BaySwim.com | Lin-Mark Sports | March of Dimes

	Description of File	Pages	File Size
1	GCBS 2000 Results (559 starters; 541 finishers)	11	47 kb
2	Active finishing streaks for the 541 finishers	11	105 kb
3	Number of completions for the 541 finishers (ordered by number of completions)	11	103 kb
4	Number of completions for the 541 finishers (ordered by overall place in GCBS 2000)	11	97 kb
5	GCBS Timeline Chart  (versus 14 prior Bay Swims))	1	90 kb
6	Chesapeake Bay air and water temperatures (TPLH) (prior to GCBS 2000, 5/1/00 - 6/11/00)	6	149 kb
	Pre-GCBS-2000 Entrant Listings
7	Entrants of 2000 GCBS ranked by past GCBS performance	14	97 kb
8	Entrants of 2000 GCBS by AGE GROUPS and prior performance	15	104 kb
9	Entrants of 2000 GCBS ordered by # of past GCBS finishes	9	67 kb
Official Results -- includes Age Group awards (Lin-Mark.com)
Pictures of GCBS 2000 and prior events.

Summary

June 11, 2000  A lot of folks were not too excited about braving the hazy, humid heat that gripped the Chesapeake Bay area for a third consecutive day (see PDF file #6 above).  Although the air temperature 17.4-meters above Thomas Point Lighthouse reached a relatively moderate 81°F at 5:00 p.m., at Baltimore-Washington International Airport it rose to 95°F, 4 degrees short of the record of 99°F for the date set in 1911.   Airborne pollutants and temperatures in the mid-90s prompted the Maryland Department of the Environment to issue "Code Red" air-quality alerts, advising people with heart and respiratory problems to restrict outdoor activities. 

Although the stifling heat proved irksome for some, at Sandy Point State Park 559 athletes competed in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.  They were supported by an even greater number of volunteers and spectators.  The heat didn't dissuade the majority of these competitors from sporting their thick black neoprene wetsuits for added safety, increased buoyancy, and faster times.  As it turned out, all but 18 swimmers successfully completed the Chesapeake Bay crossing.

Sean Brennan, 26, of Forked River, N.J., won the 4.4-mile race for the second consecutive year, with a time of 1 hour, 26 minutes, 42 seconds. The female winner was Susie Rabiah, 33, of Shaker Heights, Ohio.  She finished the March of Dimes fund-raising event in 1:40:43.

The most remarkable honor, however, went to Jean Ludtke of Hyannis Port, Mass., who after 4 hours, 15 minutes and 20 seconds paraded onto dry land to the sounds of cheering spectators.  What was so special about this long journey?   It was the fact that Ms. Ludtke just turned 76 years young the day prior to GCBS 2000!   Although she had already held the record for the oldest female finisher in Bay Swim history at 69, she bettered the overall mark by 6 years!   Shortly after emerging from the water, Ms. Ludke said that her 2000 swim across the Chesapeake Bay will probably be her last.

Newspapers that reported on the 2000 Bay Swim:

The Capital; Baltimore Sun; Washington Post; Washington Times

In 2000, all but 12 of the 71 original wait-listed swimmers moved up to the Entry List as a result of entrants or wait-listed swimmers officially dropping the event.  The table below shows how last year's Wait List moved.

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