OPENWATER
INDONESIA-The
25 km in open water in one of the toughest events that exists. The swimmers
spend an average of 5 hours in the open sea, a maximum effort which can mean
the loss of up to 3 kilos in some cases. How do they alleviate the extreme
conditions that they subject themselves to?
The temperature of the water, the conditions of the sea, the
currents and the wind are all factors that influence the races that take place
in open water. However, in the 25 km, the longest of all of them, there is a
key element that depends, in many cases, on the success or failure of the
competition of each swimmer: the alimentation consumed during the race.
The swimmers lose up to 3,000 calories after more than five
hours in the sea, a supreme exertion that needs to be monitored by the physical
trainer of every athlete. “The effort carried out is brutal, they can lose up
to 3 kilos during the race”, affirmed Mario Lloret, doctor of the Spanish team
for open waters.
The correct ingestion of food before jumping into the water
is so important as it also has an effect on the digestion during the race. “You
have to consider the loss of glucose and maintain and even increase the rates
during the race”, explains Lloret. The swimmers also understand this very well.
“It´s fundamental to hydrate yourself very well the day before the race and go
a little over hydrated the hours before the start of the competition”, comments
Kiko Hervás, 4th in Shanghai 2011. But what happens during the race? There
are various provision points in all 10 and 25 km circuits so that the water
athletes can keep hydrated and nourished.
In Barcelona,
there are nearly 20 spots where the swimmers have the chance to recuperate
energy. The Moll de la Fusta circuit there are two pontoons situated half way
across each stretch. Here the personal trainers can give the athletes the
correct quantity of food and drink that they previously calculated using straws
and cups. “It depends a lot on the individual. They normally ask for mineral
salts and, in the last laps, some like caffeine to boost them for the final
sprint”, explains Diego Nogueira, open water swimmer in the Spanish team for
the last six years. Regarding solids, energy bars or slices of banana mixed
with yogurt are the most common. “They need to be things that can be easily
digested while we swim”, commented Hervás.
In the race that will take place in Barcelona there will be 36 swimmers in the
men’s event and 22 in the women´s. This means a battle in the water and
strategies to get in to the best position for the moment of getting provisions.
“It´s a really critical point because you can´t see where your coach is. What
we normally do is arrange to meet at a certain point on the pontoon. At this
point there are always a lot of crashes which could be critical later”,
explains Nogueira. However, there is a solution for the athletes not to have to
go to the pontoon and lose the position they have. Some swimmers carry packs of
energy gel with them to recharge energy during the event. “We keep the sachets
in our swimming trunks to give us a boost during the race”, affirms Diego.
It will be the 27th July when these super athletes face
each other in one of the toughest races of the Championships. They will do it
in a calm sea and with a temperature of 22/24 degrees, perfect conditions to
take on this great aquatic marathon.
