CLICK TO SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Star-Bulletin Sports


Saturday, July 7, 2001


W A T E R _ S P O R T S




FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
John Flanagan prepares for long-distance swimming
competition with two three-hour sessions each day.
He’s also a lifeguard.



Making a
big splash

John Flanagan is heading
to Japan to compete in the
World Open Water
Championships


By Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.com

The tattoo on John Flanagan's ankle tells his story.

It's a turtle. A sea-loving creature that moves on land but is more at home in the water.

Flanagan is the first to admit that being out of the water can be a challenge for swimmers.

"Swimmers are klutzes," Flanagan said. "They can't handle (being on) land."

It might only be true of him, but if klutziness is inversely proportional to success in the water, then Flanagan must be a walking disaster.

He survived the pack and scores of jellyfish two weeks ago to capture his first national championship when he won the U.S. National 10K Open Water Championship at Daytona Beach, Fla.

The victory earned him a spot on the U.S. National team for the World Open Water Championships, which start July 16 in Fukuoka, Japan.

The Punahou School graduate will compete in the 5K and 10K races as one of four members on the U.S. men's team.

"In open water races I like to keep with the pack and be aware of where everyone is at all times," Flanagan said.

"That's what kind of changed a little bit in that last race in Daytona Beach. Maybe that's why I won ... that I decided to go for it. I went and pulled away and I was afraid people would go with me and suck off me but they didn't. I was fortunate."

It was the first win in a national race for Flanagan, who has competed in several national and local ocean races since graduating magna cum laude in finance from Auburn University.

But he's no stranger to winning, having claimed an NCAA men's swimming championship in 1997, his senior year at Auburn. And he's been victorious in several local races including last year's Waikiki Rough Water swim, becoming the first swimmer from Hawaii to win in 10 years.

Flanagan will be swimming tomorrow in the Surf and Sea North Shore Challenge. He is the defending champion of the 2.4-mile race that starts at Ehukai Beach and ends at Waimea Bay.

Flanagan, 25, has been swimming since he was seven. The eldest of four claims that his brother and two sisters inherited the fast-twitch muscles that he's missing so he had to become a distance swimmer. After years of competing in a pool, he chose to devote himself to open water racing.

"I love to race," Flanagan said. "I love to be in shape and compete. I love feeling strong in the water."

While most people could not fathom swimming the distance of such races, Flanagan doesn't mind. His five to six hours of daily training, which are worked around a schedule that includes coaching for the Kamehameha Swim Club and lifeguarding, prepares him for the long distances.

He swims 15,000-20,000 meters a day broken into two three-hour workouts. Flanagan does a combination of pool workouts, paddling and surfing in the ocean.

"He's done quite well and gotten better at it (open water racing) as he's gotten more experience. He's a really terrific trainer," coach Jack Pettinger said. "He's determined and he's pretty tough. As he's gotten a little better at his racing tactics, his toughness and his ability to keep training has made him a little bit better."

The distance and time spent is impressive when you consider that he doesn't have a coach or team pool-side to push or support him. Pettinger, his coach of the past four years, lives in Wisconsin and faxes him his workouts daily. Otherwise, he's alone for his workouts.

"He's stubborn," brother Kevin Flanagan said. "He's got the ability to shut things out of his mind. It's his innate ability to focus on one thing.

"It's hard to do that kind of training just for the pure love of the sport. Most people that do these races do it with big huge teams and tons of support."

But it is the love of the sport that drives him.

"I really enjoy racing and challenging myself," Flanagan said. "That's why I did a lot of those 25K races. (But) it got to be more survival than racing for me. That's why I've not done one since my last one at Pan-Pacific championships in 1999. I've been a lot happier because of it. I like to be in position where I can race and be competitive and not just try and finish. Whether it's with the person at the end of the pack or with the first place person, I still want to try and push myself."

HIS PLANS FOR THE future are uncertain. The turtle pace applies to all aspects of his life.

"I take it a year at a time," Flanagan said. "I'm concentrating on this race. Whatever happens after that I'm not sure.

"I've always done that. I don't want to commit three or four years."

It would be hard to commit three years to training for the Olympics as open water swimming is not yet an event. Should Flanagan qualify for the 2004 Olympics, he would be 28, an age considered old since most swimmers peak in their early 20s.

But, like the fable of the tortoise and the hare, his slow and steady pace could win him the race.



E-mail to Sports Editor


Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]



© 2001 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
https://archives.starbulletin.com