The Donner Lake Swim less than a week away!

This email will cover race day morning information.

Shirts:

Forgot to order a t-shirt? You’re in luck; we’ll have a limited number of shirts available at the finish ($40). We appreciate exact change or a check made out to Sierra Nevada Masters. Thank you.

The start:

Location: Donner Memorial State Park Beach.  

Start time: 8:30 am

Check in:

Check in begins at 6:30am and closes promptly at 8am. Only registered swimmers who have checked in are permitted to participate in the swim; any swimmer not checked in at 8:00 am will be scratched. Thank you for supporting our commitment to a safe event.

Check-in is off Donner Pass Road between Donner Memorial State Park and Tahoe Donner beach club entrances (portable toilets on the side of the road are a good landmark to look for).  Map can be found at https://www.donnerlakeswim.org/ towards the bottom of the webpage.

Please note: Tahoe Donner Beach Club is a private club and they are not associated with our event. There is no public access through Tahoe Donner Beach Club. This includes accessing the race start, parking, or their facilities. You must be a member or have a “guest card” to enter Tahoe Donner Beach Club. Thanks, everyone.

Check in process: 

The check in process is a multistep process:

• Receive your label so you can verify your race information is correct.
• Pick up your timing chip.  $50 charge for lost chips.
• Swim cap: You will receive a swim cap based on your swimwear category.
• Bag marking: If you wish to have your items brought to the start you will receive a bag with your race number written on it. Please pack light and be sure everything fits into your bag. No loose items, please. Do not put valuables in your bags. We are not responsible for lost items. Before the swim starts, please put your drop bag in the designated area on the East End Beach.  This is a public beach and we take race bags only (no loose items, which could belong to others/campers). All loose items that don't fit in your race bags will be left behind.
• Body marking: Your race number will be placed on your arm.  Please hold off on sunscreen until after you have been body marked!

Parking: 

Please park in designated parking areas at the start or the finish. At the start of the race, you may park on south side of Donner Pass Road (absolutely NO parking on the north side of Donner Pass Road, Tahoe Donner Beach Club or Donner Memorial State Park). Do not block the bike lane when parking on Donner Pass Road.  At the finish, you may park at the West End Beach parking lot. The shuttle will run 6:30-12:00 between the start and finish. The first and last shuttle will depart from West End Beach. 

Shuttle:

There is a shuttle that will run from 6:30am to noon.  It will start at 6:30 am at West End Beach.  Last pick up will be at West End Beach at noon.

Beach access:

Due to another year of good snow pack, Donner Lake is very full. This means there is little to no beach. You can start on any area of the shore. We will have signs on the trails to the beach to direct swimmers and kayakers to the beach. Please follow the signs as we feel this gives each party the best access to the water.

Toilets:  

There are toilets near race check in off Donner Pass Road.  There are no toilets near the start/beach/shore.  You cannot use the facilities at Tahoe Donner Beach Club.

Warm up:

There will be a designated warm up area for those swimmers who wish to get in the water before the start of the race. You are only allowed to warm up in this area. The warmup area will be on the north side of the beach and patrolled by 4 volunteer kayakers (they will be in orange/yellow vests) from 7:30 AM to 8:15 AM. 

Every swimmer must be on the beach for pre-race instructions at 8:15 AM and must remain out of the water until the start at 8:30 AM. 

Start:

Pre-race instructions begin at 8:15 AM at Donner Memorial State Park East End Beach.

This is a mass start.

All swimmers must be on the shore for the start.  Swimmers not out of the water for the start will be disqualified. 

Pre-race instructions:

Here are race day instructions that will be announced at 8:15.

Welcome to the 43rd annual Donner Lake Open Water Swim. This swim is part of the Pacific Masters Swimming Open Water season.

If you have placed your belongings in a white bag please make sure that the bag is in the designated area.

Following the race hospitality will be provided to all competitors.

Awards will be given approximately 30 minutes after the last swimmer has completed the race.

For those of you who purchased lunch, lunch will be available at the finish at approximately 10am.

This is a 2.7 mile swim from the East to West end of the lake. The water temperature is approximately 65-68 degrees. Please be aware that you should be adequately trained for this competition because it combines high altitude, cool water temperature, and a lengthy swim.

If you are NOT registered for this race, do not swim. If you have any apprehension about participation in the swim or your ability to complete the distance, please withdraw before entering the water at the start-this is not the time to test your open water swimming skill for the first time. If you need assistance during the race, wave one arm overhead, a paddler will come to you. If you drop out before or during the race, report immediately to the finish line judge under the finish banner so your safety can be accounted for. Please be courteous to other swimmers. Faster swimmers should position themselves closer to the edge of the water with slower swimmers assuming a less risky position farther back on the beach. Emergency staff will be located at the end of the race. A cutoff time of 2 hours and 30 minutes for the entire swim will be strictly enforced. Swimmers who fail to make cutoff time will be considered disqualified non-finishers and you will be pulled from the water. The cutoff time has been established to ensure the safety of swimmers and to ensure we comply by the policy as dictated by our sanction through United States Master Swimming and Pacific Masters Swimming. Sierra Nevada Masters does provide kayakers as safety support during the swim. These individuals are NOT to be used as personal escorts. Swimmers who fail to complete the required distance under the established cutoff time will be visited by a motorized safety craft and pulled from the water. At the finish there will be a chute. Make sure to cross the finish line so we get an accurate time. Headphones are not allowed while you swim. Swimmers will be disqualified if you wear headphones. When you see the red flag there are 3 minutes remaining until the start of the race. The yellow flag will follow when 1 minute remains. The race will start when you see the green flag and hear the horn.

Thank you and have a safe swim!

During the swim:

There is a two- and half-hour time limit. We will be pulling swimmers after the time limit.  

The Donner Lake Swim’s success requires swimmers to accept specific responsibilities. In addition to recognizing the risk inherent to swimming in cold water at significant elevation (e.g., heart attack, hypothermia, and drowning), every participant is expected to abide by the following:

Do not swim in the proximity of motorized boats. They are off course.

Keep an eye out for fellow swimmers. Help them stay on course. If you see another swimmer clearly in distress, please alert a kayaker and stay in contact with the swimmer.

If you decide to abandon the event. Notify a kayaker and they will escort you to a motorized boat. Please provide your name and race number so the Safety Coordinator can account for all swimmers.

If you are tired or injured and need assistance, request help from a kayaker by waving your hand.

When a kayak approaches, clearly explain the nature of your problem. Be accurate when assessing your condition or circumstance. Do not minimize or exaggerate your condition.

If you need a rest or simply want a break, look for a kayak and communicate your need to rest to them.

Listen to the directions provided by the kayaker or motorized boat operator.

If injured or needing medical attention, alert a kayaker who will assist by providing a short-term holding on position while they utilize an orange flag to communicate with a motorized boat to transport you to the West End Beach. An ambulance service is available at the West End Beach.

Swimmers will be pulled from the event if: 

• they are showing signs of distress
• they are demonstrating difficulty navigating the course 
• they are unlikely to finish the swim before the 2 ½ hour limit. 
• they fall approximately 100 to 125 yards behind the second-to-last swimmer will be pulled from the race.  

If you are pulled, please do not argue with the kayaker or operator of the motorized boat/wave-runner. They are providing safety for all swimmers of the event and not just one swimmer.

If pulled, you will either be picked up directly by a motorized boat or guided by a kayaker who will use an orange flag to communicate with a motorized boat/wave-runner to pick you up.

You can find the full safety plan at https://www.donnerlakeswim.org/event-safety/

Up next the finish!