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2010 Race
Information
Note: there are changes
year to year ... please read.
Last update to this page:
05/19/2010.
Aloha ‘Aumakua Swimmers,
RACE DAY ENTRIES (at a price
because they impose higher costs to run, and less ability to plan):
Click here for
2007 Race
instructions in .pdf format.
Entries are due Saturday, Sept 4, 2010 at the channel swim, received in by
Maui Dolphins Swim Club, PO Box
880694, Pukalani, HI 96788, or at the Maui Masters
Pukalani Practice 7:30-9am. Malcolm Cooper will be at the Maui Channel Swim and can be reached at the
Captain’s Meeting Friday night (if there’s no blockage on the road to Kaanapali
that night), the Banquet Saturday Night, and Saturday afternoon after the
channel swim we’ll be staying in the room next to Ian Emberson (race director
for the Maui Channel Swim) at the
Ka’anapali Beach Hotel.
-
 Location:
(Click on satellite overlay at left to see detailed map) The race starts from the Malu’aka beach fronting the
Makena Beach and Golf Resort at
5400 Makena Alanui; Makena, Maui, Hawaii 96753. Makena is south of
Kihei and Wailea on the south coast of Maui. For those participating in the
Maui Channel Swim, it’s normally a 45-50 minute drive from Ka’anapali to
Makena. For a satellite view of the
course marked up with the course and start times, see attached graphic at
right.
- Parking: There is No Parking in the Maui Prince Hotel
parking lot. Other parking is limited to the north and south
sides of the hotel. CARPOOLING IS STRONGLY
ENCOURAGED. There are approx 100 spots available just past
(south) of the Maui Prince Hotel on the first paved road (Dead End) to the
right. Approx 50 are paved. There is more parking along the access
road on the grass – but with construction this may be on only one side. (Do
not park in the red zone.) There are another 25 spots available on the
north side beach access across from a church. Finally, there is parking at
Big Beach (Makena Beach) approx ½ mile beyond the South access.
- 2.4 Miles or Sprint Mile: Many
registrations did not indicate whether you plan to swim the (default) 2.4
Mile or the Sprint Mile race. If your race number is 500+, you are entered
in the Sprint Mile. We will start the sprint mile shortly after the
2.4 mile. Caution: some 2.4 milers and sprint
milers may meet at the buoy and will have to merge with care!
- Registration & Check In:
You MUST check
in Monday morning to swim the race. At check in, you pick up your
t-shirt(s) and cap(s) and your race number
is put on your right AND left arm and thigh (or leg if wearing a longer suit -
please don't use sunscreen on your arm & thigh until after your number is
applied) with a magic
marker.
- Final Race
Instructions and a blessing will be delivered beginning ~8:20am on
the beach.
-
 Start and Finish
The start will occur after a tour boat
loads its passengers from the beach between 8:35-8:45am or so. With
many swimmers, we will probably do start the 2.4 mile swim from waist deep
in the water like last year. The Sprint Mile will start 10 minutes
after the 2.4 mile swim.
- We will have a long chute
for the finish. There will be a
large red time clock for you to read when you cross the line (and you will
be videoed crossing), we'll be entering your number as you cross the finish
directly into a computer. We'll have a connection from the computer to
a screen where people can see recent results. As a backup, there will
also be two separate teams to record your number and time. After you
pass these backup timers, you must continue through the chute until we check
for your "arch token". You are responsible to NOT lose your token nor
your wristband.
-
Long leg #4 from Makena to Pu'u Ola'i.
Leg #2 from first Buoy to Makena Landing.
Leg #5 from the point at Pu'u Ola'i in to brown
beach. Swim to the left edge of the house.
Last Leg for 2.4 and 1 mile from last Buoy to
Malu'aka Beach and Maui Prince.
Course & Site Lines:
The course pictured and described will almost certainly be the course.
In case of unsafe conditions (eg; dangerous breakers, murky water, etc.), the
race director and referee may choose to change the course, change the starting
location, delay the time of the start, change how the start and finish is
conducted or the like to ensure your safety. Because we are in a bit of a
bay with islands (Kahao'olawe and Lanai) towards the south and southwest, this
is highly unlikely.
The course heads out from Malu’aka beach, turns RIGHT
towards Makena Landing just off
shore
near a rocky point, out (left) for a short distance, then (left) towards
Pu’u Ola’i. Sprint Milers will turn in at the yellow buoy back to Makena
Landing. 2.4 mile swimmers swim all the way to the Pu’u. There will be 4’
Tetrahedral Race buoys at each turning point along the route and at the
arch. The Yellow Buoy will be the mile-turn-in buoy … 2.4 Mile swimmers may
ignore it. I have pictured some site lines on the longer sections. The Sun
may be bright on the last leg coming IN to Malu’aka Beach toward the hotel.
-
 The Arch:
- As per the “special
fun rule” in the race notice: you can collect one token (from a
SCUBA diver) good for one
minute off your
time by passing through the arch. The arch is located past the 7th
buoy approx 2 miles into the 2.4 mile swim.
-
Caution:
You may be tired at this point during the race. Even if you are
familiar with diving to a depth of approx 15 feet, your fatigue may
make the dive more difficult or even dangerous. You may not gain
any significant time doing this and we recommend against
doing this unless you are practiced, know your limits, and feel
rested enough to make it safe at the time. When diving to a depth
of 15 feet without equalizing ear pressure, you can permanently
damage your ear drum; and the pressure on your eyes can be painful –
especially from small & hard goggles.
-
Caution: If you swim through
the arch, you will be diving through an arch approx 4’ tall and 8’
wide at a depth of ~10-15 feet with jagged edges from coral and
rocks sticking out. Touching coral can also kill the coral.
- Sights: Doug Rice and
others that often swim in this area on Sundays have laid out a course that
tries to maximize your chance to enjoy seeing coral, fish, some interesting
rock formations, and hopefully turtles & rays. Maui Ocean Center,
Don Bloom of Tropical
Light Photography, and James Krueger have collected some pictures and Dave
Rostetter put together text for a display of some of the animals you might encounter along the way with
information about them. The pictures shown were all taken by swimmers who
enjoy easy fun swims Sunday morning on different places along Maui’s shores
(www.sunmornswim.com
and
www.tropicallight.com/swim.htm). Sharks (mostly white tips) have also
been seen on some of our ocean swims – we often check little caves where
they’re known to hang out (we call him/her "Bruce").
- Safety:
Safety is our primary concern. Pay attention to all instructions from race
officials, lifeguards, kayak escorts, etc. If necessary, the course, course
start time, or other parameters related to this swim may be changed to
assure safety. Unsafe behavior or unsportsmanlike conduct by swimmers may
result in disqualification.
- If you are in distress
… flag down one of the escort kayaks or lifeguards. They will get you
help.
- Ocean Conditions:
The ocean can be dangerous – be aware of your surroundings. Surf can
make getting in and out of the water dangerous. There can be exposed
rocks or small coral heads near shore, so take care entering and exiting
the water. Winds can come up and make the swim choppy. Abnormal winds
can drive in small man-o-war (rare). Animals can startle you …
especially while racing … You can be swimming in the ocean and see a
turtle appear almost from no where; fish reflecting sunlight can blend
in until there just a few feet in front of you.
- Warm up: Warm
ups are available prior to the race in the ocean fronting Malu’aka
Beach. This ocean does not have lane lines, lane ropes, nor “circle
swimming”. Beware of other swimmers during warm-up to avoid head-on
collisions. Please return to the beach by 8:20 for race instruction
and blessing.
- Tour Boats & Kayak
Tours: We will have Maui County Ocean Safety Officers on jetskis to
help keep the course safe. We’ve provided notification to the tour
boats, kayak tours and others that frequent the area about our event.
We’ve contacted the US Coast Guard to notify boaters over the radio of
the event to maximize ocean safety. There will be one boat launching
from one side of the beach between 8:40am and 8:50am. We have worked
with this boat captain to time the start of our race to maximize safety.
- Other Ocean Users:
While we have informed vessels that frequent the area, we do not have
exclusive access to the area and there may be snorkelers or boaters
sharing the waters with us. Be aware for your safety and theirs.
- DO NOT TOUCH any of
the animals (e.g.; turtles) – it is against the law. Please do not
touch the coral … it kills the coral, and it can cut you and cause a
serious infection.
- Attire
- Swim Caps. YOU
MUST WEAR A SWIM CAP during the race. You will receive a latex swim
cap at check-in identifying your race … 2.4 Mile (yellow) or Sprint
Mile (pink/red).
- Attire must comply
with FINA, USMS and USA-Swimming rules giving you no extra
floatation and providing no extra propulsion.
- Kayaks: We will
have roughly one kayak for every 10 people (~20 kayaks) along the
course, including one at the arch, one leading the lead swimmer, and one
warning swimmers on the 2.4 mile course away from a shallow reef by the
arch.
- Lifeguards:
There will be Maui County Ocean Safety Officers on jetskis. In case of
emergency the kayaks can whistle for them, and they will be in radio
contact with the ambulance.
- Ambulance: In
case of emergency, there will be an ambulance standing by at the north
shore access to the beach.
- Pictures & Results:
We're working on getting someone to take pictures of the race. More
info to be posted later. There are pictures from the area of our Sunday
Swims at
www.tropicallight.com/swim.htm.
- Awards: For
the 2.4 mile swim, there are awards for to top 3 places in each age group –
for both USA-S (10-U, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18) and USMS (19-24, 25-29 … 65-69,
up to 70+) events. For the Sprint Mile, there is only a first place award
for each age group. The top male and female finisher for the 2.4 mile and
the Sprint Mile will receive a special trophy and will be removed from their
age-group placing.
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