After years of being landlocked and hardly touching chlorine I was forced back to the pool while recovering from what would become my last ultra-distance run. I had always preached that swimming is one of those rare activities that we can take with us for a lifetime. Water demands an athlete’s full attention, and the medium is as happy to stop forward progress, as it is to pull you under. When swimming moves beyond the pool anything becomes possible. At times knowledge lets old guys rule or at other times distance and conditions give women the edge. I had originally come to open water swimming as a triathlete just wanting to get to his bike. This time I came to the ocean seeking the opportunity to discover what was beneath every wave.

Bruckner Chase