Marathon Swimming

A Swim in Great Salt Lake: Hold the Salt, Please

By Nicole Anderson, Guest Writer, 7-30-11

	A kayaker prepares to give Nicole Anderson a tow in the Great Salt Lake.

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.  ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Thank God I don’t live in the gray twilight. 

And thank God my Dad taught me how to swim.

During a decade that brought fear, Black Tuesday, the Dust Bowl, food riots, and thousands of closing banks, there was a magical event that gave swimmers hope. The hope and the fortitude to cross the finish line, to accomplish something most wouldn’t even try and to believe in the human spirit. It all started in 1927 with a local swim legend named Orson Spenser.

He swam the Great Salt Lake Marathon Swim in 1927, 8.12 miles from Antelope Island to the old Saltair. Through the years the finish line moved from Saltair to Black Rock. The races were grueling and swimmers often dropped out of the competition due to fatigue and poor weather. Spencer won this race six times before the water levels lowered to the point they discontinued the race in 1940. Ever since, some thought this strange tradition should be brought back to life.

Gordon Gridley (Gords for short) and Josh Green, both marathon swimmers, were so inspired by what Spencer had accomplished they decided to revive the Great Salt Lake Marathon Swim and added a one-mile swim from the Great Salt Lake Marina to Black Rock. Being a past-time triathlete I thought I knew the effort this swim would take.

Only the salt scared me.

After months of debating actually swimming in Great Salt Lake, Heidi convinced me to go for it. I decided this was the swim for me and that if I didn’t try I would regret it. Several days before the swim, I e-mailed Gords and Josh in a panic. Somehow they convinced me that I was “WAY TOO WORRIED.” I decided to go for it. You only live once.

When I woke up on a recent Saturday morning I was greeted by old time race nerves and that sick-to-your- stomach feeling, and I questioned what I was about to do. Heidi kept reassuring me that I would be fine.

I had butterflies when I drove to the marina.

I went to the check-in booth and got my number and hunter orange swim cap. The swimmers listened to Josh give pre-race instructions and then followed by a short inspirational talk by Steve Spencer, the son of Orson Spencer.

We all headed for the water. Two swimmers walked with me to the edge of the break water, climbed down the rocks and eased into the cold waters of Great Salt Lake. The rest of the swimmers got in at the boat ramp and swam that extra distance to the green buoy.

Some bolted off the start line determined to win. I, on the other hand, was simply determined to finish.
I wasn’t in the water very long before I knew I was in for a long haul.

There is nothing quite like that much salt in your mouth and the feel of it gently trickling down your throat if you happen to swallow. This Lake is like none other – eight times saltier than the ocean — just enough to make brine shrimp feel right at home.

I lost my sense of direction. Every time I took a breath a wave would splash me in the face, filling my mouth with more saltwater. I couldn’t touch the bottom and that always brings on a panic attack. I knew I needed to get to where I could touch the bottom. I started to swim in towards the shoreline.
After a short time, Dave Shearer, the Harbormaster asked if I was ready to quit.

I said no and grabbed the back of a tiny sailboat to rest. They tried to take me into shore but this didn’t work very well so I let go and swam to a kayak that was coming by. He paddled me toward the shore where I could at least stand on the bottom.

I alternated between walking and swimming, and my mind wandered. I wondered about the brine shrimp and how much salt they can survive in – and how many I might have swallowed already. I thought about the brine fly larvae floating past me. I said hello to the gulls a few feet away from me as they had a quick bite to eat.

I became one with the Lake.

I was tired. I prayed. Once again Dave asked if I was ready to get in the boat. I wondered if I could really make it to Black Rock, which I started to call “Stupid Rock” as I swam/walked along. My nose started tingling because of the salt. A husband/wife kayaker team paddled up on each side of me. With them beside me and Dave in the DNR rescue boat behind me, I continued on.

I couldn’t see the finish line anymore because of the encrusted salt on my goggles. I had to go around the side of a small peninsula. The lady in the kayak kindly offered me her life-jacket. At that point I stopped, stood up and asked her if she knew where we were.

She replied “Great Salt Lake.” I explained to her that these waters have a salinity level of 15%. I didn’t need to be any more buoyant than I was. She probably wanted to whack me in the head with her paddle but instead she cheered me on.

I swam, I walked, and finally, I could see my friends at the finish line and Charles on top of Black Rock. I drug myself in towards the shore where I was greeted with my finishers’ medal, fresh water, a towel and mouthwash.

I did it – but not without feeling the effects of it for days.

I was cold, nauseated, and sunburned. The taste of salt in my mouth was so strong that it lasted till mid-afternoon the next day. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment mixed with exhaustion.

I intimately met the Lake that day and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Visit: Great Salt Lake Marina is located just off of I-80 south of Saltair. If you have questions about open water swimming you can go to: http://www.greatsaltlakeopenwater.com for additional information.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for next year’s race scheduled for June 9, 2012 and don’t forget to hold the salt!

Nicole Anderson writes for Summer of Salt: An Exploration of the Great Salt Lake. She grew up on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Environmental Studies program and is a member of the Nature Conservancy’s speakers bureau.

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