Hyde Park serpentine hosts Olympic swim test
London Olympic organisers will unveil another picturesque course for the 2012 Games this weekend when the test event program moves on to a 10-kilometre marathon swim in Hyde Park's Serpentine.
Just days after spectators got their first look at beach volleyball at historic Horse Guards Parade, a strong field including world champion Spyridon Gianniotis will take to the water of the 281-year-old artificial lake in an event open to the public.
Surrounded on all sides by the greenery of the 350-acre Hyde Park, the Serpentine already hosted part of last weekend's triathlon test event.
But Saturday's men's and women's races take a different route, lapping the eastern part of the serpent-shaped lake six times.
"The location is perfect," Australian swimmer Ky Hurst said. "I always thought, if you could pick a venue anywhere in the world for an Olympic event, this would be it. It's beautiful."
Despite the cancellation of two international football matches and one in the Premier League following the rioting and looting that hit London over the past week, the marathon swim event is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
"It's been a difficult week for the U.K.," London 2012 Head of Sport Competition David Luckes said. "We're working very closely with the security services to make sure the safety and security of the athletes is paramount - and also the safety and security of anyone coming to watch."
Spectators will still be welcome to turn up and watch for free from the banks of the lake.
"It'll be lined with people," Hurst said. "It's spectator friendly and that's what our sport needs. Open-water swimming can be quite isolating from a spectator point of view. It's quite hard to follow.
"But here it's not far from one side to the other, so it's ideal."
The water temperature was recorded at 19.7 degrees Celsius (67 Fahrenheit) on Thursday and is expected to be similar Saturday: chilly compared to the 31 degrees (88 Fahrenheit) many of the athletes experienced at the recent world championships in Shanghai.
But that is still well above the 17-degree minimum (63 Fahrenheit) specified for the event and Hurst said only the wind whipping across the park caused any discomfort.
"It's ideal," Hurst said. "The colder the water and the colder the air, the harder you can swim. I love the hot weather but all my best results have been in cold conditions. Maybe I just want to get out of the water fast."
It's hardly surprising that the athletes enjoy it so much.
The Serpentine - created at the behest of Queen Caroline in 1730 by damming the now-underground River Westbourne - has a long history of competitive swimming.
The lake has hosted a 100-yard race every Christmas Day morning since 1864, a contest renamed the Peter Pan Cup in 1904 when children's author JM Barrie presented a trophy to the winner.
And conditions for the event - and next year's Olympics - look good so far.
The water is at least 1.75 metres (1.91 yards) deep - and deeper still at the start and finish - and the water is clear after an algae bloom on the water in July died.
"There's a few swans and ducks on the lake but that's what makes marathon swimming exciting," London 2012 Aquatics Manager Charlotte O'Neill said. "Otherwise we'd do it in the pool."
Since every course is difference, there are no world records in marathon swimming. But the London Olympics will introduce timing to the event to help interest spectators and offer them context during the race.
"It enhances the experience for spectators," O'Neill said. "As athletes come around, we can get lap times and split times so you get a lot more data and information."
That information will be displayed on video screens and scoreboards, which will be tested out Saturday.
Organizers will also be taking feedback from athletes and coaches on detail such as the location and color of buoys, and where to put boats. They anticipate only minor changes before the 2012 Games.
"The athletes and the coaches have seen the course and they're very happy with it," O'Neill said. "I don't want to appear overconfident but we feel we've done all we can to gather information. We've done depth studies we've had divers out on the lake.
"Our technical operations manager even swims in the lake every morning."
With high-class Knightsbridge and Harrods department store just a short walk from Hyde Park, organisers are hoping for a big turnout Saturday and at the Olympics.
"Marathon swimming events have typically taken place away from the hub of the action away from the city on the coast. In Beijing, it was about 50 minutes away from the Olympic Park," O'Neill said. "So we're so excited that we're actually bringing marathon swimming to the heart of the city."