USMS 2010 One Mile Open Water National Championship

Let the USMS Open Water National Championship season begin!

On May 29th, beautiful Gar Creek at Latta Plantation will be the host of this year's USMS One Mile Open Water National Championship. Gar Creek is a cove nestled off magnificent Lake Norman, a 34-mile long lake with 520 miles of shoreline. The lake offers fairly smooth water and inviting conditions for first-timers intrigued with the idea of an open water swim. The water temperature hovers around 78 degrees. After the USMS National Championship event, a second open water swim race for the open division will be held on the same triangular course.

Latta Plantation is just a few miles north of uptown Charlotte and a few miles west of Huntersville, N.C., yet offers a tranquil setting. Interstate 77 serves both these cities and the race venue is just west of it. Event hotels are conveniently located. If you would like to refuel lakeside following your race, the restaurants on Lake Norman have outside patios with beautiful lake views. Picnic benches abound in the wooded areas surrounding the parking lot, and the Carolina Raptor Center, a birds of prey conservation center, is located less than a mile away. On race day there will be live raptor presentations at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.

The Charlotte area has a long history of NASCAR racing. The NASCAR Hall of Fame has just been completed and is located one block from the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, where many Masters swim meets have been held. The racing circuit comes to the Lowe’s Motor Speedway between Charlotte and Concord, N.C., less than 15 miles away, for two weeks, culminating with the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 30, the day after the One-Mile Championship. Traffic control by the N.C. Highway Patrol is prevalent in that area during race week.

Online registration will be open until Sunday, May 23rd. We hope to see y'all there!