Open Water Swim Venues and Training
Open water training is essential to ensuring a successful race, and our region is lucky to have multiple venues hosted by excellent coaches. T3 Triathlon Team maintains a Google document and calendar listing all local swims and races. Raymond McKendall also maintains this catalog of 339 open-water races in the US, including the Philadelphia region, New Jersey shore, and Mid-Atlantic.
The key local Philadelphia open water training venues are described below.
Though it’s a bit far from Philadelphia, this Bethlehem, PA lake offer very flexible open water swim hours. I have not personally swum here, but I have heard good things about this venue.
ETA Coach, founded by the late Jason Kilderry, holds regular open water swims at YMCA of the Pines in Medford Lakes, NJ. The 2020 schedule is as follows:
Thursdays 4PM – 7:00PM: April 30 | May 7, 14, 21, 28| June 4, 11, 18, 25 | July 9, 16, 23, 30| August 6, 13, 20, 27 | September 10, 17
Saturdays 6:30AM – 11:00AM: April 25 (7:00am – 11:00am) | May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 | June 6, 13, 20, 27 | July 11, 18, 25 | August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | Sept 5, 12, 19, 26
Sundays 6:30AM – 11:00AM: April 26 (7:00am – 11:00am) | May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 | June 7, 21, 28 | July 5, 26 | August 9, 16, 23, 30 | September 6, 20, 27
Wednesdays Informal Race Nights 4:00PM – 7:30PM: June 10, 17, 24
Visit ETA Coach's website for all Open Water Swim and Open Water Swim Clinic Information: http://www.etacoach.com/open-water-swims-and-swim-clinics/
1 Day passes can only be purchased at the lake for $15.00 Cash or Check per Lake Swim. (This does not include lifeguard gratuity). Once you have registered, please bring your ticket receipt to the lake, along with a photo ID and your USAT Card. If you don’t have your pass, photo ID, or USAT Card, you can’t swim. Non-USAT members can purchase a 1 day USAT pass for $12.00.
ETA also runs periodic open water swim clinics, designed to help beginner to advanced swimmers become more comfortable in the open water. They do this by practicing skills which will help each swimmer offset anxiety and navigate swim courses more effectively, resulting in safer and faster open water swimming.
YMCA of the Pines is a nice swim venue. Don't be fooled by the dark brown water color due to the local Jersey pines. The water is clean tasting and water quality is good.
French Creek Racing
French Creek Racing, run by pro triathlete Coach John Kenny, holds frequent Schuylkill River open water swims at 1400 S. TROOPER RD., NORRISTOWN, PA -- right off of the Schuylkill River Trail. Open water swims are held every Sunday-Wednesday, and Thursday. Sessions usually cost $12/session, and multi-passes are available. Swim dates for 2020 have not yet been announced, but check out FCR’s page for updates at http://frenchcreekracing.com/events/.
In addition, FCR runs an Open Water Race Series at the same Norristown location. 2020 race dates have not yet been announced, but in the past, each race is held on Tuesday night, 6PM registration / warm up, 7pm start. Register for the Open Water Race Series here. $25 to pre-register, $30 on-site.
Contrary to popular belief, the Schuylkill River is actually one of the best local open water venues we have for swimming. During dry conditions, the Schuylkill River is actually one of the cleanest bodies of water where you can swim open water in this area. Indeed, my doctor at Penn Medicine Radnor is a triathlete and has commented to me that this river is one of the cleaner bodies of water in our area. Another little-known fact is that the river is a public body of water and anyone may swim contingent on approval from the owner of the access point (We highly recommend swimming only when supervised by certified lifeguards).
The pollution stigma dates back to before environmental regulation when the Schuylkill River was, in fact, one of the most polluted rivers in the US. In the past few decades, the river has cleaned up immensely. In the past 2 years, we've been out on days where you can see the bottom at an 8 foot depth. FWIW, if you live along the river corridor, it's quite likely that you get your drinking water out of the Schuylkill.
In addition to open water swims, FCR also holds many masters pool swims (very friendly group and open to all ability levels) throughout the week, as seen in the schedule. Sign up for indoor masters pool swims here.
Also, during the summer months, FCR hosts swims at the outdoor 50m Upper Merion pool. Sign up for Upper Merion pool swims here.
Join French Creek Racing's Facebook group to keep up to date with the latest schedules and updates. Contact jkenny5150@gmail.com with any questions.
Not quite open water, but the HAC in Hokessin, Delaware offers a heated outdoor 50 meter pool that is open year-round, even in the dead of winter. You need to be a member or guest of a member to swim here, but you can obtain a guest pass to demo the facility. T3 Philly Triathlon Club also has periodic member days in the outdoor pool. Very neat venue.
Mid-Atlantic Multisport, run by Coach Bill Hauser, holds open water swims at Marsh Creek State Park, Downingtown, PA.
"Mid-Atlantic Multisport has been providing open water swimming instruction and training opportunities for triathletes and open water enthusiasts since 2008. During this time, we have helped thousands of athletes overcome their anxieties related to open water and become stronger, more confident swimmers. Our popular Open Water Swim Series is a collection of ten open water training swims spread throughout the spring and summer months. Register for a single session or purchase a Season Pass and attend all of the swims for a greatly discounted price. At many of the sessions, we also offer instructional Skills & Safety Clinics for beginners."
Marsh Creek is a large man-made lake in Downingtown, PA. No motorized boats are allowed in the lake (electric motors only), so the water quality is quite good. The lake is larger than ETA Coach’s YMCA of the Pines lake, and can get slightly choppy on windy days. This gives you a good feel for open water swimming.
Standard Registration (closes 48 hours prior to the scheduled session start time): $20. On-site Registration: $30. Cash or check only. Register here.
2020 Schedule:
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
Saturday, May 16, 2020 - 8:00-10:00 am (Skills & Safety Clinic and Training Swim)
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Skills & Safety Clinic and Training Swim)
Saturday, May 30, 2020 - 8:00-10:00 am (Training Swim ONLY)
Wednesday, June 10, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Skills & Safety Clinic and Training Swim)
Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 8:00-10:00 am (Skills & Safety Clinic and Training Swim)
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Skills & Safety Clinic and Training Swim)
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 - 5:00-7:00 pm (Training Swim ONLY)
OC Swim Club offers guarded ocean swims — one of the few places to train in the ocean. You can join as a member, or drop in (limited spaces available). Learn more here.
Dates: Memorial Day weekend until Mid-September.
Thursdays: SELECT Thursdays - 6:30 - 7:30 AM,59th St. beach just south of jetty, Ocean City, NJ- Exact 2020 dates TBD (Weather permitting) - Late June to Early August, 2020
Sundays: EVERY Sunday - 8:00 - 9:00 AM, 59th St. beach just south of jetty, Ocean City, NJ -May 24 - Sept 13 (Weather permitting)
Course: 300 - 400 meter triangular course {Depending on conditions} roughly 100 meters off the beach with guards/coaches stationed on rescue boards, in the water and on the beach. The OCSC is proud to be setting the standard for safe open water and ocean training, and we will always strive to create safe and positive experiences for all our participants.
Fees: $20 Single Drop-in for Non-Members, Yearly memberships come with a 10-Session pass card. Unlimited season passes are available along with other membership options.
TWiley Sports, run by Coach Todd Wiley, holds open water clinics and swims at Lake Nockamixon, the largest lake in Bucks County, PA. Lake Nox is a gorgeous and clean body of water, and one of my favorite local places to swim open water. Unfortunately, the State Park is quite strict on allowing swimming, so there are only a few dates that TWiley offers open water training.
The open water clinic is designed to help swimmers build their confidence in the open water. This is a hands on session with discussions geared towards becoming more efficient with open water skills. We will cover: dealing with anxiety of swimming in the open water, sighting, swimming in crowds, using a wetsuit, and why swimming in the open water is so different than swimming in a pool. Coaches will give a dry land discussion then be in the water practicing these skills with the swimmers placing them in different groups based on their needs and abilities.
The clinics will start at 8 am and end approximately at 10 am.
The swims will take place with a start time of 9:15 am. The swims are geared towards experienced triathletes and swimmers that want to simulate race conditions and get a practice swim in on the .5 mile course. Swimmers will start together and will be able to time themselves for .5, 1 mile, 1.5 mile if they wish.
The swim course will be monitored with lifeguards and coaches. These swims are for triathletes or swimmers that have gone through a open water swim clinic.
2020 dates TBA. Prior 2019 swim dates: June 9, June 30, July 21. Clinics cost $35, swims cost $20. Register here.