Cooooool Swimming

The Trans Tahoe 2000

By: Rodney Centeno

The water is clearer than the air, and the air is the air that angels breathe.
-Mark Twain

I heard the water was forty eight degrees last week. I wonder if they will cancel.
-Typical Trans Tahoe Swimmer

It All Started Way Back, When... In 1931, a Mrs. Myrtle Huddleston swam from Glenbrook to Tahoe Tavern Pier in 23 hours and 53 minutes. In 1955, Fred Rogers swam from Cave Rock to Meeks Bay (9 miles) in 6 hours 46 minutes. Norm Peterson of San Francisco swam the distance in 6:43 that same year. These pioneers paved the way for modern swimmers, who today gather by the dozens on a weekend in July to swim 11.5 miles from Sand Harbor, Nevada to Skylandia Beach, CA - The TransTahoe Relay.

Lake Tahoe is the gem of California; a deep-blue sapphire cradled in the silver setting of the Sierras. The lake is anchored in a 1700ft. deep basin of stone, its surface glistening at 6200 above sea level. In the heat of July, the water temperature near the top of the lake dances between the mid-fifties and mid-sixties, though the alpine summers offer the occasional surprise.

The TransTahoe, in its infancy, was a head-to-head race between two teams: the South End Rowing Club and the Dolphin Club. Both teams have a storied past in San Francisco and have sent their swimmers forth to navigate and conquer waterways worldwide. The relay's modern format originated in 1975 and was swum from Glenbrook to Homewood (13 miles).

The Olympic Club of San Francisco made its debut at the race in 1976 and assumed sponsorship of the event from then on. The following year, as Tahoe residents were thinking of ways to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of both the Glenbrook Resort and the Chambers Landing Resort, they decided to mark the occasion with a change to the Trans Tahoe route: from Glenbrook to Chambers Landing. That year, seven teams competed.

In just five years, the event grew from 7 to 70 teams! And in 1982 the course was lengthened to 14.3 miles, when it was decided the start would occur at Sand Harbor Nevada. The course changed once more in the early 1990's to its current 11.5 miles: Sand Harbor, Nevada to Skylandia Beach, California.

Most years, the swimmers have encountered 'pleasant' conditions. 'Pleasant' means different things to different people. To a rough water swimmer wearing nothing more than a swimsuit and a cap, standing on the dampcold sand in the shade of a grand peak on the NE edge of Lake Tahoe at 7:30 in the morning - pleasant means 60° water, no waves, little breeze. Some years have not been so pleasant.

In '84, 25 mile-per-hour winds whipped up 3-foot waves, battering swimmers and boats alike.

In '87, snow flurries and a brisk wind (some swimmers remember them as 'near-blizzard' conditions) cancelled the race before it ever started.

One year later in '90, only half the teams finish because of a rapidly approaching thunder storm which dampened and darkened what started out a sunny and calm morning.

In '91 the water level was at a record low. Swimmers swam the final 200 yards in 2 feet of water, pulling themselves forward on the rocks below, swerving to miss the larger ones, and running in ankle-deep water for the final 50 yards over pebbles and sand, to the finish.

In '97, rough conditions and wind-whipped white caps followed the swimmers all day.

This year Lake Tahoe rolled out the blue carpet. Conditions were near-perfect: clear skies, light breeze, calm waters in the low 60's, and an air temp that rose throughout the day. The Olympic Club again staffed a smooth event. The local Coast Guard, Park Service and Truckee Lake Forest Hospital Van saw everyone finish safely.

In the end, an Olympic Club team finished first over-all, three swimmers completed the swim 'solo', 69 teams started and 69 teams finished…but the record of 3:13.19 set by the Davis Aquatic Masters in 1993 still stood.

Each year the Trans Tahoe Relay swim is unique and unpredictable. Each year the Lake is humbling, and the mountains majestic. Next July 21 swimmers will gather again to celebrate California's gem, and the Silver Anniversary Trans Tahoe Relay.

Click on image for more pictures

Rodney is Assistant editor at the Olympian Magazine in San Francisco. He's coached 13 swim seasons in the Bay Area including rec, USS, and High School.