Despite our best efforts, we have yet to receive permits to build our new course. And now that the lake is filling, we will be unable to construct the course in time for the 2024 event. So, 2024 is also cancelled.
Event Information (from 2021)
Foster Lake Cable Swims is an event hosted by Central Oregon Masters Aquatics at Foster Lake near Sweet Home, Oregon. As one of the few permanent cable swim courses, Foster Lake often hosts the USMS 1-Mile and 2-Mile National Championships. 2021 features the USMS 2-Mile Cable National Championships.
All registrations for the Foster Lake Cable Swims MUST be completed via the on-line registration system. Click on the link immediately below to register for the Lake Swims. Registration closes on Thursday June 17, 2021 and no Day of Race entries allowed.
Foster Lake is cancelled for 2024
LOCATION & COURSE: Foster Lake is a scenic reservoir located just off U.S. Route 20 east of Sweet Home, OR. Lewis Creek Park, located on the northeast corner of the lake, will be the event venue. The course is a 0.25 mile length of cable surveyed & certified accurate to national cable swim standards. Water temperature on this weekend in June has varied from 67-71 degrees Fahrenheit and will be posted at the event.
SWIMS (IN ORDER):
2-Mile Cable swim (featuring the USMS 2-Mile Championship), seeded accordingly.
1-Mile Cable swim for USMS swimmers, seeded accordingly.
SWIM SCHEDULE (subject to change due to conditions):
6:45 am Lewis Creek Park opens for swimmers
7:15 am Check-in and warm-up opens for all swims
8:00 am Check-in closes for 2-Mile Swim
8:05 am Pre-race meeting, marshaling and swim to the start for 2-Mile Swim
8:30 am Start of 2-Mile Cable Swim
10:00 am Check-in closes for One-Mile Swim
10:20 am Warm-up closes, Mandatory Pre-race meeting and marshaling for 1-Mile Swim
10:45 am Start of the 1-Mile swim
10:45 am Early Lunch Distribution (for those not swimming 1-Mile)
11:40 am Awards ceremony for both swims
12:15 pm Relay entries close
SAFETY - OUR PRIMARY CONCERN: All swims will be unescorted. Spotters in safety boats will monitor the entire course in zone coverage and medical personnel will be on-site. Swimmers must wear a brightly-colored swim cap provided, have their race number on their arms (or hands when wearing sleeved wetsuits), and follow all announced safety rules without exception.
ELIGIBILITY: Open ONLY to adults (18 years of age or older on the day of the event) who are current USMS members or foreign equivalents. Eligibility will be verified through the online entry system. For swimmers who are not USMS members, USMS “One-Event” (OEVT) membership—good for all swims—is available with entry for $15. One-Event members are not eligible for the 2-Mile National Championship but may swim in a separate non-championship category.
QUALIFYING TIME: Swimmers who cannot swim 1650-yards or 1500-meters in 40 minutes MAY NOT ENTER these events. It’s for safety! Swimmers on the 2-mile course longer tha 1:30 may be stopped and listed as DNF/DQ.
SEEDING: For all swims, swimmers will be seeded fastest to slowest by 1650-yard or 1500-meter pool time. ‘No Time’ entries will not be accepted. It is to your great advantage to enter a current & accurate pool time with no adjustments! Seeding changes will not be allowed after the heat sheet is posted.
ENTRY LIMITS: The entire event—including all swims—is limited to the first 180 registrants. We will maintain a waiting list if early registrants drop out early enough to notify others.
ENTRY FEE: One swim $40 and two swims $55. Entry fee includes a swim cap and a post-swim meal.
OMS SANCTION SURCHARGE: In addition to the entry fee, there is a required $5 per swimmer surcharge to cover the cost of USMS-mandated sanction insurance.
PARKING: Day parking costs $7 per car; please pay at park entrance. Exact change is welcome.
SOUVENIRS: With their entry, swimmers may pre-order & purchase commemorative t-shirts for $18. They will not be on sale at the event. T-Shirt ordering cuts off 10 days in advance. A few extra shirts will be sold on site.
MEALS AND HOT DRINKS: Swimmers will receive a post-swim meal; order vegetarian or meat with your entry. Swimmers may pre-order specatator meals (vegetarian or meat) for $12 each, in advance with entry. We’ll have hot water for drinks to help keep you warm before & after swims.
CAMPING: By special permission, camping at Lewis Creek Park is reserved on Friday night by registration with your entry. Tents only—sorry, no RVs, tear-drops, or pop-up trailer tents. Camping fee is $17 per car, with Saturday parking included. There is NO drop-in camping on site! There are nearby public campgrounds run by Linn County.
OREGON OPEN WATER SERIES: Both swims are featured swims, scored 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2. See https://swimoregon.org/21-OMS-OW-Series-Description.pdf for details of the Oregon Open Water Series.
CONSOLIDATED EVENT: Each cable swim will be seeded as a single swim, without regard to swimmer gender, age, or swimwear category, in the order of submitted entry times. Places, awards, and published results for these events shall be separate for each gender, age group, and swimwear category.
RULES: Current USMS rules will govern this event. Under penalty of disqualification, swimmers may not make deliberate contact with craft, craft operators, and/or any physical features on or near the course during a swim.
WARM-UP & WARM-DOWN: There will be a practice cable set up in the enclosed swimming area and spotters provided there for supervised warm-up & warm-down. Choosing to swim elsewhere in the lake is at the swimmer’s own risk. Warm up before the pre-race meeting, as swimmers go directly from meeting to marshaling to racing!
STARTS: In the 2-Mile, swimmers will start in seeded waves (8-12 swimmers each) starting 20 seconds apart. All Category 2 swimmers (wetsuits) will start in the final wave. In the 1-Mile swims, swimmers will start in seeded waves (8-12 swimmers each) starting 20 seconds apart. The 2-Mile swim will be contested clockwise, and the 1-Mile swim will be contested counterclockwise (these directions are reversed annually).
RELAYS: In the 2-Mile swim, cumulative relays will be accepted for National Championship places, All-American honors, and USMS records. In the 1-Mile swim, cumulative relays will be accepted for records. Enter relays & pay fees on race day only. Bring club teammates for relays!
RESULTS: Results for each race will be posted as promptly as possible. They will also be posted on the following sites: COMA website, Oregon Masters website and the 2-mile will be posted on usms.org. Medals will be awarded to eight places in each age group in the USMS Two-Mile National Championships. Championship patches to the USMS winners, who must be full USMS members. In the 1-Mile and 2-Mile Non-Championship swim, Custom Ribbons will be awarded to swimmers for the top three places in individual events in both the Category I and Category II suit divisions. There will be no club scoring or awards.
SWIMWEAR: Current USMS rules apply. Category I suits are required for relays & records. Category II suits - including wetsuits- are welcomed in both swims but tabluated separately from Category I suits. Swimmers wearing Category II suits are not eligible for relays and records. See Master's suit classification details.
So, What on Earth is a Cable Swim?
USMS rules tell us that cable swims are open water swims done on a specially designed one-quarter mile straightaway course defined by a cable including frequent buoys. These courses are built to demanding specifications, with measurement tolerances within six inches only, and include an in-water start and finish.
What are the benefits of cable swims? They are a way to hold an open water swim in a well defined, relatively small area. They are the easiest open water courses to patrol and maintain swimmer safety. They are great venues for up-close, in-your-face competitive racing. Records are kept. And they provide a friendly transition from pool swims to open water swims, because cable swims share common elements with both kinds of swimming.
Pool swimmers will feel at home because cable swims include:
- Heats and Waves: Cable swims may have two heats. Within each heat, there will be 8-12 waves of 8-12 swimmers each wave with staggered starts, much like heats at a pool meet.
Seeding: Swimmers will be arranged at the starts by 1650-yard or 1500-meter seed times.
- Steering: There is a lane line (the cable) which makes swimming in a straight line pretty easy, even for those who are navigationally challenged.
Measured Course & Records: Cable courses are the only open water courses to have measured distances certified to be accurate. And because courses are accurate, records are kept.
Open water swimmers will feel at home because cable swims include:
- Non-Rectangular Body of Water: It is free form, shaped by erosion with some small help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Cooler Water: No bathwater here! We expect about 70 degree water on normal race days.
- Variety: There may always be hot or cold air temperatures, sunny or inclement weather, wind, and waves.
Crowds: Like all open water swims, everyone will seem to want to share your lane.
Come join the fun at the Foster Lake Cable Swims, at the only permanently-anchored cable swim course in the western United States!
Essential Information Links
(Please read if you have not done a cable swim before)
Cable Swim Course at Foster Lake
Conduct of Foster Lake Cable Swims
USMS Open Water Swimwear Rule Summary
Directions to Lewis Creek Park
(site of Foster Lake Cable Swims)
From the North: Take I-5 south to exit 228. Drive east on Oregon 34 to Lebanon, then south & east on US 20 through Sweet Home. 2.2 miles past the Weyerhauser mill, turn north on Quartzville Rd.
From the South: Take I-5 north to exit 216. Drive east on Oregon 228 to Sweet Home, then continue east on US 20. 2.2 miles past the Weyerhauser mill, turn north on Quartzville Rd.
From the East: Take US Route 20 west over the Cascades towards Sweet Home, then turn north on Quartzville Rd.
Final Approach: Drive 1.2 miles north on Quartzville Rd., turn left on N. River Rd, and drive .8 miles to Lewis Creek Park. Turn left into the entrance, turn right, and park in the lower lot.
PARKING: Day parking costs $7 per car; please pay at park entrance. Exact change is welcome. IF the station at the entrance is not yet open, please pay at the registration table.
Lodging and Camping Near Foster Lake
Camping on Site: We have again secured Tent-Only camping at the race site on Friday night (Lewis Creek Park). Coast is $17 per tent and you MUST register in advance. See on-line registration to secure your space. Sorry, no drop-ins or RV's.
Lodging Suggestions: We have listed some local lodging options below recommended by our local contacts:
Sweet Home Inn - 805 Long St, Sweet Home, (541) 367-5137
Sun Motel - 3026 Hwy 20, Sweet Home, (541) 367-2205
Foster Lake Inn - 6281 Highway 20, Foster, 541-367-3331
South Santiam Cottages - 15 miles east of Foster Lake, 541-367-6007
Best Western Premier Boulder Falls Inn - 505 Mullins Dr, Lebanon, OR 97355, 844-278-1939
Shanico Inn - 1840 Main Street, Lebanon, (888) 815-4408
The Valley Inn Motel Lebanon, 2885 S Santiam Hwy, Lebanon, OR 97355
There are also a lot of lodging choices along the I-5 corridor. (Salem, Albany, Corvallis)
Other Camping: The Linn County Park & Recreation Commission operates two nearby campgrounds:
Sunnyside Campground (1.2 miles away), 44930 Quartzville Dr, Foster, OR 97345
River Bend Campground (5 miles away), 45931 Santiam Highway, Foster, OR 97345
Edgewater RV Resort (no tent camping), 1400 60th Av, Sweet Home, OR 97386
Foster Lake RV Resort - 6191 Highway 20, Foster, OR 800-562-0367 RV's, some tent, some cabins.
There are two other sites to look for campgrounds - though they will be farther away from the Lake. Go to www.recreation.gov to see what is available and to reserve a spot. Put in State=Oregon, Near=Sweet Home. Then look at the map to see how far away from the race start area.
Seeding Lists
Once registration is closed, all swimmers are seeded into waves. Waves usually consist of 8-15 swimmers that start at the same time. Waves are usually started 20 seconds apart. We are constantly updating the seeding list below with any error corrections and will continue to do so up until the day before the event. Click on the link below to view the preliminary seeding for all three of our swims. This is PRELIMINARY, please re-check your wave on the Final Seeding Lists posted at the race site (near Check-In table). If you see an error, please let us know immediately if this is the case (use the Contact Page).
Foster Lake Results
Below are the results of completed Foster Lake Cable Swims:
2016 - Race was cancelled