Although this is a biking related blog, in the past year I have begun to do triathlons. Swimming is my weakest area so this weekend, I participated in the Purple Swim. It is an open water swim in the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore. There were two distance options – 1 mile or 2 miles. Since the two swims were held sequentially, a swimmer could do both distances for a total of 3 miles. The 1 mile distance was enough for me.
This is the fourth year that the event has been held. It has grown from 5 swimmers in the first year to over 200 swimmers this year. The event was founded and organized by Tim Beatty to honor the memory of his father who was an avid swimmer. The purpose of the swim is to raise awareness and money to help fight pancreatic cancer. The video below has an interview with Tim and his mother that provides more details on the history of the swim.
Overall the swim was very well organized. A few more buoys along the course would have been helpful especially to me. The combination of my nearsightedness, foggy googles and choppy water sent me a bit off course. The organizers said that they would look into adding some more buoys next year. The kayakers did a great job keeping swimmers on the route and providing any help when needed. After the swim there was a big BBQ and musical entertainment. The event was held at Rocky Point Beach, where the facilities include a bath house with showers and real bathrooms (not porta-potties). The park is a nice place to hang out and many of the swimmers (and friends & family) stayed after the swim.
I highly recommend this event to anyone who wants to get some open water practice. It is a well run event and a good cause. Pancreatic cancer is fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and has one of the lowest survival rates among all major cancers. Although the swim is over, it isn’t to late to donate. See the Purple Swim website for details.
I didn’t know Bud Beatty, but I’m sure he would be proud of the event that bears his name.
The PurpleSwim Baltimore is a fundraising event initiated by Tim Beatty to honor his father, Bud Beatty who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer just six months after diagnosis in 2002. Bud Beatty was an avid swimmer and enjoyed teaching youth to swim. He also loved the challenge of open water swim competition.
Over two-hundred swimmers participated in this year’s PurpleSwim held on Sunday, August 7 at the Rocky Point Beach, a Baltimore County public park and beach located at the tip of the Back River Neck Peninsula. The beach shoreline faces Hawk’s Cove (open water to the north) and Back River abuts the south side of the park. Hawk’s Cove is part of the Middle River waterway. It along with the mouth of the Back River converge to meet the Chesapeake Bay. The park also provides a picturesque view of Hart-Miller Island.
The PurpleSwim Baltimore is a competitive open-water swim with participants arriving from California, Texas, as well as states along the east coast of the U.S. The swimmer from farthest north traveled from Vermont and the competitor from the state farthest south on the East Coast arrived by car from North Carolina. But there were also several challenged swimmers who arrived in east Baltimore County from Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. where they participate in the Wounded Warrior program.
2 mile swimmers will be provided with white PurpleSwim Baltimore swim caps. These caps must be worn! No exceptions. People with disabilities may be wearing either red or yellow caps. If you need assistance please let registration clerk know at check in.
1 mile swimmers will be provided with purple PurpleSwim Baltimore swim caps. These caps must be worn! No exceptions. People with disabilities may be wearing either red or yellow caps. If you need assistance please let registration clerk know at check in.
There will be no switching of events after you have registered.
Body Marking: this will be done at the registration desk. Numbers will be placed on both hands of the participants. No switching of numbers is allowed.
Please arrive early! We will be competing with the tides and the weather. There is no rain date or refund for the event!!
Event timeline: Registration open at 7:00 AM. Opening Ceremony 8:00 AM. 1 mile Swimmer Meeting 8:30 AM. 1 Mile Swim Starts After Meeting. 2 mile swimmer meeting 9:45 AM. 2 mile swim start no later than 10:00 AM.
Will will attempt to start the 1 mile swim after the swimmers meeting. This could begin as soon as 8:45 AM. Be prepared to enter the water as soon as meeting is finished!
2 mile swimmers must be prepared to enter the water after the 2 mile swimmer meeting. The 2 mile swim will begin when the last 1 mile swimmer has crossed the finish line or by 10 AM at the latest.
The Baltimore Area Triathlon Club teamed up with Tim Beatty the Coordinator of the PurpleSwim on Sunday. The group held an Open Water Swim Clinic at Rocky Point Beach and Park which is the site of the PurpleSwim Baltimore.
Fifteen swimmers attended the event which was the first of its kind held at the park. Swimmers of all skill levels showed up to get help and advice from Tim Beatty. “This is a great opportunity for people to come out and see what open water swimming is all about,” Beatty says. “ I just want people to feel comforatble out there.”
Beatty started the PurpleSwim which raises funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Support in 2008. The swim is held in memory of his father who passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2002 after a six month battle with the disease. This years event will be held on Sunday August 7, 2011.
If you are interested in signing up for our event (Swimmer, Swim Fan, or Volunteer) please register on our site by July 17th to guarantee a T-Shirt.
Remember there is no fee for Volunteers. We are in need of Kayakers and people with boats to join our water support group. email tbeatty@pancanvolunteer.org for more info.
Although this is a biking related blog, in the past year I have begun to do triathlons. Swimming is my weakest area so this weekend, I participated in the Purple Swim. It is an open water swim in the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore. There were two distance options – 1 mile or 2 miles. Since the two swims were held sequentially, a swimmer could do both distances for a total of 3 miles. The 1 mile distance was enough for me.
This is the fourth year that the event has been held. It has grown from 5 swimmers in the first year to over 200 swimmers this year. The event was founded and organized by Tim Beatty to honor the memory of his father who was an avid swimmer. The purpose of the swim is to raise awareness and money to help fight pancreatic cancer. The video below has an interview with Tim and his mother that provides more details on the history of the swim.
Overall the swim was very well organized. A few more buoys along the course would have been helpful especially to me. The combination of my nearsightedness, foggy googles and choppy water sent me a bit off course. The organizers said that they would look into adding some more buoys next year. The kayakers did a great job keeping swimmers on the route and providing any help when needed. After the swim there was a big BBQ and musical entertainment. The event was held at Rocky Point Beach, where the facilities include a bath house with showers and real bathrooms (not porta-potties). The park is a nice place to hang out and many of the swimmers (and friends & family) stayed after the swim.
I highly recommend this event to anyone who wants to get some open water practice. It is a well run event and a good cause. Pancreatic cancer is fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and has one of the lowest survival rates among all major cancers. Although the swim is over, it isn’t to late to donate. See the Purple Swim website for details.
I didn’t know Bud Beatty, but I’m sure he would be proud of the event that bears his name.
The PurpleSwim Baltimore is a fundraising event initiated by Tim Beatty to honor his father, Bud Beatty who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer just six months after diagnosis in 2002. Bud Beatty was an avid swimmer and enjoyed teaching youth to swim. He also loved the challenge of open water swim competition.
Over two-hundred swimmers participated in this year’s PurpleSwim held on Sunday, August 7 at the Rocky Point Beach, a Baltimore County public park and beach located at the tip of the Back River Neck Peninsula. The beach shoreline faces Hawk’s Cove (open water to the north) and Back River abuts the south side of the park. Hawk’s Cove is part of the Middle River waterway. It along with the mouth of the Back River converge to meet the Chesapeake Bay. The park also provides a picturesque view of Hart-Miller Island.
The PurpleSwim Baltimore is a competitive open-water swim with participants arriving from California, Texas, as well as states along the east coast of the U.S. The swimmer from farthest north traveled from Vermont and the competitor from the state farthest south on the East Coast arrived by car from North Carolina. But there were also several challenged swimmers who arrived in east Baltimore County from Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. where they participate in the Wounded Warrior program.
2 mile swimmers will be provided with white PurpleSwim Baltimore swim caps. These caps must be worn! No exceptions. People with disabilities may be wearing either red or yellow caps. If you need assistance please let registration clerk know at check in.
1 mile swimmers will be provided with purple PurpleSwim Baltimore swim caps. These caps must be worn! No exceptions. People with disabilities may be wearing either red or yellow caps. If you need assistance please let registration clerk know at check in.
There will be no switching of events after you have registered.
Body Marking: this will be done at the registration desk. Numbers will be placed on both hands of the participants. No switching of numbers is allowed.
Please arrive early! We will be competing with the tides and the weather. There is no rain date or refund for the event!!
Event timeline: Registration open at 7:00 AM. Opening Ceremony 8:00 AM. 1 mile Swimmer Meeting 8:30 AM. 1 Mile Swim Starts After Meeting. 2 mile swimmer meeting 9:45 AM. 2 mile swim start no later than 10:00 AM.
Will will attempt to start the 1 mile swim after the swimmers meeting. This could begin as soon as 8:45 AM. Be prepared to enter the water as soon as meeting is finished!
2 mile swimmers must be prepared to enter the water after the 2 mile swimmer meeting. The 2 mile swim will begin when the last 1 mile swimmer has crossed the finish line or by 10 AM at the latest.
The Baltimore Area Triathlon Club teamed up with Tim Beatty the Coordinator of the PurpleSwim on Sunday. The group held an Open Water Swim Clinic at Rocky Point Beach and Park which is the site of the PurpleSwim Baltimore.
Fifteen swimmers attended the event which was the first of its kind held at the park. Swimmers of all skill levels showed up to get help and advice from Tim Beatty. “This is a great opportunity for people to come out and see what open water swimming is all about,” Beatty says. “ I just want people to feel comforatble out there.”
Beatty started the PurpleSwim which raises funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Support in 2008. The swim is held in memory of his father who passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2002 after a six month battle with the disease. This years event will be held on Sunday August 7, 2011.
If you are interested in signing up for our event (Swimmer, Swim Fan, or Volunteer) please register on our site by July 17th to guarantee a T-Shirt.
Remember there is no fee for Volunteers. We are in need of Kayakers and people with boats to join our water support group. email tbeatty@pancanvolunteer.org for more info.
If you are interested in volunteering for our event:
Please register on the registration website under “Volunteer.”
(There is no cost for this)
If you would like to volunteer on the beach please email Tim Beatty at tbeatty@pancanvolunteer.org
If you are interested in volunteering with a kayak please email Buddy Cole at Colebuddy53@yahoo.com
If you are interested in helping with water safety by bringing a boat please email Patrick Longo at Patrick.Longo@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Would you like to attend the event but are not a swimmer? Would you like to raise money and support PurpleSwim Baltimore and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network? Go to our registration page and sign up as a swim fan. Your registration fee includes entry to the event, a PurpleSwim event day T-shirt, complementary event day food and ability to set up your very own fundraising page. Win great prizes too!
Rocky Point is located in the northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The water here is mainly fresh water and in August the watertemp is in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. Wetsuits are allowed. Sea Nettles are not likely in this area. Due to the minimal amount of rain in the region we could experience patches of Sea Grass in the shallow portions of the swim. We will do our best to avoid these areas. Maryland is well known for its HOT and HUMID weather with pop-up Thunderstorms. We will not have a rain date for the swim. In cases of Thunderstorms we may push back the start of the event. There is no refund in case of poor weather. The event is under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard. If they feel that conditions are unfavorable for swimming we must abide by their wishes. Please stay tuned for more info
