Hallstättersee 5K Race Report
The Hallstättersee 5K was the race I was most looking forward to this year. I raced it last summer with a stretch goal of breaking 1:30 - I didn’t quite make it so was giving it another shot. Last year the water was about 16°C and it did not STOP RAINING - the entire lido was flooded, but that didn’t stop the locals to come out in mass to support. That’s why I can’t recommend this open water race enough. Even in miserable weather, this race is a GEM.
This year we got endless sunshine and blue skies with a water temp right about 18 degrees celsius. The race is held near Bad Goisern, Austria, and isn’t a big commercial race - the town puts the event on, and it feels like the whole community gets involved. The night before there's a pasta dinner for racers and their families/supporters. Local families man the grill all day (with sides of homemade coleslaw, potato salad and fresh horseradish!), and bake sweet treats. On race day there are kids are jumping off the dock at the lido, there's music, and everyone makes a day out of the event. This year there were three distances - a 2K, a 5K, and the 7K lake crossing - so whether you're an experienced open water swimmer or just getting started, there's an event for you. And every year the local Schwimmmeister is standing at the finish greeting every swimmer as they come out of the water.
Going into the race, I wasn’t feeling great about my training. Last year I was coming off the 14km at Lago di Orta so wasn’t concerned about swimming a 5km. This year I was deliberately training for the 5km distance and wasn’t see the speed translate the way I had hoped. To top that off I had been over confident in my paces since my watch was showing my end-of-workout paces in YARDS. UGH.
Coming off of my SwimTrek adventure in Milos, Greece I was hoping we might get to go skins, but with a watrer temp around 18 degrees, even though I mentally dabbled, I knew I had to go with my wetsuit. My nutrition plan was simple: one gel around halfway. I also debated whether to stop for water at the aid station. A few years ago I would have spent far too much mental energy trying to make the "perfect" decision. This time I decided I'd figure it out during the swim based on how I felt. (Who is this Jaime?!) I ended up taking the gel and swimming straight through.
I start to get nervous before the race, but then I reminded myself: I get to swim across this lake on a beautiful summer day with Jon and Ellie watching from shore. Cliche, but in wild professional growth, it felt genuine.
That's a pretty incredible thing.
I still wanted to swim well. I wanted to break 1:30. But I also wanted to enjoy the day. It is great if I crush my goals, but swimming is much bigger than that for me - it is my physical and mental health and the longevity of that health.
Last year I went out too hard, so this year I kept it much more moderate. I settled into a strong but conservative pace. One swimmer disappeared up the lake almost immediately. I knew I wasn't catching him. I spent the first couple of kilometers swimming alongside another woman before gradually pulling away.
I joked before the race that you don't really need to know where you're going unless you're leading. Well...I wasn't leading, but I was swimming in second by myself, and the actual leader was so far ahead that he was completely out of sight. Between that and the sun, I drifted off course a handful of times. Thankfully there was a woman in a purple kayak who got me pointed back in the right direction each time. (Thank you, purple kayak lady!)
Once I pulled away from the woman I'd been swimming with, I started getting in my own head a little. I was pretty sure I was in second overall, but did I miss a buoy? But then I decided, it is what it is, and thought of Rachel Entrekin Cocodona 250 mantra:
"Why not me?"
It wasn't about believing I deserved second place. It was more about trusting the race I was swimming whatever the result.
With about a kilometer left, I spotted another swimmer in a 5km cap off in the distance. He made me second guess my own line to the finish line, but I started building my effort, and with about 300 meters to go I decided I was emptying the tank whether it worked or not. This sort of ‘risk’ is GIGANTIC for me. I have been the most conservative, calculated racer ever. To go all out in that way, regardless of the result, is such progress for me mentally.
"Why not me?"
Looking back, that's one of the moments I'm proudest of. It wasn't really about beating him - it was about being willing to put myself out there and see what happened instead of saving a little bit just in case.
I crossed the line second overall, first woman, and first in my age group, about thirty seconds in front of the other white cap I out-sprinted. Ellie got to run across the finish line with me, and when all the racers were finished across all the distances, the organizers handed out these cool handmade wooden trophies that perfectly fit the feel of the race.
The result is fantastic, but more than anything, I am proud of my mental progress. I enjoyed the race, I was present and I was confident enough in myself to take some risk and stop second guessing.
If Hallstättersee isn't already on your race calendar, I 100% recommend it. Whether you're chasing a podium, trying your first longer open water race, or just looking for one of the friendliest race weekends I've been part of, it's well worth the trip.