28th Annual Cascade Lakes Swim Series & Festival at Elk Lake

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Registration Schedule

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SAFETY—OUR PRIMARY CONCERN: 

• Swimmers MUST follow all announced safety rules without exception, under penalty of possible disqualification.
• Swim Safety:  All swims will be unescorted.  Spotters in safety boats will monitor the entire course in zone coverage and medical personnel will be on-site.  Swimmers must wear a brightly-colored swim cap of your choice (such as team caps!), have their race number on their arms (or hands when wearing sleeved wetsuits), and provide their emergency contact information with entry.
• COVID-19 Safety:  We cannot foretell the status of the pandemic on the event date.  As we get closer, we will post and distribute requirements for event pandemic protocols.  Get your shots!

LOCATION:  Elk Lake, a beautiful, clear mountain lake nestled in the sunny Oregon Cascades 33 miles from Bend.  Water temperature is expected to be 66-70° F. (19-21° C.) and will be posted on race day.

FESTIVAL:  Elk Lake is a great place to bring your family for a fine outdoor experience and extravaganza.  It’s a CELEBRATION of fitness, fellowship, & fun! 

SWIMS (in order): 

• 5000-meter swim counterclockwise, once around our diamond 2000-meter diamond-shaped course and twice around our 1500-meter triangular course. 
• 1500-meter swim clockwise once around our 1500-meter triangular course. 

SERIES:  Sorry, no series this year with only two swims.

SWIM SCHEDULE (subject to change due to conditions):

7:15am                      Check-In opens for both swims
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8:00am                      Check-in CLOSES for 5000-meter Swim
8:15am                      Warm-up ends & MANDATORY pre-swim instructions for 5000-meter swim begins
8:30am                      Start of 5000-meter Swim
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11:00am                    Check-in CLOSES for the 1500-meter Swim
11:15am                    Warm-up ends & MANDATORY pre-swim instructions for 1500-meter swim begins
11:30am                    Start of 1500-meter swim
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12:15pm                    Lunch
12:45pm                    Awards

 
ELIGIBILITY:  Open ONLY to adults (18 years of age or older on the day of the event) who are current USMS members or foreign equivalents.  Eligibility will be automatically verified through the online entry system.  For swimmers who are not USMS members, USMS “One-Event” membership is available with entry for $15.  

Age Determining Date:  The swimmer’s age as of December 31, 2021, will determine the age group (USMS rule 301.4: "In open water and postal swims, the eligibility of a swimmer shall be determined by the age of the swimmer on December 31 of the year of competition, except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 on the day that they swim.")

RULES:  Current USMS rules will govern this event.  Under penalty of disqualification, swimmers may not make deliberate contact with craft, craft operators, and/or any physical features on or near the course during the swim

SWIMWEAR:  Current USMS swimwear rules will govern this event.

• Category II suits—including wetsuits—are welcomed in both swims but tabulated separately from Category I suits. 
• See event website for swimwear details.
• Swimmers in either swimwear category MAY wear a Safety Tow Buoy for identification and safety.  These are defined as inflatable, tethered to the waist, and towed no farther behind than mid-calf.  Swimmers wearing Safety Tow Buoys will be tabulated in Category II.

CONSOLIDATED EVENT:  Each swim will be conducted seeded as a single swim without regard to swimmer gender, age, or swimwear category, and in the order of submitted entry times if applicable.  Places, awards, and published results for these events shall be separate for each gender, age group, and swimwear category.

QUALIFYING TIME:  Swimmers who cannot swim 1650-yards (1500-meters) in 40 minutes MUST NOT ENTER these events.  It’s for safety!  Swimmers on the 5000-meter course longer than 2:15 may be stopped and listed as DNF/DQ in the results.

‘JUST FOR FUN’ CATEGORY:  In the 1500-meter swim only, we have included a ‘Just for Fun’ category for swimmers who would like a more-relaxed, non-competitive participation swim experience.  Swimmers in this category may use otherwise-prohibited devices like snorkels, pull buoys, paddles, fins, etc.  They’ll identify themselves at the pre-swim meeting and swim with the rest of us, but for safety & fairness they’ll start with the Category II swimmers and avoid contact & drafting with those who are racing.  We won’t report places or score them in any swimwear category, but we will report times as a courtesy.  As we said—just for fun!

WARM-UP & WARM-DOWN: 

• There will be spotters provided in the area close to shore for supervised warm-up & warm-down.  Choosing to swim elsewhere in the lake is at the swimmer’s own risk.  
• Warm up before the pre-race meeting, as swimmers go directly from meeting to marshaling to racing!

STARTS & SEEDING: 

• The 5000-meter swim will use a mass start, unless the size of the entry dictates otherwise for safety. 
• The 1500-meter swim will be divided into women’s and men’s waves.

REGISTRATION - ONLINE ONLY (and NO DAY-OF-RACE ENTRIES!)

Entry fees are staggered:

• Entries completed by July 18 will receive a bonus for timeliness. 
• Entries completed July 19-25 pay an extra $10 fee.
• Online entries will close on July 25 at midnight PDST.  Save some cash—submit your entry on time!
• late or day-of-race entries will NOT be accepted. Please don’t even ask.

ENTRY LIMITS:  The entire event—including both swims—is limited to the first 180 registrants.  We will maintain a waiting list if early registrants drop out early enough to notify others.

ENTRY FEE:  One swim: $40.  Both swims: $55. Entry fee includes a commemorative swim cap and post-swim lunch.

OMS SANCTION SURCHARGE:  There is a required $5 per swimmer surcharge to cover the cost of USMS-mandated sanction insurance.
 
RESULTS:  Will be posted promptly after each swim and at www.comaswim.org and www.swimoregon.org after the event.

AWARDS:  Age groups are standard USMS age groups.  Ribbons to three places in each age group in both Category I & II suit divisions in both swims.

OREGON OPEN WATER SERIES:  Both swims are featured swims, scored by place, 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2.  The ‘Just for Fun’ category in the 1500-meter swim counts as a participation swim.  See https://swimoregon.org/OMS-OW-Series-Description.pdf for details of the Oregon Open Water Series.

SOUVENIRS:  A commemorative swim cap.  No t-shirts this year.

HOT DRINKS:  We’ll have hot coffee and hot water for other drinks to help keep you warm before & after swims.

MEALS:  Swimmers will receive a post-swim meal; indicate vegetarian or meat with entry.  Swimmers may pre-order spectator meals (vegetarian or meat) for $12 each, in advance with entry. Meals MUST be ordered in advance.

CAMPING:  We were unable to reserve a group campground this year.  There are nearby campgrounds that you can reserve through www.recreation.gov.  Reserve early!

LODGING:  Many hotels and motels in Bend, Oregon, but reserve early as summer is busy in Bend!

DIRECTIONS (Google: Elk Lake or go to  http://www.comaswim.org/cl-directions.html):  From Century Drive in Bend, take the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway approximately 34 miles to Elk Lake.  The start & finish for all swims is the Beach Day Use Area at the southernmost end of the lake, last Elk Lake exit if coming from Bend.

PARKING:  Parking is limited to two large pullouts off the Cascades Lakes Highway and the Six-Lakes Trailhead.  There will be no general parking at the race site until after event activities have concluded.  Your car MUST display a current NW Forest Pass to park anywhere other than the highway pullouts or trailhead.

DOGS:  NO DOGS at Elk Lake (a U.S. Forest Service Rule), but they may be in the campground on a leash.  Never leave your dog unattended in a car!

EVENT WEBSITE FOR COMPLETE INFO:  www.comaswim.org/cascade-lakes.html
EVENT DIRECTOR:  John Malfatto    johnmalfatto@gmail.com   541-668-1653

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