Grimaldo’s Mile 2023

Registration will open on March 31!

This is the quintessential NYC open water 1 mile swim.

This swim honors the lifeguard Grimaldo Medrano who made it possible for NYC open water swimmers to swim past the jetties without being whistled in by the lifeguards. Grimaldo’s loyal confidence and acceptance of us open water swimmers made it possible for us all to swim today in what we think is the perfect training grounds. Unfortunately cancer took him from us when he was only 34. This swim honors and recognizes his life and commitment to our community. We thank him for all he did for us.

This is the perfect “newbie” race, for the beginner racer or triathlete whether they’ve experienced open water before or not. Conditions are usually gentle due to the geographically protected waters of Brighton Beach and Coney Island. You swim parallel to shore so if you have any doubts you can easily swim to shore, find a volunteer or race official, and hand in you race chip and say, “today just wasn’t my day, maybe next time.” That being said, it is also the perfect race to challenge your favorite competitors and there is talk about having a special wave for teams that want to show how well they have trained this year – which team will have the best showing: Brooklyn Tri, TNYA, Redtide, Bearcats, AGUA, or Cooper Union?

Practice your beach starts and your sighting before the race, but after the race invite your friends to join you in taking advantage of Amusements, Games, and Dining that Coney Island and Brighton Beach can offer you.

This race has been be limited to 150 entrants.

Entries are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Location

Registration will be in the boardwalk pavilion opposite of New York Aquarium’s Education Hall. Please refer to the Venue section at the bottom of this page for more details and a photo of what to look for.

Timeline (subject to change)

6:00 am  – Swimmer check-in opens. Meet at the pavilion on the boardwalk outside of Education Hall. Masks will be provided.
6:45 am – Check-in closes. Any swimmer not registered by 6:45 will not be allowed to participate. This is a hard limit. Please give yourself plenty of travel time and arrive well in advance.
6:45 am – Mandatory swimmer safety briefing. Any swimmer who does not attend the swimmer safety briefing will not be allowed to participate.
7:00 am – Swimmers walk as a group to race start at Grimaldo’s Chair, about 0.75 miles down the beach
7:30 am – Race starts! We will continuously launch small waves of swimmers, roughly seeded from fastest to slowest. Social distancing will be maintained on the beach as swimmers prepare for entry. Masks can be discarded at a disposal point before entry.
9:15 am – Course closes. Any remaining swimmers will be asked to exit the water. Social distancing will be maintained on the beach as swimmers exit the water. Masks will be provided upon exit from the water.
9:15 am – Awards Ceremony and Honoring Grimaldo’s Family. Please stick around for a very short ceremony to give our gratitude and love to Grimaldo’s mother.

Race Timing

Swimmers will be given timing chips to velcro to their ankles. A $30 fee will be charged for unreturned chips. Timing starts upon crossing the starting mat before entering the water, and stops upon crossing the finishing mat after exiting the water. You are competing for your own personal time — the swimmer next to you may have started at a different time, so please focus on your own personal effort. Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that all swimmers keep a respectful distance from each other in the water. Any swimmer aggressively swimming on top of another competitor is subject to disqualification.

Parking

Parking will be limited, because we are unable to use the lot behind Education Hall.

Feel free to use street parking, or park at the lot on Stillwell Avenue by the boardwalk. We recommend using the subway, but please allow extra travel time as there will be limited train service at this early hour on the weekend.

Restrooms

Because of pandemic protocol, our usual venue for restrooms cannot provide access. The Parks and Recreation Department will open public restrooms on the Boardwalk as early as 7am, but we cannot guarantee a prompt opening. Please plan accordingly.

Swim Angels

If this is the first time you are racing, or if you’re getting butterflies and just want some extra support, we will have trained “swim angels” swimming among you during the race and watching over you. CIBBOWS swim angels are experienced open water swimmers who know CPR and first aid, and promise not to leave your side in the ocean!

Securing Your Gear

Plastic bags and limited bag check will be available. If you have more than one medium-sized swim bag, please make arrangements for a friend or family member to watch your stuff. CIBBOWS is not responsible for items left on the beach.

Food and Water

Because of COVID-19 protocol, CIBBOWS will be providing bananas and oranges after the race (fruit with peels). Although we don’t usually encourage the use of plastic, individual water bottles will be provided to swimmers as they exit the race. Please bring any extra pre-race fuel or post-race recovery food you need to the race, as catering cannot be provided this year.

Special Accommodation

CIBBOWS is happy to provide reasonable accommodation to any participants requiring special assistance. Please reach out to race@cibbows.org with your request before registration and we will be in touch.