500 Top Swimmers Expected for 15K Race
The first national swimming championship in Southern California since the 1984 Olympics is scheduled for today in the surf off Newport Beach.
The 15K National Open Water Championship Race will pit members of the U.S. national team against their peers from New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela as well as local teams including the Mission Viejo Nadadores, the Irvine Novas and the SOCAL Competitive Aquatics Club.
The 9-mile race will start at 7 a.m. and run from the north side of Newport Pier to 56th Street, south to the Wedge and back north to the pier.
More than 500 competitors are expected to swim in the event, which will determine the men’s and women’s national champions, as well as serve as a world championship qualifying race.
The day’s events also will include two shorter races, running the two miles from Balboa Pier to Newport Pier.
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