What are the challenges I face in the 10 km swim?
The biggest challenge that a swimmer will have at the Horsetooth Swim is handling the colder water for the extended period. Being a high altitude reservoir, the water temperature stays relatively cool year round. At the time of the swim, it typically warms up to 65-70F. To complicate things, we abide by international rules for long distance swims where wetsuits are NOT allowed. In our experience, the cold water is the biggest challenge endurance athletes have to overcome. I am not sure how you will get acclimated to the cold water but we will warn you to take the temperature seriously. In 2002, despite the much publicized drought we were experiencing, the water temperature dropped to 62F for the swim. None of the locals had been training in cold reservoirs since all the reservoirs were warmer than normal due to the drought. The colder temperature in Horsetooth still remains a mystery to us even though we have some theories. Anyway, the result was a record number of DNFs due to the cold
