A Tricky Bosphorus Race

I was pleased to participate in the 25th Annual Bosphorus Continental Crossing Race (Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yarış) yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey. There were 1600 swimmers with 600+ of us from other countries.

From the survey of the course on the tour boat (provided for the swimmers) on Friday I got  more excited for the race. I could see right away that success (or speed) on this course was as much about picking the best route as it was strength or endurance – actually, more so.

The race is 6.5 km by measurement, but we swim downstream and the surface current on the  Bosphorus is as much as 7 km-per-hour and had wind assist as well, which makes the swim physically feel more like 3.5 km. It is a very fast course, but totally dependent on what route is taken.

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