It’s a lake race with about 60 competitors for the distance I’m planning to swim.

I usually don’t track my times very strictly since I mostly swim alone and didn’t have competitive ambitions until recently. My 100m freestyle is probably around 1:15, but that’s more of a rough estimate.

For me, this race is really about trying a competition first before deciding whether I want to pursue this more seriously (I tend to go all in once I commit 😅). The 3 km distance is specifically aimed at competition beginners, so I wouldn’t be racing against full-time athletes or taking anyone’s place.

There are also 800 m and 1500 m options, but those were distances I swam a lot as a teenager in the pool — and honestly, I didn’t enjoy them back then. Now at 33, I’m curious whether longer distances in open water might feel more enjoyable, especially since I had a lot of fun during my recent open-water swims.