35th Annual Donner Lake Swim 2015

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Registration Schedule

This competition is limited to the first 375 entrants.

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Sanctioned by: Pacific Masters Swimming for USMS, Inc. # 385-W004

LOCATION: Donner Lake, Truckee, CA. Located 35 miles west of Reno, NV and 100 miles east of Sacramento, CA. via Interstate 80.  The start is at the east end of the lake by Donner Memorial State Park; the finish is at West End Beach.

WARNING: Swimmers will be pulled from the event they are demonstrating difficulty navigating the course, they are unlikely to finish the swim before the 2 ½ hour limit and/or a swimmer that falls approximately 100 to 125 yards behind the second-to-last swimmer. Participants should be adequately trained for this competition, which combines high altitude, cool water temperatures, and a lengthy swim. Previous experience in similar conditions is highly recommended. 

COURSE: Straight, point-to-point, 2.7 miles. Expect water temperature 65 – 68 degrees. Altitude is 5933 ft.

SWIM PROCEDURES: Pre-race instructions at 8:15 AM followed by a beach start. Wave #1 will start at 8:30 for swimmers without personal escorts and Wave #2 will start at 8:40 for swimmers with personal escorts. A 2 hour 30 minute time limit will be STRICTLY enforced. If you fail to finish the race within the time limit, you will be disqualified and removed from the water. There are NO EXCEPTIONS; you will be removed from the water after 2 hours and 30 minutes after your wave start.

ENTRIES: This event is open to 375 swimmers. Non-refundable, non-transferable entry fees are $50 per person if you pre-register; $85 per person, for registration on race day. Registration opens June 1st.  Registration for this event will only be available on Club Assistant software.  No mail in entries will be accepted. Online registration closes Wednesday, August 12th. Your 2015 USMS membership will be verified during online entry. If the Donner Lake Open Water Swim sells out before race day, there will be NO race-day registration. 

CHECK-IN: Check-in and race day registration will begin at 6:30 AM and close at 8:00 AM.  Pre-race instructions will take place at 8:15 AM.

SHIRTS: Shirts and sweatshirts may be pre-ordered with registration.  Limited numbers will be available for purchase on race day.

TIMING: Timing for this event will be provided by Lynn Mentzer and Dave Nolte.

PERSONAL ESCORTS: Pacific Masters Swimming is partially implementing United States Masters Swimming rule 303.3.1.  Pacific Masters Swimming will allow the use of non-motorized personal escorts for the Donner Lake Open Water Swim, but it has been determined that swimmers with non-motorized personal escorts will not be eligible for Pacific Masters Swimming Open Water points or prizes.  Swimmers with a non-motorized personal escort will start the race in wave #2, 10 minutes after swimmers without personal escorts.  When you sign up for the Donner Lake Open Water Swim you must indicate if you will have a personal escort.  Only 15 swimmers with personal kayakers/wave #2 will be allowed.  Once you sign up for the personal escort category you will be unable to switch to wave #1 and you must have a personal kayaker on race day.  On race day you and your personal escort will receive the same race number.   The race number must be worn on your personal escort’s upper back and displayed for the duration of your swim.  Personal escorts will be positioned on the beach (north end) to prevent obstruction of the wave #1 start. Personal escorts will be notified when to enter the water, approximately 5 minutes after the start of wave #1. You will be unable to switch to wave #1 and you must have a personal escort on race day to be in wave #2.  Personal escorts must be non-motorized.  Life jackets and “man in water” flags are required on all craft.

RACE RESULTS: Race results will be in 3 categories. Category 1 suits (suits made from textile materials), Category 2 suits (wetsuits or technical suits - Speedo Lazer, Blue 70, etc.) and Personal Escort (those swimmers with personal escorts).

DIVISIONS: Masters divisions 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, etc.; male and female. No entrants under 18 years of age are permitted.

AWARDS: Special awards will be presented to the first Category 1 woman and man to finish (18+ and 40+) and the top three finishers in each Category 1 age group. All entrants will receive an official race cap and post-race refreshments and lunch.

PARKING: This is a point-to-point swim with parking available in designated parking areas at the start and at the finish. At the start of the race, you may park at the Donner Museum parking lot for a fee or on the south side of Donner Pass Road (absolutely NO parking on the north side of Donner Pass Road). At the finish, you may park at the West End Beach parking lot. A shuttle will operate between the start and finish from 6:30 AM to noon. Spectators must pay the West End Beach admission fee. Animals are not allowed in the park.

PICNIC LUNCH: SNM will provide post race recovery refreshments and lunch catered by Men Wielding Fire for all  participants.  Delicious BBQ chicken or vegetable sandwich and salad will be served.  Swimmers may purchase lunch(s) for non-participants for $10 each at the time of registration.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Accommodations in the area are limited, so make your reservations early! Campers should call 800-444-PARK for reservations for Donner Memorial State Park (located at the start of the race).

SAFETY: Bright colored caps will be provided and must be worn during the swim. The course will be patrolled by safety craft and non-motorized individual escorts are permitted. Life jackets and "man in water" flags are required on all craft.

EQUIPMENT: The use of fins, pull buoys or other swimming devices shall not be permitted except that soft hand paddles may be used as a prosthesis, provided that, they do not present a safety hazard to the other swimmers.

WARM-UP: A designated warm-up area will be provided. All swimmers wishing to warm-up prior to the race must do so in the designated warm-up area.

RACE START: All swimmers must be out of the water at 8:15 am.

KAYAK: If you want to kayak for the race, contact Stephanie Lerude at slerude@gmail.com.

ADDITIONAL RACE INFORMATION:
www.sierranevadamasters.com

RACE DIRECTOR: Laura (Hanson) Harsh 775-843-1477 donnerlakeswim@gmail.com.

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