. So I personally got a lot of time <BR/>in watching and working from the boat. We were incredibly fortunate to have <BR/>David Clark, a friend from San Diego as the official observer. Both Dave and <BR/>Jim Firzpatrick have been incredible mentors for me in the care and feeding <BR/>of open water marathon swimmers, and I thank them both sincerely. Very <BR/>grateful for all of their guidance. <BR/><BR/>Conditions appeared beautiful. Clear water, a small chop, gorgeous <BR/>sunny day after day break. But with the sun and clear skies, comes the <BR/>wind. <BR/>The price a swimmer pays for the warmth of the sun. <BR/>On an overcast day such as the one Dave Galli had when he swam <BR/>Catalina last month, there is little to no wind normally. Water temp started <BR/>at <BR/>69 degrees and as the swim concluded in to the California coast in <BR/>dropped down to 63 degrees. <BR/><BR/>At about 7-8 hours, we got hit out of just about no where with a huge <BR/>change in direction of wind, tide, and currents. And they were all <BR/>headed straight at Chris! <BR/>Oh My God - I have not watched swimming like this anytime before that <BR/>I can remember. He held his stroke strong and (amazingly pretty well <BR/>technically) continued to swim hard through the entire assault. <BR/><BR/>I could not take my eyes off of him! Everytime he breathed toward the <BR/>boat (he was breathing every 3rd stroke) I couldn't help but throw my <BR/>arms up in victory at him. This went on easily for an hour. After <BR/>about 50 minutes, The captain came out looked at me and said, "Poor <BR/>guy, I can't believe he has to swim in this. We haven't made any <BR/>progress forward, and there are spots we are actually being pushed <BR/>backward." <BR/><BR/>I could not believe it! He was swimming so hard and so well <BR/>in this mess, only to be rewarded by the fact that he was "pretty much <BR/>holding his position!" An open water warrior... <BR/><BR/>I still don't know how Jordan stayed on his Kayak though it either! <BR/>The battering continued. <BR/><BR/>The captain told us, the way the conditions were on the planned <BR/>course, Chris would have had an additional 4-6 hours added to his <BR/>swim for the crossing. <BR/><BR/>He was suggesting that we look at alternating <BR/>the course to one that would land him quite a bit south of the <BR/>original finish location. The coaches and observer agreed, and the <BR/>course was changed to finish at Cabrillo Point rather than Point <BR/>Vincente Lighthouse in Palos Verdes. <BR/><BR/>In the next hours after the course was changed, the water finally <BR/>start to calm down. <BR/><BR/>Chris continued his *excellent fueling* on the feed <BR/>stops every 30 minutes. He began to recover slightly from the extreme <BR/>effort he had made in the previous hours to push through and <BR/>continue. <BR/><BR/>It was pretty clear the swim was taking its toll on him. <BR/>From the top, his stroke still looked the same - long and strong, good <BR/>recovery without shortening or dragging anything. When I finally got <BR/>in for a swim with Chris, I could see that he was not holding water on <BR/>his pull from below. But the effort was there, he was still kicking <BR/>and he was definitely moving forward. <BR/>He was calm and even a little cheerful throughout. No sense ever that <BR/>the swim was in jepardy of terminating. <BR/><BR/>He progressed so well, that the finish beaches kept being moved north <BR/>first from Cabrillo Point - to Inspiration Point (which we all thought <BR/>was appropriate) and then finally to Royal Palms Beach where Chris <BR/>finished with all of his family and friends waiting on the beach to <BR/>meet him. <BR/><BR/>When Chris was back on the boat, the Captain, John Pittman (The Great!), and <BR/>the <BR/>swim oberver, David Clark both told him that they had not experienced <BR/>such a tough swim in many years across from Catalina. <BR/>Captain Pittman told him he would have probably had a 9-10 hour swim <BR/>had the conditions been more normal. He was clearly impressed by <BR/>Chris's stamina and determination. <BR/><BR/>Final Time: <BR/><BR/>13:50.56 <BR/>And as mentioned already, EPIC. <BR/><BR/>Congratulations to Chris and all of his support crew! Which also included <BR/>his Mother, Jan and Father, Ron.Aheleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14264371577080396590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-66869218698800328532008-09-21T17:53:00.000-07:002008-09-21T17:53:00.000-07:00Amazing job, Chris! We've definitely been inspired...Amazing job, Chris! We've definitely been inspired by all the accounts!Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16065291341910274684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-48650605670437275672008-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:002008-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00The swim literally was mind-blowing to me. I did ...The swim literally was mind-blowing to me. I did not come close to comprehending the magnitude of such an impressive atheltic acheivement until having been a part of it. I am so grateful to have been able to be there and help in some small way. Having run a few marathons, knowing that you just "ran" the equivalent of about 3 in a row, astounds me still. You were amazing and your perseverence and dedication to finishing truly signified your ability to accomplish anything to which you put your mind and heart. Congrats, again!Jordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16738469771108746664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-9291144794051729332008-09-20T20:28:00.000-07:002008-09-20T20:28:00.000-07:00You have a beautiful family! I feel so honored to ...You have a beautiful family! I feel so honored to have been a part of this.Lynn Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02844306794381752910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-63301873998759874412008-09-20T16:25:00.000-07:002008-09-20T16:25:00.000-07:00CONGRATS CHRIS!CONGRATS CHRIS!Davey Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02492420773877148234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194882826644380084.post-67063261595589825872008-09-20T13:10:00.000-07:002008-09-20T13:10:00.000-07:00Phew. So glad you made it. I was worthless yesterd...Phew. So glad you made it. I was worthless yesterday thinking about your swim and hoping that you made it okay. Congratulations!Vigoren Familyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04304198277806078881noreply@blogger.com