East Coast Open Water Festival
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East Coast Open Water Festival
The East Coast Open Water Festival takes place September 26-27, 2026 at Smith Mountain Lake State Park, 1235 State Park Road, Huddleston, VA. The event features a series of open water swims and combined swimrun races held on a marked one mile loop with large colored buoys. The course uses an in water start at the start and finish line, a finish banner marks the finish, and a video based timing system will be used.
Available race formats include:
- 5K
- 3K Great Knockout format: 1,500, 1,000, 500
- 1 Mile
- 0.5 Mile for ages 9 and under
- Swimrun options at one mile and half mile distances
There is a $7 parking fee covering both days. Pre-paid parking at registration is offered at a discounted $5 rate and pre-paid names are placed on a list at the park guard shack.
Registration pricing is structured by number of events: single event $85, two events $100, three events $110. Fees include a swim cap and event T shirt. Multiple participants may be registered in the same transaction. Teams may request coupon codes or a preformatted spreadsheet for batch entries to bypass the online platform.
Awards are given to top finishers; the 5K awards top male and female with backpacks and plaques, while other events receive first through third place plaques. Age divisions are assigned by event and use age on September 26, 2026. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
