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5KM "KING WOLF" SWIM

The King Wolf Swim is a 5km point-to-point swim, leaving from the West St boat launch in Kingston and finishing on Wolfe Island.

REGISTRATION FEES

$75    early bird entry  (until February 23, 2020)

$90    regular entry      (February 24 to July 2, 2020)

 

Registration fee includes a hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind King Wolf ceramic medal.

NOTE: the brunch buffet is not included in the registration fees this year for the swimmer or the kayaker, tickets can be purchased separately on this website starting in April.

RACE DETAILS

The water temperature in early July is typically 18-20C. The City of Kingston monitors water quality on a regular basis, click on this link for more information (Richardson Beach and Big Sandy Bay are within proximity).

Swimmers will be timed manually. Results will be ranked in the following four categories: unassisted ("skins"), wetsuit, other assisted, para-swimmer. Age groups are as follows: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+.

 

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Minimum training distance:

This event is for experienced swimmers who have the training and confidence to swim in open water unassisted, including possible winds, rough waves, or rain showers. Swimmers registering for the 5km King Wolf swim distance must have completed a minimum training distance of 3km prior to race day - proof of minimum distance may be required.  

Cutoff times:

It's a busy waterway, in order to clear the water before boat traffic picks up the race has mandatory pacing and cutoff times where are adhered to strictly: swimmers must exit Garden Island by 10:00am (3km in 2 hours) and exit Goose Island by 11:00am (4.5km in 3 hours). Swimmers not meeting these cut-off times will be pulled from the water and taken to the race finish by motor boat, and their kayakers will be expected to paddle to the finish. Any swimmers not maintaining the equivalent pacing (40min/km) en route to Garden Island may also be pulled prior to these cutoff times, to ensure the safety fleet is not spread out too far along the course.

 

Kayaker escort:

For reasons of safety each swimmer must have a kayaker with them at all times. No sharing of a single kayaker for multiple swimmers is permitted. We strongly recommend you bring your own kayaker, a limited number of volunteer kayakers may be available.

SAFETY

In addition to kayak escorts, there will also be a number of safety crew first aiders, open water lifeguards, kayakers and motor boats positioned along the race course. In the unlikely event of an emergency, swimmers will be taken by motor boat and then ambulance to the Kingston General Hospital. 

Wetsuit and non-wetsuit ("skins") swimmers are equally welcome at this event, and swimmers may choose to wear a wetsuit if they like. In the unlikely event the water temperature is 16C or lower, wetsuits will be a mandatory requirement for all swimmers unless substantiated prior cold water distance swimming experience is provided. In the very unlikely event that the water temperature reaches above 24C or higher, wetsuits will be prohibited.

In the event of very bad weather making it unsafe to cross the waterway between Kingston and Wolfe Island, the King Wolf Swim organizing committee reserves the right to cancel the 5km/11km swim distances in favour of a shorter and more sheltered contingency route. Should this occur, details will be sent to participants by email. 

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