Kelowna,BC - Jeanne Carlsen of Calgary won the 5 kilometre Open Water Swim held as part of the Pushor Mitchell Kelowna Apple Triathlon during the weekend. Carlsen finished the swim in one hour and six minutes, nearly a minute ahead of Brent Hobbs (1:07:12) of Kelowna. Third place went to Rod Craig of North Vancouver in 1:08:51. Carlsen’s husband Glenn took 4th position and Mike Stamhuis of Vernon came in 5th. The youngest competitor Nicholas Lupul (14-15) of Ottawa finished in a time of 1:18:38. The swim was sanctioned by FINA (the sport's governing body). In FINA Open Water events, swimmers are not permitted to wear wetsuits. The swim was completed by 25 swimmers.
Carlsen’s mom, Kaye McNamee (now Neale) was an Olympic swimmer from 1948 to 1952 in the 100 and 400 metres freestyle. ‘Butterfly wasn’t even invented then’, said Neale.
Following very choppy and windy conditions during the previous evening for the 1.5km event, Okanagan Lake was beautiful during the 5 kilometres. Said Hobbs “The swim was just beautiful. The temperature was refreshing and the water clean and clear. I cannot think of a more lovely spot for a swim race. This swimming venue is simply world class.”
According to FINA’s website there is a rapid expansion of open water swimming in recent years. It is now an official Olympic sport. ‘The sport has spread around the world and become associated with racing the waterways of many beautiful and exotic destinations. ‘ Kelowna definitely offers one of the most beautiful destinations for open water swimming.
The Open Water swims were arranged by Okanagan Masters Swim Club, one of the largest masters swim clubs in BC. The Club was also responsible for all arrangements around the swim legs of the triathlon events over the weekend. As safety is always the number one priority, lifeguards from the Kelowna Family Y and divers were close at hand to assist any swimmers experiencing problems. Eight swimmers had to be assisted during the weekend’s triathlon and open water swim events.
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