20th Annual Maryland Swim For Life

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Registration Schedule

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1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 Mile Swims
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Rolph’s Wharf on the Chester River
Sponsored by District of Columbia Aquatics Club
Sanctioned by Maryland LMSC for USMS, Inc., Sanction No. 090-OW001

RESULTS 2011

Click here to sponsor a swimmer in Swim For Life!

Link to live tally of donations

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC) (www.swimdcac.org) is proud to host the 20th Annual Maryland Swim for Life on Saturday, June 25, 2011. DCAC is one of the largest United States Masters Swimming teams and is a 501(c)(3) organization. This is our tenth year of hosting this community fundraiser. Proceeds from Swim for Life support a number of small local organizations assisting individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as the Chester River Association, which advocates for the health of the Chester River. We invite all swimmers, old and new, to join us in participating in this wonderful event.

NEW THIS YEAR:  Online Registration and Fundraising powered by Club Assistant (www.clubassistant.com)!

REGISTRATION AND FUNDRAISING: We strongly encourage swimmers to register for Swim for Life though Club Assistant, which allows you to reach out to family and friends and collect donations online.  Club Assistant will also confirm your USMS registration or allow you to purchase your one-event USMS registration (“OEVT”) if you are not USMS-registered. 

Online registration will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Thursday, June 23, 2011.  We will still accept race-day registrations (paper form will be available shortly) if you are unable to register online.

Link to full event info flyer.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be a United States Masters Swimming (USMS) registered swimmer to participate in this swim. See www.usms.org/reg/ to register with USMS. If you are not a USMS member, one-event USMS registration (OEVT) for a fee of $17 is available via online registration. But please consider joining USMS.  If you plan on registering day of and are USMS registered, please bring your USMS card to the swim.

LOCATION:  This year’s event will again take place at Rolph’s Wharf Marina on the Queen Anne’s County side of the Chester River, three miles south of Chestertown in Kent County.  http://www.rolphswharf.com.  This beautiful setting, near a charming small town, is well worth a day trip or a weekend of exploring.  For lodging and tourist information, call 410-778-0416, or visit http://www.kentcounty.com.

DIRECTIONS:  From the Chesapeake Bay Bridge:  Take 50 East to 301 North.  50 East and 301 North separate approximately 9 miles past the Bay Bridge.  Stay on 301 by taking the left fork.  In approximately 5 miles, take the Route 213 North exit toward Chestertown and Washington College.  After 2 miles, you will pass through Centreville.  Proceed another 10 miles and turn left onto Rolph’s Wharf Road.  A Swim for Life banner will mark this turn.  Follow Rolph’s Wharf Road for 2 miles and a volunteer will direct you for parking.  If you plan to drive Saturday morning, it is best to leave early to avoid summer bridge traffic.

SCHEDULE:
7:00 – 8:15 a.m. On-Site Registration (check-in)
8:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony and Swimmer Instructions
9:00 a.m. Swim Start
12:30 p.m. Swim Cutoff; Picnic celebration and Awards Ceremony

Every swimmer must be registered and checked-in by 8:15 a.m. on race day. All pledge money not submitted online also is due by 8:15 a.m., to be counted towards determination of fundraising prize winners. ABSOLUTELY NO changes to race distance will be permitted after registration closes.  To ensure the validity of the swim results, no mid-course corrections, unless for safety reasons.  If you do not complete your designated distance, please inform the event coordinators.  During check-in, swimmers will be body-marked and capped according to distance, and will receive a timing chip on a velcro strap, to be worn around one ankle.

COURSE: Participants will start and finish at Rolph’s Wharf, in five waves by distance (5 mile starts first). The swims are out (upriver) and back (downriver) and run parallel to shore. Course map and swimmer instructions attached. The course is marked by inflatable yellow buoys at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 miles. Swimmers should always keep the buoys to their left, with the exception of the 2nd buoy at 1 mile on the return (see diagram).  Water safety officials have the authority to determine when a swimmer needs to be removed from the water. Any swimmer removed from the water must report immediately to the recording station upon returning to shore. The swim ends promptly at 12:30 pm. Any swimmer still in the water at that time will be picked up by safety personnel.

PLEDGES/AWARDS: There is no registration fee for Swim for Life. However, each swimmer must contribute a minimum of $100 in pledges; many swimmers raise far more.

Special prizes will be awarded to the top 10 fundraisers, based on pledges submitted by the start of the event. If you register online, you can submit your minimum pledge online, and/or you can direct your sponsors to the online donation option. Pledge checks can be made payable to “DCAC Swim for Life.”

With your tax-deductible donation, you will receive a free breakfast, picnic lunch, swim cap and t-shirt.

The top finishers, male and female, in “Wise” (> 45 yrs old) and “Energetic” (up to and including 45 yrs old) categories for each distance will also receive handcrafted prizes.

Funds raised are distributed to: Heart to Hand, Inc., Pediatric Care, Inc., Quality of Life Retreats, Chester River Valley Ministers Association, and the Chester River Association.

WATER:  Water temperature on swim mornings is usually in the mid-70s.  Wetsuits are allowed (but most swimmers do not wear one as the water is very comfortable); other flotation devices (e.g., pull buoys, paddles, fins) are not.

TRAINING/ELIGIBILITY: All swimmers must be 18 years of age and registered with USMS to participate in this swim. USMS registration is easy to do online at www.usms.org/reg/. One-event USMS memberships, good for this event only, are available for a fee of $17.00 though club assistant during online registration. All swimmers are urged to train for this event, and novices are urged to enter the shorter distance waves.

SAFETY:  Safety support at the swim will be provided by the U.S. Coast Guard and their Auxiliary, Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Chesapeake Paddlers’ Association, the Chester River Association, the Kent and Queen Anne’s Paddlers, Chesapeake Bay Boston Whalers Club, and other local volunteer boaters and kayakers.

For additional information, please contact:
WonKee Moon   swimforlife (at) swimdcac (dot) org.  301-466-0240

2011 Maryland Swim for Life
Swimmer Instructions

Safety Boats: For your safety, USCG and NRP patrol boats are located near 3 locations: start/finish, half-way along the 2 ½ mile course (3rd buoy, 1 ½ miles upriver), and by the final buoy (5th buoy, 2 ½ miles upriver). Paddlers in kayaks will be stationed at all turn buoys and along the outside length of the course. Boston Whalers will also patrol swimmers along the course. Kayakers and Whalers will keep swimmers on course, provide swimmers food and drink, act as a buffer between swimmers and boat traffic, and be available for any water assistance. A local rescue boat with medic/dive personnel will also be on hand.

Start procedure: All swimmers must wear a timing chip on a velcro strap around the ankle. Swimmers will start in the water, in 5 waves according to distance: 5 milers first, followed by 4 milers, then 3 milers, 2 milers, and 1 milers last. Each group will begin 5 minutes after the preceding group has started.

Course: There will be 5 very large inflatable yellow buoys on the course at ½ mile intervals. See map. Each wave will turn around at the buoy that marks the halfway point of their swim. Five milers will swim by all 5 buoys, turning around at the 5th, at mile 2 1/2. Each buoy is spray-painted with its respective wave number (i.e., the first buoy, located ½ mile from the start, is labeled “1 mile” because that is where the 1 mile swimmers turn around). All swimmers will start the swim in the same direction – up river (North). Upon reaching the appropriate buoy, swimmers will go around that buoy and swim back down river (South).

Swimmers should always keep buoys on their LEFT going NORTH. Swimmers should always keep the buoys on their LEFT going SOUTH, with the exception of the 2nd buoy (at mile 1), which you must keep to your right on your return. Kayakers will be there to be sure you swim to the correct side. This prevents unfair shortcuts.

PLEASE NOTE: there is a fishing weir between the first and second buoys. This is basically a net stretched across the river. You will know you are getting close to it when you see sticks standing up in the water in a row perpendicular to the shore. You can easily swim right over the net. Look for kayakers directing you towards the easiest crossing points.

Finish: You finish where you started, on the beach at Rolph’s. All swimmers must exit the water and cross the timing pad. Volunteers will be there to help remove and collect your chip/strap. Grab a towel and some food. Any swimmer exiting the race at any point other than over the finish pad at Rolph’s or failing to complete there designated distance must report to the table ASAP!

HAVE FUN, RELAX, ENJOY EACH OTHER, THE DAY, AND THE RIVER!

For questions about the swim please email WonKee Moon at swimforlife(at)swimdcac(dot)org

Note: If paying by credit card, your credit card statement will reflect a charge from "WWW.SWIMDCAC.ORG."