Athletic event organizers for weekend warriors tipped their toe in the water on Saturday, July 18, with the the Andy-Rooney One Mile Open Ocean Swim in Sea Bright. It was the first open ocean swim of the spring or summer at the Jersey Shore and the first non-virtual athletic event since March.
With the Governor increasing the size of outdoor gatherings to 500 people earlier this month, races can be held outdoors, although many events traditionally held in July, August and September were cancelled or re-scheduled for 2021.
The swim featured about 200 swimmers of all ages. To help prevent crowding, the swimmers were split in three groups with staggered start times. Because each swimmer was individually timed, there wasn't an advantage of being in the first group, unless for bragging rights. The Andy-Rooney swim honors the former Sea Bright mayor who started the first ever open ocean mile swim on the Jersey Shore in 1985. The race was re-started in 2015 and has been a fixture of the Jersey Shore swim circuit.
See video of the start and more photos below, courtesy of John Parker.
Two more ocean swims are set for the next few weeks. The Manasquan Ocean Mile Swim on July 26 is still open for registration with about 50 slots available. The Spring Lake Ocean Mile, which was postponed because of Hurricane Faye, is set for August 1 and is almost sold out. For more information and to register, go to splitsecondracing.net
As for running races, the Wildwood Crest 5K is schedule for August 8 and the Marine Corps Run for Freedom in Freehold for August 22.
For running races on the northern part of the Shore, check out the Jersey Shore Running Club calendar and for races in the Southern part of the state, go to NJShoreRun.com
Get more tips and info about Jersey Shore attractions, historic sites, entertainment, sports and shopping with the new book, 100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore available for purchase here.
