'It's become a monster'

SANDPOINT — “It’s become a monster,” said race organizer Eric Ridgway, who 15 years ago came up with the idea to swim the 1.76 mile span of Lake Pend Oreille alongside the Long Bridge in Sandpoint.

And a damn good monster, at that.

More than 700 swimmers took part in the 15th Annual Long Bridge Swim, which once again broke an attendance record as word of the unique, 1.76 mile open water swim continues to spread.

Thousands of people lined the Long Bridge, making the most of the idyllic conditions and utilizing the one-of-a-kind vantage point to cheer on friends and family shredding up the water directly below.

For the second consecutive year, Spokane’s Kalen Darling, 21, was the first swimmer to hit the hot sand of Dog Beach. The former University of Hawaii swimmer, who recently transferred to Whitworth University, finished in 35 minutes and 25 seconds, more than a minute ahead of the field.

“It was an exciting pace at the beginning,” he said, fully aware of a group of junior national swimmers gunning for a win. “I thought they’d give me a run for my money. My strategy was to out-sprint them from the beginning.”

Youth was more than served this year, as the next five finishers ranged in age from 13-17 years-old, including fifth place finisher Emri Moore, 15, who was the top female finisher at just over 38 minutes. The swimmer from Colbert was part of a strong youth contingent from the Spokane Swimming Club, and also part of a burgeoning swim scene in the Inland Northwest.

Bryce Kananowicz, a 13 year-old member of the Coeur d’Alene area swim team who recently won the Steve Omi Swim in Coeur d’Alene, finished in fifth place. Still dripping with both sweat and water after the race, he expressed how happy he was to just be on the water.

“I love swimming; it’s my favorite thing to do,” he said. “The feel of the water and how fast you’re going is amazing; it feels like nothing else.”

Coeur d’Alene’s Daniel Cooper (7th), Sandpoint’s Chris Mann (12th), Coeur d’Alene’s Travis Griffard (17th) and Hayden’s Gus Koch (20th) rounded out the top local finishers.

Alas, the beauty of the Long Bridge Swim is that for every elite swimmer leaving a wake, there are three or four others just out to finish and have a great time. Many use fins, snorkels and a variety of flotation devices, merely hoping to accomplish something fun.

“It’s great to see more kids and families doing it,” said Ridgway, noting a family of 12 was the largest he had seen. “Happy, friendly people, and not just the swimmers. The family friends, spectators, volunteers; everyone is upbeat.”

The Sandpoint Police, National Guard, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Coast Guard Auxiliary and Boy Scouts were just some of the groups on hand helping make the event run smoothly, to say nothing of the scores of volunteers doing an assortment of tasks.

As hundreds of swimmers milled about the finish line, munching on the ice cream cones rewarded to each finisher, still hundreds more were on the water, hoping to beat the 2.5 hour time limit. Laughter and banter was everywhere as swimmers recounted their journey. One of them was Russ LeSage, of Spokane, who had just finished his eighth Long Bridge Swim.

“They really keep it fun,” he said of why he keeps coming back. “Eric (Ridgway) does a great job of keeping everybody enthusiastic.”

Complete results can be found next week by visiting “www.longbridgeswim.com.”

TOP 20 FINISHERS

1, Kalen Darling, 21, Spokane, 35.25. 2, Jordan Ray, 13, Spokane, 36.38. 3, Alexander Martinek, 17, Spokane, 36.38. 4, Coleman Allen, 16, Spokane, 37.01. 5, Bryce Kamanowicz, 13, Liberty Lake, 37.43. 6, Emri Moore, 15, Colbert, 38.03. 7, Daniel Cooper, 21, Coeur d’Alene, 38.33. 8, Donald Moravek, 44, Spokane, 39.26. 9, Alex Petrie, 20, Spokane, 39.40. 10, Larry Krauser, 56, Spokane, 40.07. 11, Michael Lowwstein, 18, 40.14. 12, Chris Mann, 15, Sandpoint, 40.17. 13, Susanne Simpson, 49, Spokane, 40.19. 14, Bob Schlemmer, 49, Seattle, 40.27. 15, Annie Warner, 29, 40.53. 16, Bryan Buck, 47, Irvine, 40.55. 17, Travis Frifard, 15, Coeur d’Alene, 40.55. 18, Cliff Cullings, 39, Spokane, 40.57. 19, Chris Sowers, 13, Cheney, 41.21. 20, Gus Koch, 14, Hayden, 41.22.