Swim the Loop, Join Our Group

Topics: Southeast Coast, Water Quality

Almost every day, we meet fascinating people who are working in their own way to help preserve our natural resources and clean up our creeks and sounds. One of these energetic, super-women is Kristen Smith. Kristen is one of the dynamic personal and team trainers with Without Limits Coaching Inc., a local business that combines personal training with a team-centered atmosphere.  

Kristen and her cohorts have cooked up a challenging swim race for Sept. 29, uniting competitive and recreational swimmers with kayakers, stand-up-paddlers and boaters, who will be on-hand to ensure the participants’ complete safety. The swim takes the famous 2.5 mile walk/jog path around Wrightsville Beach known as “The Loop” and turns it into a 3.5 mile swim. The swim goes completely around Harbor Island and through several waterways.

Aside from the personal satisfaction of completing this race, a portion of each registration fee will be donated to the federation, helping us to keep these swimming water swimmable for future generations. In addition, participants’ race packets will include a free, one-year membership to the federation, which now has more than 10,000 members across the state.  If that isn’t enough incentive, the race starts and finishes at Dockside Restaurant, a popular restaurant and hang-out on the Intracoastal Waterway in Wrightsville Beach.

The organizers have a fantastic Web site, which includes a guided boat tour of the entire race course and instructions for registering for the event. You can also visit them on Facebook  and you can also forward their race event flyer to your swim group.

The event will be capped at 50 participants, though, so sign up now to join new and old friends for some exercise, claim your membership packet to the federation and hang out post-race with a great crowd at Dockside. I can’t think of a better way to spend an Indian summer Saturday. 

-- Tracy Skrabal, senior coastal scientist