64 Swimmers waddled in. 64 Came out. Some with
fins. Some without.
Maui Masters Swim Club hosted the Eighth Annual Polar Bear Fin
Swim off Malu'aka Beach in Makena, Maui. Billed as "The
only sane polar bear swim in the world," most Polar Bear
events are "dips" in frigid water often with ropes tied
on to swimmers so they don't pass out and end up under the ice.
Our swim celebrates the great fortune we have in so many ways
living in Hawaii. This ~1.5 mile swim allows swimmers (Age
Group USA-Swimming; and US Masters Swimming) to compete with fins
as a way to encourage new swimmers to try a fun race, and to get
kids and adults swimming together as families.
The sky was blue, the water was clear, the whales were singing.
This was a beautiful day on a mild and warmer than normal winter
(so far) ... but serving as a reminder to all to global warming
that endangers Polar Bears as a species.
Overall honors for men went to Aaron Altura in a time of 33:22,
and for women to Nicole Forelli in 36:38. Age Group honors
went to Hawaii Swim Club's Justin Keiley (14) in 36:33.
Results are below, and attached as Word and Adobe documents for
whatever works best. Pictures can be found by Maui's wonderful
athletic event photographer Don Bloom's website at http://www.tropicallight.com/races2/28jan07polarbear/index.html (Not
to mention his underwater pictures, too) . Thanks to Maui
County Lifeguards, our sponsors, and all the volunteers that
make this event possible. The swim benefits Maui Masters
Swim Club.