Swim The Loop starts and finishes at the Dockside Restaurant, which is located on Airlie Road (Wilmington side of the Intracoastal Waterway). The race will start at high tide to ensure an even tide pattern throughout the 3.5-mile swim. Don’t be fooled though; there will be times of slight incoming tide, slight falling tide and a mostly slack tide.
Mott’s Channel Sprint starts at the Blockade Runner Resort, located on Wrightsville Beach, and finishes across the Intracoastal at the Dockside Restaurant on Airlie Road. The course is approximately 1.3 miles long and is a point to point swim. The race will start at a high tide (based off of the Masonboro Inlet tide chart) to try and ensure a slight incoming to slack tide throughout the 1.3-mile swim.
Swim The Loop and Mott’s Channel Sprint will be a part of the Carolina Swim Series again this year. The Carolina Swim Series consists of now SEVEN open water swims in the greater Wilmington area.
RACE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
Packet pick-up
4:00-7:30 pm at Dockside Restaurant
Pre-Race Meeting
Athletes must attend a pre-race meeting. These are mandatory, but you only need to attend one.
SWIM THE LOOP 3.5 – 5:00pm and 6:00pm
MOTT’S CHANNEL SPRINT 1.3 – 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
Both MOTT’S CHANNEL SPRINT and SWIM THE LOOP 7:00 am – SUNDAY AT DOCKSIDE
SUNDAY
Packet pick-up
6:00am-7:15am at Dockside Restaurant
Body marking
6:00am-7:15am. Your swim cap and arms must be marked with your race number. This number must be bold and large.
Mott’s Channel Sprint SHUTTLE to START (Blockade Runner)
6:45-7:45 am. PAID meters start at 9:00 am if you choose to park at the start. The fee is $2.65 an hour.
Final Pre-Race Meeting
Both MOTT’S CHANNEL SPRINT and SWIM THE LOOP 7:00 AM
THE RACE WILL START AT 8:00 AM
At the start, everyone must cross over the timing mats before entering the water (Swim The Loop) or a mass start (Mott’s Channel Sprint). At either start let the more competitive swimmers start up front. If you wait 10-30 seconds at the start, you will have plenty of room and won’t have to worry about contact with another swimmer. At 11:00 am you must be finished with the swim course. If you do not make the time cut-off you will be pulled from the water and be brought back to Dockside.
