Orono High School freshman Sig Muller and Will Brenton finished in first and second place, respectively, of 18-and-under males on the morning of Sept. 7 in the Fifth Annual One and Two Mile Open Water Swim in Lake Minnetonka during Wayzata’s James J. Hill Days.

Muller and Brenton competed in the one mile race with times of 29.27 and 29.56, and finished tenth and eleventh of all male participants, respectively.

The event included over one hundred USA Swimming or USMS registered swimmers.  The one mile race course started at the Wayzata Beach, where participants then swam in the direction of Spirit Island, rounded a buoy, and then swam back to the beach.

Like a triathlon, the participants entered the water all at once from the beach.  The race officials progressively counted down from two minutes.  The race start was signaled by a whistle blow.

Initially, the race was “really crammed and everyone was fighting to swim on top of each other to pull ahead of the pack,” Muller said.

Once past the other swimmers, however, the challenge became “staying on track and trying to overcome the current,” said Brenton

Similarly, “the seaweed and waves made it [the swim] really difficult” Muller said.

To be easily identified by race officials and potential boats, Brenton and Muller wore bright, yellow swim caps.  All participants were patrolled by kayakers to ensure swimmers’ safety.

After swimming for the Wayzata Country Club swim team during the summer, the boys were prepared for the mile-long swim.  The two also participated in the Orono-Mound Westonka Boys Swim and Dive team in the winter.

Despite finishing at the top of the 18-and-under male age group, “the best part [of the event] was eating after the race” Muller said.

Margeaux Dittrich is the Editor-in-Chief – Content for The Spartan Speaks.