Swimmer seeking kayaker

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danielaklaz
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Swimmer seeking kayaker

Post by danielaklaz »

Hello,

I’m a ultra marathon swimmer looking for a kayaker to escort me on a training swim this Saturday (6/3). I have a kayak, but no transportation or kayaker. I’m looking to swim 15-20 miles Saturday morning-afternoon, and would be happy to buy dinner for my kayaker and possibly pay them for their service. It’s super easy and I can provide almost everything except for the car. The best place for me to swim is Walden Pond. More info:

Background: I’m an open water marathon swimmer training for a really long race called END WET in North Dakota in 2 weeks (June 17th). As part of my training, I have to do a really long swim this weekend, preferably Saturday.
I need: a kayaker willing to partner with me for my training swim – ideally 15-20 miles. That means 7-10 hours of kayaking (with breaks, of course).
Logistics: I’m like a dolphin in the water – I get hungry, you throw food at me via the kayak. You’re the leader – you set the direction, I set the speed. Info: https://loneswimmer.com/2015/04/29/how- ... -swimming/

The plan:
I have a kayak/paddle/seat cushion for you to use, if you’d like. Unfortunately, this weekend, I don’t have a car. So, this plan revolves around getting the kayak, you, and me to a swimming area, preferably Walden Pond. We’d get to Walden as early as possible, between 5-7 AM. The first lap would probably be you learning how to escort a swimmer, and that’s fine. The water will be cold, around 60 degrees, and the air will be cold to start, so this is probably not the ideal tanning session. We’d have to do 12-16 laps of Walden Pond, changing directions each lap. We’d get done in the afternoon and load the kayak back up and you’d hopefully take me home at some point. And I’d take you to a magnificent meal.

FAQ:
Q: That sounds incredibly boring and long. What could I do for that long sitting in a kayak?
A: I recommend listening to an audiobook, podcast, or music. Or zoning out. Or singing out loud.

Q: I kayak really slowly, is that okay?
A: Yes, kayaking slowly = swimming fast. It’s usually a rhythm of “paddle – paddle – break” for the speed.

Q: Can I kill you or injure you?
A: If you really wanted to, yes, but it’d be tough. I look at you every 6th stroke to confirm direction and make sure I’m still on course. So, if you start careening at me, I’ll probably notice. If you decide that you want to get out and let me swim for a lap alone, that’s totally fine – Walden is only 1.2 miles around, and I know most of it pretty well, so I can deal.

Q: If you can swim the pond alone, why do you need a kayaker?
A: The kayaker has all the tasty stuffs/feed. I’d prefer not to have to get out of the water and run up the beach to my things to grab water/other feed… it gets cold, and I normally don’t want to get back into the cold water. And I need race practice of treading water and not getting to touch land for that long.

Q: What’s in it for me?
A: Multipart answer:
1. We could become besties.
2. I will buy you snacks and then dinner or lunch or whatever food thing it is when we get done.
3. I can pay you – state your price.
4. You love kayaking?
5. You learn you love escorting swimmers and begin a lifelong passion of volunteering as a kayaker for open water swims and meet cool crazy people


Do you know anyone who might be interested?

Thank you!

Daniela
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