Clubmates tell tales from Escape

Sixty-two people swam, records were broken, and three were the beneficiaries of an inter-island tow from a legless coach, but stories from the 4th Annual Escape From Managaha continued to filter in from a pair of open-water rookies.

The Pacific Islands Club boasts some of the most highly trained and skilled lifesavers on Saipan, and Clubmates Victoria Riordan and Robbie Johnston changed their weekend plans to challenge the longest swims of their lives.

While Saipan Swim Club head coach Michael Stewart was towing a three-passenger kayak loaded with Tuyet Nguyen, youngster Maxie Braig, and Saipan’s Cleopatra, Bobbi Grizzard, the duo was still wondering about what they had gotten themselves into.

Even before she got off the boat, Riordan said that she had to overcome a mental obstacle to the swim

“I psyched myself out because everybody looked like they were good swimmers and everybody looked like they had been practicing, and some of those people who still looked like they were in good shape were bringing fins. I was just prepared to get clobbered and that they were going to leave me behind,” she said.

Prior to the start of the swim Riordan even thought that there would be a chance that she would not be able to complete the voyage to Saipan, but that all changed once she took the plunge.

“I was really afraid that [the Escape officials] were going to pick me up. I was like ‘Please just let me finish.’ I was on a full out psyche out trip but then it was alright,” she said.

Johnston had some worries as well but said that he overcame his fear of long-distance swims like the Escape this weekend because he knew that he would be among friends.

“I used to swim in high school but was a sprinter and was terrified of swims like this. I was still terrified (on Saturday morning) but Victoria was big on it and I had never been to Managaha so I thought what a good way to do it,” he said.

Both had their unique challenges along the way, but Riordan got her scare early on.

“It was good. At first I was really scared though because I was swimming all by myself in the beginning and everyone was talking about sharks before we started, so the whole time I was looking around. I was really scared but then I found a pack to swim with and then I was alright,” she said.

Johnston had a little different experience as he spent the majority of his energy midway through the swim when he mistakenly thought that that large orange buoy in the middle of the channel was the finish line. After the swim he could barely raise his arms.

“I am tired. I can only raise my arms this far and I’m not joking. I was in a dead sprint, kicking as hard as I could, and was like flying. Then I popped up and the end was like hundreds of yards away,” he said.

Once they reached the waiting sands of Micro Beach, the Clubmates said that all of the time that they spent worrying about the Escape was time wasted and that they would recommend the challenge to anyone.

“Yeah, I was surprised that there weren’t more people who didn’t look like they swam,” said Riordan.

Johnston said that he thinks that more swimmers would make it out to Managaha for their one-way swim if they knew that the task was easier than advertised.

“I think it’s intimidating because it’s a freakishly long swim and a lot of people can pull it off. I mean, you can finish. There would probably be more people if people weren’t psyched out by the distance but I don’t think that you have to be psyched out,” he said.