WASHINGTON – Earlier this summer, a group of Georgetown swimming & diving alums teamed up together to compete in the 2021 Trans Tahoe Relay, a competitive relay event where teams swim across one of the largest lakes in the country. All in all, nine Hoya alums competed on two teams that took part in the grueling event. Recently, GUHoyas.com caught up with Chris Hawkins (C'91) to talk about the experience.
 
GUHoyas: What prompted the idea of swimming across Lake Tahoe?
Hawkins: In the fall of 2020, I relocated to Washington from Pennsylvania. In early 2021 I got a DM from Dean Ledger (C'92), one of my classmates, welcoming me to the West Coast and asking if I wanted to do the Tahoe Relay with him and some other Hoya alums. Evidently, once our 2021 (30th) reunion was cancelled, Jeff Hilger (F'92) was talking to Dean about an alternative to get together with grads from Georgetown and Dean suggested the Tahoe Relay - which was a bucket list event for him.
 
This grew amongst a combined group of college roommates and Hoya swimmers living in California to a total of seven guys. The relay is comprised of teams of six, so I got the call to help fill a second team. We then added a couple more and we ended up with nine Hoya grads and filled in with three other swimmers from the northern California area to have two teams. Our Hoya crew consisted of Dean Ledger, Jeff Hilger, Matt Bisbee (C'91), John Sheehan (C'92), Dan Mastella (C'91), Brad Hecht (F'91), Frank Peloso (C'91), Dave Gullen (C'90) and myself.
 
What was the training like? How was it different from swimming in a pool at Yates?
We all trained based on our access. For me, I had not swum competitively in over 18 years, so I just started to grind it out in a pool, working on time and distance. Some of our other swimmers, like Dan Mastella, have been competing on the Ironman circuit and he worked this event into his training. Others started a hybrid program with pool time and open water swims in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
 

How far did you actually have to swim? What were the logistics like out on the water?
The race is a point-to-point event. It ran essentially east to west across the northern side of Lake Tahoe. Each team of six swimmers has a boat that escorts each swimmer, with the remaining team members on the boat. It is technically a 10-plus mile swim, but because the navigation can vary, the actual length is usually over 11 miles. Each team member starts with a 30-minute leg, tagging off to the next swimmer when their time is up. After all six do their first leg, you alternate in 10-minute intervals per each swimmer until the race is finished. This is due to the water temperature in the lake, which can be in the mid to low 60s, and no wetsuits are allowed.
 
Were there any memorable moments that stick out?
What was amazing was seeing good friends - some of whom we have maintained contact with, but some whom we had not seen in 30 years. It was absolutely one of the most magical Hilltop moments that didn't occur in DC. We shared stories of our lives and families and developed an even deeper bond than we had found as teammates 30 years before. The plans are already being set to make this a repeat event and hopefully broaden it to the women's team and extend to other graduating classes.