2022 Athlete Guide
2022 Athlete Guide
Welcome and Introduction
Welcome to the Maryland Freedom Swim, born out of the enthusiasm and growing passion for Open Water Swimming. TCR Event Management brings you this unique, beautiful, and wild experience with the support of our volunteers, Maryland Parks Service, Dorchester County Visitor’s Center, Talbot County, and the City of Cambridge; we hope you enjoy this day!
The Maryland Freedom Swim is set to give our swimming community an opportunity to safely cross a body of water (Choptank River) that is not your traditional swim! We are excited to be able to offer you the ability to see a side of the Choptank River Bridges that you haven’t had seen before.
In order to do this, and to do it safely, we want to present to you this Athlete’s Guide. Though we may not answer all of your questions, we hope this will alleviate some of them. Please feel free to reach out on our Facebook event page or email info@tcreventmanagement.com with your questions.
The number one question we are asked is “What is the water temperature?”. There is a NOAA Buoy right next to the course that can be accessed at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=camm2
We will be supplying Water, Gatorade, and some to-go boxes with snacks for after the event
AWARDS
THIS EVENT IS NOT WETSUIT MANDATORY!!!!
Please note that there are no separate awards categories between wetsuit and non-wetsuit. Your choice of use will not make a difference in your placing.
Awards will be based of overall times and given to:
Overall Male Winner (1st Place ONLY)
Overall Female Winner (1st Place ONLY)
Age Group (1st, 2nd, 3rd) is 19 and Under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+ for both Men and Women
*Please note for overall times, someone in a later wave may have a faster gun time so awards will be determined at the conclusion of all swimmers.
Timeline
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Pre-race check-in
945 AM Swimmer pre-race safety meeting (mandatory)
10:10 AM – 10:30 AM Shuttles to starting line
10:30 AM Start of self seeded swim waves
Swimmers will enter in groups of 6, every 10 seconds
12:30 PM Post-event activities begin/AWARD
Parking Instructions and map
There is limited parking at the venue, and most other parking will be in the surrounding neighborhoods. We also have overflow parking at the old hospital, next door.
THERE IS NO PARKING ON THE GRASS FIELDS ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY!!!
Dorchester Visitors Center overview
After Parking athletes should report to the LARGE SAIL at the Dorchester Visitor Center for packet pickup.
Athletes will take a shuttle from near the LARGE SAIL after packet pickup. Shuttles will be queued up and will take you over to the swim start area.
NO SPECTATORS WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE SHUTTLE BUSES. SPECTATORS ARE ASKED TO STAY ON THE DORCHESTER COUNTY SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.
Due to structural damage to the pedestrian bridges, there is NO ACCESS to the pedestrian bridges this year. All spectators should stay on the Dorchester County Visitor Center property.
Packet Pickup
Athletes will be given a timing band to place on their ankle. All athletes MUST wear the timing band for the entirety of the race. These bands will be collected at the end of the race. Failure to return the strap can lead to the replacement cost of the timing chip (approximately $100) to be charged to the athlete
Personal Flotation Devices
Personal flotation devices ARE allowed for use during the swim. We ask that these be the inflatable devices, with short tethers, so that they do not interfere with other swimmers. Should you have a question if you can use a device, please reach out to us.
SNORKELS, SWIM FINS, HAND PADDLES STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!!!
START AND FINISH
The start will be from the beach area. All athletes will run in to the water, 6 at a time, and then the next group of 6 will enter (about 10 seconds later). Athletes will be accounted for before entering the water on the Talbot County side.
THERE WILL BE NO PORTOJONS AT THE START AREA. There WILL be cups of water at the start area.
The finish is just outside of the water line at the Dorchester Visitor Center. Athletes MUST cross over the finish mat to receive their time. All athletes must be accounted for before the termination of the race!!!
DROP BAGS
Each athlete will be given a clear bag with their number on it to take to the start area. Athletes will place their numbered bag in an appropriate bin over in the Start area, which will then be brought back to the finish line for pickup. You MAY put keys, ID, phones (probably smart to put that in a case) and anything else you like, as long as it fits in a 18 x 18 bag.
Cut offs – Strictly Enforced!!!
Main Channel crossed (1.0 miles in an hour) by 1130
Course limit 1230 (2 hrs from final start time)
Don’ts resulting in DQ’s
Don’t swim under bridges except at designated entrance and exit
Don’t touch bridge structures
Don’t swim outside the bridges
Do’s
Do use a kayak to rest if needed (it is okay if you drift under structure while resting with Kayak volunteer)
Do ask for water and/or gels from kayak support if needed
Do pace yourself and have fun
Spectators
Spectators are asked to stay on the Dorchester County side of the Choptank River Bridge.
There are no parking spots for spectators on the Talbot County side.
The pedestrian bridge has been deemed unsafe and is closed. All spectators should wait for their swimmers at the Dorchester County Visitor Center.
Weather and Safety
Swimming can be a dangerous sport and we take the safety of our swimmers as our highest priority. This should be apparent by the need for the proof of being able to swim the 1 mile distance within 1 hour or by showing proof of Open Water Swim ability.
If there is lightning seen or thunder heard in the area of the race, we will be able to have ONE delay of 30 minutes. This time is the accepted time limit from most sanctioning bodies for inclement weather. Please keep in mind that there are other events going on in the Choptank River on Sunday and we only have a limited window with the US Coast Guard being able to close the river.
If weather is a factor from wind/chop, the safety of the swimmers, as well as the VOLUNTEERS will be taken in to account. The Race Director will convene with other committee members and members of Emergency Management and the US Coast Guard and a decision will be made based on the safety of all participants. With rain in the forecast over the next few days, we are closely monitoring the water quality.
If the swim is cancelled for any reason, there is a NO REFUND policy that has always been on the registration portal. We appreciate your understanding if something were to occur that would prevent the swim from occurring.
BENEFICIARIES
A portion of the net proceeds from this event will go towards the ShoreRivers organization is a clean water voice for Maryland's Eastern Shore and home to the Chester, Choptank, Miles-Wye, and Sassafras Riverkeepers.
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
