Imagine yourself competing with a wild watery beast. The taste of salt dances on your tongue and the fish racing beside you as you swim towards the finish line. All these sensations were felt by Maximiliano (Maxi) Paccot as he competed in the key Islamorada. Considered one of the 8th most difficult swimming challenges in the world, the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse open water meet tasked swimmers to swim 8-nautical miles/14.8Km from Islamorada to Alligator Lighthouse. Although the challenge was fierce, Maxi was able to win 1st place out of 490 swimmers with a time of 3 hours 10 minutes, and 30 seconds.
Swimming in open water is a feat on its own, but swimming 8 miles in the ocean is a challenge like no other. As a coach and an athlete, I was very curious about how coaches and athletes prepare themselves for such formidable competitions. Fortunately, I was able to interview our very own Coach Gustavo Rasia, who accompanied Maxi to the meet, and Maxi himself. The interview is as follows:
Question: When you prepare swimmers for open water meets, what approaches do you take in building a training regiment for them?
Coach Gustavo: “Preparing the swimmers for open water races consist mostly of practice sessions with longer yardage, sets alternating aerobic, and changes of speed. Also, including on those workouts specific simulations of open water races, like swimming without turn and finishing tapping the the finish pad.”
Question: During swim meets in pools, you will see coaches watching their swimmers swim on the sidelines, and/or talking to their swimmers in the coaches area. At an open water meet, does your involvement or role as a coach change? If so how does it change?
Coach Gustavo: “Usually in open water events, the coaches follow the athletes from a designated area where for races 10Km or over, they will hydrate the swimmers there. Specifically in the Islamorada race, I…followed Maximilliano [Maxi] with the kayak during the 8 miles, having set strategic spots during the race to hydrate.”
Question: How do take care of yourself during an open water meet? What tip would you give coaches who are coaching at an open water meet for the first time?
Coach Gustavo: “The biggest point for coaches to take care of themselves during open water races, is to stay hydrated and protected from the weather since [it is an] outdoor event.”
Question: What is one tip you would share to a swimmer who is considering training for an open water meet?
Coach Gustavo: “For me a great tip for those that want to start swimming open water events is learning how to locate themselves and follow the right directions, with the proper breathing movement.”
After interviewing Coach Gustavo, I sat down with the champion of the Alligator Lighthouse open meet–Maxi Paccot!
Question: How did you mentally prepare yourself for this open water meet? Is it different than preparing yourself for a pool swim meet?
Maxi: “For the mental preparation, whether it be river or ocean, is to identify the currents and the waves. After I have that information, I begin to tell myself that I am going to have fun in the competition, do my best, and make it since I worked and trained for this race. As for the pool, it is very similar. It is about going out, having fun, and give it my all in the pool. [However], I don’t have to think about the currents or the bumps of the waves that can happen in the pool [compared to] in ocean and river competitions.”
Question: How does your equipment differ from the pool to the ocean and how does it help you in the water?
Maxi: “The difference between the equipment used between the pool and the ocean is that the ocean [swim suits] are longer (which is almost full length) which helps us a lot with buoyancy and the resistance generated by the water.”
Question: What is your thought process as you are competing in an open water meet?
Maxi: “This is the most difficult, since I try not to think, but there comes a time when I start feeling fatigued and that is when I tell myself that there isn’t much left to finish, that I can achieve it! I start to say that I am going do one stoke at a time and I can’t give up and I won’t give up; that is what I trained for!”
Question: What is one piece of advice you would give to swimmers who have never swam in an open water meet?
Maxi: “One advice I can give you is to go out, have fun, and enjoy it because it is something very beautiful.”
Question: What was the highlight of the meet and why?
Maxi: “The highlight for me was the teamwork with Coach Gustavo, and the confidence he gave me before and after the competition.”
