Pacific Masters kicked off the 2024 open water season in style at Lake Berryessa on June 1—hundreds of swimmers participated in what was both the 40 th anniversary of this lake swim and the USMS national Open Water 2 mile race. A BIG thank you to DAM for hosting! Meet director Kevin Waterstone and his cadre of welcoming, enthusiastic volunteers all went above and beyond to ensure both races ran smoothly and safely. All the little extra touches (e.g. changing pods, merch booths, special 40 th anniversary swag that glittered in the sun, the grab-bag prizes awarded to the 40 th person in each wave to honor the anniversary year), truly made this year’s event a standout! We also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to begin handing out Open Water Challenge patches—look for us at the upcoming Pacific Masters Open Water races this summer if you missed us at Berryessa.

To further celebrate Berryessa’s 40 th anniversary, we caught up with Stephen Small, a long-time participant:

Q: How many years have you swum Berryessa?
A: 35 consecutive years beginning in 1987. We missed two years because of the Pandemic.

Q: What prompted you to swim it the first time?
A: A friend that I met in 1980 introduced me to Masters Swimming. He also took me to my first open water swim which was Lake Berryessa.

Q: How has the race and your swimming changed over the years?
A: When I started, it was a mass start. No separation by age group, men or women, or swimmer speed. I remember that first time very well. I got kicked on the jaw, elbowed in the ribs, and a girl with long fingernails got me in the back of my right knee all the way down to my ankle. This all at the start! And my leg was still bleeding when I finished. Had to make a trip to the ambulance to get fixed up, ugh!

Q: What's your favorite thing about Berryessa? What makes this site so unique for you?
A: Since it was my first open water swim, I just kept coming back. After a while, I had a continuing streak going, so just kept it up. In 2022 I was recovering from shoulder surgery, I signed up for both 2 and 1 mile, but only did the 2 due to a sore shoulder. Last year, I was having abdominal pain issues and was walking with cane. Up and down that steep, slippery hill to the water! But still managed both swims. Persistence, I guess.

Q: Have you developed a goal over the year, such as hitting the 50-mark?
A: My main goal is to always finish, LOL. My goal this year was to finish in one hour. Didn't quite make it, 1:00.28.