By Vic “The Fatman” Pace
Pictures by: Vic, Sean McPeak, Donna McPeak, and others
Hello and Happy New Year’s to one and all!
Here’s a little story of some extraordinary folks. First and foremost, Erin McPeak, who started this little event on January 1, 2018. Erin is originally from Indianapolis and was on the Indy Aquatics Masters Swim team. Every year it was a tradition on either New Year’s Eve or on New Year’s Day for the swim team to complete 100 x 100s as a celebration of the New Year. In 2017, Erin moved back to Centralia to be closer to family, and she noticed that Thorbeckes and the local Swimming Community did not offer a New Year’s 10K Swim.
Erin decided to bring the tradition from Indianapolis to Centralia/Lewis County. She wanted the 10K to be open to all swimming ages and ability levels, so she adapted the 10K and created the different distances which allows more swimmers to participate. Erin has been successful in this event with the blessings of the enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication from her family, friends, Thorbeckes, TWIM, Washington Swimmers, and the Lewis County Community.
Erin’s goal of encouraging swimmers to exceed their swimming expectations by doing this extraordinary event, is also met with compassion to help the local Lewis County Animal Shelter, by providing food, clothing, toys, or monies, donated by the swimmers for the animals at this facility.
Next, the McPeak family – Donna and Pat McPeak, mother and father, and Erin’s brother, Sean McPeak, who traveled up from California for the holidays.
These folks not only schedule the pool, but also coordinate with the pool manager at Thorbeckes for the facility, the lifeguards, a conference room for after swim festivities (i.e., food and goodies which includes more coordination with T-Shirt designers/printers, swim cap designer and maker, and food preparation/makers). This year, they got a baker, Alyssa Eichelberger with “Two Crumbs Cookies” in Centralia who designed and baked the custom sugar cookies, given to all the swimmers and volunteers – which were Awesome!!!!
The other folks to mention and thank are as follows:
Jason Knispel – Thorbeckes Head Lifeguard and friend to the McPeaks.
Lifeguards – Sorry, I do not remember the names of these wonderful folks, I’m sure it was given to me, but I’ve lost where I put them. So, to the “Un-named Heroes”, thank you.
Thorbeckes Athletic Facility/Pool for allowing the use of it for the event.
Karie – from Totally Therapeutic Massage and Rehab in Centralia for offering post-10K massages for the swimmers.
The swim started at 9:15 a.m. and was scheduled for three hours and 45 minutes. Seventeen folks signed up for the swim, but only 13 were able to swim. Those that couldn’t swim had health issues or other commitments that prevented them from swimming, but I’m sure that they’re going to do their best for next year’s event.
The swimmers/and TWIMmers who participated are as follows:
50 meters x 100 = 5,000 meters: Val Thompson, Neal Kirby, Guila Muir
75 meters x 100 = 7,500 meters: Jessi Gable, Steve Fogg Don Swink, Mary Underbrink, Steve Collins, Emma Ankeny
100 meters x 100 = 10,000 meters: Eric Durbin, Dan Underbrink,Kelly Howell, Geoff Ankeny
For those who have not participated in or have not heard of this event, it is really something special and extraordinary. For beginners, 10 kilometers! That’s a long distance in any manner, and especially swimming. And I’m not taking away from the folks that did 5km or 7.5km. In road distance: 10km = 6.2 miles, 7.5km = 4.66 miles, and 5km = 3.1 miles. So, if anyone asks how far you swam on New Year’s Eve, and you didn’t answer with 3 miles or above, then you aren’t swimming far enough!
This was the day’s schedule:
8:25 a.m., the doors to the pool opened and as folks slowly dwindled in from the morning cold, they signed in, dropped off Animal Shelter donations, and headed to respectful areas to change and prep for the days swim.
8:45 a.m.: pre-10k talk and instructions on pool deck.
9 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.: optional pool warm-up in specific lane assignment.
9:15 a.m.: Start of the 10k swim!!
The swim is 100 x whatever your distance is per a two-minute window. So, for every two minutes you swim your distance, which is definitely based on your speed, your endurance and your moxie!!
Erin wasn’t able to swim on this event, so she was the announce for the 2-minute intervals for the event. There was a total of 4 lanes which were assigned the distances of 50 meters, 75 meters (two lanes), and 100 meters per two-minute interval. There was also a 5-second delay between each swimmer in their lanes, which Erin monitored and announced, so there wouldn’t be anyone over-swimming their lane mates. There was a 5 to 7-minute break after the 50th interval for bathroom, snack/stretch, socialize, and then back in the water for the next 50 intervals.
I made a number counter board about two or three years ago, and this was the second time that we were able to use it. In the earlier years, we used a Dry-Erase board with the markers and discovered that the markers were way too thin for swimmers to see. This year, positive comments came from swimmers, in reference to being able to see what interval we were on and had completed.
Erin had a song mixture CD that was pre-made from this event a few years ago. We were rocking from the Delta to the DMZ! Swimmers were asked to input songs of their choosing and it looks like next year, we’re going to need a few more songs to update the list. For those who swam this year, I believe Erin is going to email you with a request for future songs – so, have a few ready for her request!
During the swimming, Donna, Pat, and Sean McPeak, were working behind the scenes in putting the Celebration room together to celebrate the accomplishment of this awesome event.
A journalist from “The Daily Chronicle”, Mathew, was there to cover the event. He took pictures, interviewed swimmers, volunteers, and others involved with the event. The link for his article is: Swimmers Welcome the New Year With 10K Swim at Thorbeckes in Centralia | The Daily Chronicle (chronline.com)
