How Fast Do Olympic 10K Swimmers Train?
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Three-time Olympic medalist Ous Mellouli of Tunisia and Japanese 2-time Olympian Yasunari Hirai were training at high altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona with coach Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores.
How fast do these athletes train for their upcoming Olympic 10K Marathon Swim final in Copacabana Beach at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games?
This was one of their main sets, totaling 6,000 high-altitude meters below.
4 sets of 15 x 100 on 1:20 in a long course 50m pool; #1-3 swum smoothly, #4 swum at 1500m race pace. The splits, times and stroke counts are shown below on the last set:
1st 100: 31.3 at 50m / 1:00.4 (29.1 on second 50m) 35,37 strokes
2nd 100: 30.7 / 1:00.0 (29.3) 35, 36 2:00.4 cumulative time
3rd 100: 30.9 / 1’00.7 (29.7) 35, 37 3:01.1
4th 100: 31.4 / 1’00.1 (28.7) 36, 37 4:01.2
5th 100: 30.3 / 59.2 (28.9) 36, 37 5:00.4
6th 100: 30.7 / 59.6 (28.9) 36, 37 6:00.3
7th 100: 30.8 / 59.9 (29.0) 36, 37 7:00.2
8th 100: 30.6 / 59.9 (29.2) 36, 37 8:00.1
9th 100: 31.4 / 1’01.6 (30.2) 36, 37 9:01.7
10th 100: 30.1 / 58.3 (28.2) 36, 37 10:00.0
11th 100: 30.7 / 59.7 (29.0) 37, 37 10:59.7
12th 100: 29.7 / 59.2 (29.5) 36, 38 11:58.9
13th 100: 31.0 / 59.7 (28.7) 36, 37 12:58.6
14th 100: 30.8 / 59.3 (28.5) 36, 37 13:57.9
15th 100: 29.1 / 56.7 (27.5) 14:54.6
This is especially impressive as the athletes were swimming at 6,909 feet (2,106 meters) in altitude.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor – Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming’s Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University’s John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff.