by Jim Mange
[Editor’s note: Long-time TWIM member Jim may have traded the Seattle rain for the sunny shores of Hawaii a few years back, but his competitive drive hasn’t slowed down a bit. In fact, he’s still out there setting the bar high for the rest of us. In this member spotlight, Jim shares how he overcame recent health hurdles, embraced a “bionic” upgrade, and took on Oahu’s legendary North Shore Swim Series this summer]
The illustrious founder of TWIM, Thomas Walker, always advocated we enter every competition we could. I’m very glad I followed that advice this summer as my results in the North Shore Swim Series (NSSS) provided one of the highlights of my 57+ years of competitive swimming. Now, more than ever, I’m convinced the greatest ability is availability.
The NSSS features four races spread throughout June and July, going from one famous surf spot to another along Oahu’s north shore. The first race is a one-mile hop from Sunset Beach to the Banzai Pipeline. The second is 1.2 miles, crisscrossing Waimea Bay. Number three goes against the current from Chun’s Reef to Waimea, and the finale goes 2.3 miles from Pipeline to Waimea.
The first two races this year had well over 500 swimmers each, while the last two had over 300 (despite tropical storm Fausto making the last extra mile “fun”).
I do not consider myself a distance swimmer by any means, but since my current heart condition prevents me from doing HIIT workouts, long and steady is still a good option. Having had two cardiac ablations and having my right shoulder replaced (yes, I am now bionic) in 2023, I view every race I can enter a blessing.
My goal has always been to place in the top half of my age group in each series swim over the last four years, and I’ve almost always achieved that.
This summer I started the series with a fifth out of 17, followed by a fourth of 18. I was properly “chuffed” at that point, but it was about to get better.
In the third race, I made my first podium finish in my 19th NSSS event, placing third of 13. More importantly, I moved into second place in the Grand Prix standings. I held that spot with a second out of 10 finish in the last race.
Winning two medals and earning a very nice glass plaque for the series far exceeded my expectations. I know I’m not a top-shelf ocean swimmer, BUT I was there at the starting line every time!
Even though I’ll be in the “stink hole” of my age group next year, I’ll be there with a few hundred of my best friends for each swim. I may never medal again, but that’s okay. Besides, there’s always a pretty good chance of seeing honu (green sea turtles), eagle rays, dolphins, and monk seals.
