Fat Salmon here Saturday

Expect neighborhood parking to be impacted

The annual Fat Salmon Open Water Swim will be returning to Madison Park this weekend, brining hundreds of swimmers, kayakers, and spectators to the neighborhood Saturday morning.  Check-in for participants starts at 6:15 am and the first swimmers are expected to arrive at Madison Park Beach at around 9:15. The 3.2-mile race begins at the Day Street Boat Ramp, just north of I-90.  Following the Swim there's the awarding of the fat salmons, so expect the crowd to remain around the 'hood through late morning.  It's always a fun event.

This 'n that

Fat Salmon makes landfall

The 350 swimmers participating in the 14th Fat Salmon Open Water Swim arrived on Madison Park beach yesterday morning after successfully completing a cold swim (with or without wetsuits) over a 3.2-mile course which began at the I-90 floating bridge. Participants were required to be able to swim the distance in under two hours (laggards would be pulled from the water if they didn't accomplish that mission). The first swimmer from the first wave arrived in well under 90 minutes (that's her in the wetsuit above), and as far as we know no one had to be pulled. The event is sponsored by the Green Lake Aqua Ducks, and winners in each category were awarded (eventually, since there was a delay in determining the race results) a big fat salmon.

Sewage leak in Canterbury?

On Friday we posted a link on our Facebook page to a KIRO-TV story with the provocative heading "Sewer Detectives Search Madison Park for Sewage Leak." KIRO's photo (above) shows the vehicle of a Seattle Public Utilities team at 40th and E. McGraw that was investigating which residence, precisely, is responsible for an increase in fecal coliform in the Lake. The detected increase  is not sufficient to cause an immediate health hazard, the homeowner responsible will have to pay for repairs to the residence's connection to the sewer system.

There is no increase in fecal coliform levels at Madison Park beach, which is a long way from the suspected leak area (which has, according to KIRO, been pinpointed to a two-block radius of Canterbury).  As of Monday, King County was reporting fecal coliform levels of virtually zero at the Beach.  No worries.

Madison Park eatery a 'gem'

The current issue of Seattle Magazine has a nice little review of Madison Kitchen, which is described as a place with "seductive", "unexpectedly good" and "knockout" items on the menu. In what was an overall laudatory commentary, the only negative note was a ding at the "sometimes standoffish service."  Bottom line:  "It's worth it.  The place is a gem."

Fat Salmon lands at Madison Park Beach

It's annual ritual here for the swimmers of the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim to arrive on our shore sometime in mid-summer. This year marked the 13th anniversary edition of the race, which includes both a 3.2-mile and a 1.2-mile course. The first swimmer out of the water (that hardy soul without a full wetsuit above) was from the 3.2 mile race, with a time of 1:12 minutes, give or take a few seconds. The water temperature at the beach today was in the neighborhood of 68 degrees, though it was certainly lower than that over most the race course.

And yes, there really is a fat salmon payoff at the end for those swimmers who win their respective races. This is race director Liz Rosen getting up close and personal with one of the "trophies" last year:

[Lower photo courtesy of Fat Salmon.]

Upcoming events

Fat Salmon returns to the Park next month

It's an annual ritual: the summer arrival of the salmon to Madison Park. They come in ice chests, of course, and are the reward for swimming well done by the hundreds of participants in the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim, which this year occurs on Saturday, July 21. Registration is already full (all places were filled within four days of registration opening, a record). Those not actually swimming (or escorting swimmers in kayaks) can still enjoy the event by cheering on the teams as they arrive at Madison Park Beach. This is always a lively event for everyone--except the salmon.

Bastille Bash planned for Madison Valley

Madison Valley is leveraging its reputation as a French-themed business district by celebrating Bastille Day this year with a Bash on July 14.  There will be live music, food, wine tastings, giveaways and other festivities in honor of France's most important national holiday. The Bash this year will provide support for the Children's Response Center, a program of Harborview Hospital.

Bastille Bash wil begin at 3 and end at 8 p.m.


NW Sports Rehab holds open house Saturday

It's taken a bit longer than planned for the renovation of the space vacated by Spa del Lago (1929 43rd Avenue E.) to be completed, but NW Sports Rehab will be opening next week and hosting an open house this Saturday, June 23, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The new sign is up, the space is virtually complete, and everyone in Madison Park is invited to come down and check things out.

Swim for Life looking for swimmers

Another worthy annual event that calls Madison Park Beach the finish line each year is Swim for Life, which benefits the Puget Sound Blood Center.  Registration is still open for teams interested in swimming to support PSBC's Be the Match registry program. We will have more on this event as we get closer to the swim date, August 15.

An excellent day for Fat Salmon!

The weather really cooperated with the 12th Anniversary Fat Salmon Open Water Swim yesterday, which culminated at Madison Park beach.  Last year's event was cold cold cold, but substantially better conditions prevaled on the course this year. Here's the commentary from one of the swimmers, Kirk, concerning conditions on the course: "Perfect day for a race! Temps probably in the low 60s at race time. The water was a little choppier than I would have thought, but not bad. The cold water made competitors choose the wetsuit division by about a 3:1 ratio. I toughed it out and went without. Honestly, the water was cold, but it wasn't that bad. I did wear a neoprene cap and that probably helped somewhat."

Fat Salmon is actually two races, a 1.2-mile swim from Denny Blaine Park and a 3.2-mile swim from the area North of the I-90 Bridge.  We missed the Swim itself, but everyone seemed to be having a good time when we arrived for the awards ceremony featuring, naturally, several fat salmons.  This is Haleigh Werner, winner of the long-course wetsuit event, receiving hers:

[Photos by Barbara Nelson, courtesy of Kirk Nelson on Flickr.]

July happenings

Let's have a parade


Madison Park Days returns next week, beginning with the three-day Sidewalk Sale on Thursday, July 7 and ending with the Children's Parade and Picnic in the Park on Saturday, July 9.  The parade will get underway at noon, with the line-up starting at 11:45 in front of the Wells Fargo Bank branch parking lot.  As those who've attended in past years well know, you better be there on time because the route is short and the march---straight down Madison to the Park---is over quickly.

Children of all ages are encouraged to participate (in costume if so inclined) and to bring along their bikes, pets, and any older relatives who may still be young at heart.  The Picnic which immediately follows the Parade features pizza, hotdogs, beverages, and treats.  Madison Park Days is, as always, sponsored by the Madison Park Business Association.

Fat Salmon is back!

This is the 13th Anniversary year for the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim, a double race along the Lake Washington shoreline, ending at Madison Park Beach.  The straight-line races, to be held this year on Saturday, July 23, will be on a 3.2-mile course initiating at the Day Street Boat Ramp (by the I-90 bridge) and on a 1.2-mile course initiating at Denny-Blaine Park.  Registration for the event closes on July 19.

Although the earliest race begins at 8:30 am, swimmers will be at Madison Park for a pre-race meeting at 7:30 and then be transported to the two starting points.  Although swimmers are encouraged to car pool, there will inevitably be a lot of participants and organizers parking in the neighborhood on the morning of the event.  The races should be over by about 10:30 and will be followed by the ceremonial presentation of fat salmons to the various race winners.  Fat Salmon is hosted by the Green Lake Aqua Ducks Masters' Swim Team.

Calling all artists

Though the event itself is not scheduled until September, the deadline to submit entries to be considered for this year's Madison Park Art Walk is July 31.  Last year's event featured 30 local artists, and hundreds of art aficionados visited the neighborhood's restaurants and shops along E. Madison Street to view the art.  This year the show will open September 9, with a reception at Starbucks, and be on display through September 30.  Madison Park Art Walk invites all artists who live in the "greater Madison Park area" to consider entering their work. Interested artists may contact Barbara Clark (bclark@gmail.com) for a copy of the prospectus and an entry form.

Other happenings

Spa del Lago, which had its "soft opening" in June, officially relaunches in July with a "Grand Re-Opening" during Madison Park Days.  On Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10, SdL will provide free samples, offer discounts on products, orchestrate a raffle drawing for spa prizes, and give returning and new patrons both complimentary mini-facials and cosmetic applications.  New co-owner Michael Huynh reports that the place has been remodeled, the kinks and computer glitches have been worked out, and the staff is ready for business. Spa del Lago is located a 1929 43rd Avenue E.

Glow Natural Health Center (2917 E. Madison St.) is sponsoring several events during July, information available here; as is Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy (4130 E. Madison St.), information available here.

[Fat Salmon 2010 photo by Jon Rosen.]

Fat Salmon lands at the Park

Though it was a typically gray and chilly July morning in Seattle, the air temperature was probably not much on the minds of the more than 300 long-distance swimmers to who took to the waters of Lake Washington yesterday for the Fat Salmon races. The water temperature, in the mid-to-high 60s, was certainly of more consequence to these hardy souls, many of whom didn’t bother with wetsuits.

The first swimmer piled ashore with a time of only one hour and five minutes for the 3-mile swim from I-90 to the beach. That’s pretty fast for a course where I’m told an hour fifteen is considered a very good time. There was also a shorter swim of just over a mile from Denny-Blaine Park, with about half the swimmers in Fat Salmon electing to take that route to Madison Park.

For good reason, few of those coming ashore sprinted up the beach. But as sun came out, food was served, and awards were given, the recovered swimmers could look back proudly on a race well swum.

Get ready for Fat Salmon

Those living near Madison Park beach should be prepared for a large influx of early-morning visitors on Saturday as the 12th Annual Fat Salmon Open Water Swim gets underway (for some reason they are actually calling it the 11th Anniversary race, the first Fat Salmon having taken place in 1999). Check-in begins at 6:15 am, and hundreds of swimmers will be getting to the Park bright and early to participate in a pre-race meeting.

Our beach is the destination for two separate Fat Salmon events. There‘s a 3.2 mile swim from the Day Street Boat Ramp (near the I-90 floating bridge) and a later 1.2 mile swim from Denny-Blaine park. The swimmers will be car pooled from Madison Park to their starting points. If you live in the area you may recall from last year that most of the swimmers arrive here by car and quickly fill up all of the available parking within blocks of the beach. The first race starts at 8:30, and the whole show should be over by late morning.

The race gets its name from the prize given to the fastest male and female swimmers in each of the events: a big fat salmon. Here is one of last year’s Fat Salmon winners, Eddie Switaj, showing off his reward.

These races are limited to well-conditioned and experienced open-water swimmers who are members of the US or Canadian master swimmers associations. The number of racers is also strictly controlled, and all of this year’s available slots have been filled for weeks. Fat Salmon is the kind of swim meet where wet suits are absolutely allowed (although many elect to make the race without). The most-recent water temperature reading at Madison Park beach, by the way, showed 66 degrees.

A great day for a swim

I have to admit that I totally missed the boat on this one, because when my neighbors asked me this morning why the area was completely parked up well before 9:00am, I didn't have a clue. (Obviously, I'm supposed to know about these things.)

So I rushed down to the Park where I discovered that all of the hullabaloo was about the 10th Annual Fat Salmon Open Water Swim, a race involving 300 or more swimmers all heading to the beach at Madison Park. Actually it was two races, a 1.2 miler and a 3.2 miler, beginning at Denny Blaine Park and the Day Street Boat Ramp (by the I-90 floating bridge) respectively.

With the Lake Washington water at a balmy 66 degrees (at least at Madison Park beach), some of the swimmers this year elected to swim without wetsuits.

In case you're wondering about where the "fat salmon" comes into the picture, take a close look at one of the race winners receiving the prize:

I don't intend to be caught flat footed with regard to the next major swim race having Madison Park as its destination. On Wednesday, August 19, the 12th Annual Swim for Life Across Lake Washington will begin at 7:30am in Medina and finish up 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) later on our beach. This is a benefit for the Puget Sound Blood Center. More information is avaialble here.