There’s something about the view — when you roll onto your back and see the vast underside of the Chesapeake Bay bridges — that keeps Dr. Cyrus Hamidi competing in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim every year.
“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” said Hamidi, returning today for his 10th annual 4.4-mile swim across the Bay. “It’s a great experience.”
Hamidi, a 48-year-old family medical doctor from Sparks, Md., said he began swimming the race the year he turned 40.
“I figured this is a really good way for me to get in shape every year,” he said. “I hate open-water swimming and I don’t like cold water. And I’m going to be the first person ever eaten by the Chesapeake Bay monster. And there are gnarly things in there that you touch — but I love it,” he said.
Hamidi trains by swimming 3.5 miles three times a week, lifting weights and practicing tai chi.
Hamidi is one of dozens of swimmers who return to Sandy Point State Park year after year to compete in the swim. He is one of 22 swimmers who will be eligible for the 10-year race completion award this year.
Another 10-year veteran, John P. Shewell, 45, hopes to place in the top 10 this year.
“I get cramps in my legs and feet sometimes, and every once and a while, I think about dropping out,” he said. To motivate himself, he “gets some songs going through [his] head.” Rock ’n’ roll is the usual genre of choice.
Eight swimmers are eligible for the 15-year completion award, and one swimmer — Brian J. Earley — is up for the 20-year award.
Earley, 48, the first swimmer on record to cross the Chesapeake Bay, said balancing Bay Swim training with his work schedule was always a challenge.
“Everyone from 15 to 70 years old — you have to sacrifice to make it across the Chesapeake.”
