In an event of unprecedented hype and magnitude, ten of KAUST’s fiercest athletes took to the open waters in the first annual Bay to Beacon 1K swim at 9am this morning. Followed closely by Coastlines Search and Rescue and members of the undercover KAUST Security team, the event was a huge success.
With calm waters and high spirits, all ten swimmers took to the sea, not knowing what hurdles lay ahead.
Nearly two-thirds into the race, four of the swimmers were forced to exit due to deceivingly warm water temperatures; and just moments later, the remaining swimmers received an onslaught of advice and proper insight from the undercover KAUST Security team, warning them of jellyfish and the foul taste of saltwater. Heeding their warning, the six remaining swimmers courageously pushed forward towards the Beacon (of knowledge).
Upon arrival, the six finishers were greeted by the Search and Rescue boat, only to be escorted to the Yacht Club for celebratory Aquafinas and a formal congrats from the KAUST Security shift manager (signatures and photos all around).
Back on the mainland, there have been talks of making the swim part of the first KAUST sprint triathlon, or maybe just a hazing ritual for new coming students… either way, next year’s Bay to Beacon is sure to bring more excitement and vigor to the KAUST daily grind.
(Please kindly note that the actual events that transpired during the second half of the swim were given a ‘happy ending’ by myself to bring light to the ludicrous fact that swimming in the KAUST Bay is supposedly illegal; as we were rudely made aware of by KAUST Security this morning in our interrupted efforts to sneak in some fun, healthy exercise…but the happy ending sounded better didn’t it?)
