Vesna Shelnutt Wins 3rd Annual 15.5 km Trans Tahoe Solo – Ultramarathon Swim Series
Surprisingly warm waters for stage 1 of the Ultramarathon Swim Series
For the third consecutive year, WOWSA has partnered with the Olympic Club to offer a solo division in the historic Trans Tahoe Relay to serve as the first stage of the Ultramarathon Swim Series.
The first year of the solo division, David Heron shocked veterans of the race by beating all of the relay teams and breaking the solo course record in a time of 3:28. Last year Becca Mann beat all but two relay teams to win the solo division in a time of 3:57.
This year Vesna Shelnutt of Atlanta, Georgia dominated the solo field to capture gold in a time of 4:11.14. Fresh off her national championship 10k victory at Lake Del Valle, and sporting a stress fracture that caused her to limp across the finish line, Vesna explains how the 15.5 km race unfolded.
The lake water this year provided record warm temperatures hovering around 20°C/ 70°F. This year’s field consisted of several first time marathon swimmers as well as triathletes looking to test their endurance in the iconic setting with the beautiful backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
James Ramirez-Crippen, married to the sister of the late open water swimmer Fran Crippen, won the men’s division in a time of 4:44.34. Having swum the race solo in 2020 when his relay team dropped out, Ramirez-Crippen succeeded in making his solo swim official.
James Vance, from West Palm Beach was the third overall finisher in a time of 5:21.17. Vance is an ironman triathlete who was eager to test his mettle in his first marathon swim. Vance wore a wetsuit placing his swim in a separate category.
Pete Flemming finished second in the men’s skins division with a time of 5:22.04. Fleming is also an experienced Ironman triathlete who completed his first marathon swim in Lake Tahoe this weekend. Flemming swims in the San Francisco Bay with the South End Rowing Club and also for North Bay Aquatics Masters is Marin, California.
Hanna Born, an Air Force helicopter pilot from Alexandria, Virginia also completed her first marathon swim finishing second in the women’s division in a time of 5:57.26.
Nicholas Abusaid has completed Navy SEAL training and has a background in Ultra running but is brand new to open water swimming. He gave a heroic effort in his first marathon swim but just missed the 6 hour cutoff. Having just qualified for the race a month before with his first ever 10k ocean swim, Abusaid was not discouraged by his DNF and is eager to complete his first solo marathon swim soon.
The relay division provided an armada of 230 boats each with 6 swimmers rotating through 30 minute legs followed by 10 minute legs.
The open division saw another victory by the long time veterans team The Tahoe Eleven Milers, with Barton Wells, Heidi George, Thomas Lurz, Niklas Frach, Lea Boy and Henry Morrissey. Finishing in a time of 3:08.28, the team broke the all time course relay record.
Just behind them in a time of 3:21.54 was the second place finishers from the Olympic Club with a line up of Chad La Tourette, Allison Arnold, Andrew Cosgarea, PJ Ransford, Catherine Breed and Will Roberts.
| OVERALL | PARTICIPANT | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vesna Shelnutt (Female, #5) | 4:11:14 |
| 2 | James Ramirez-Crippen (Male, CA, #4) | 4:44:34 |
| 3 | James Vance (Male, FL, #6) Wetsuit | 5:21:17 |
| 4 | Pete Fleming (Male, CA, #3) | 5:21:53 |
| 5 | Hanna Born (Female, VA, #2) | 5:57:26 |
| 6 | Nicholas Abusaid (Male, CA, #1) | DNF |
