East Coast Open Water Festival
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East Coast Open Water Festival - Smith Mountain Lake State Park - September 26-27, 2026
The East Coast Open Water Festival is a two day open water swim and swim-run meet held at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Huddleston, VA. The start and finish are on the beach behind the park pavilion, accessed by continuing past the park guard station. The racecourse uses a one mile loop marked with large colored buoys and features an in-water start; a finish banner marks the finish line. A video based timing system will record results.
Events across the weekend include a mix of swim and swim-run formats, plus an elimination-style event with multiple rounds. Notable format details for the elimination event include three distances - 1,500, 1,000 and 500 meters - with a 15 minute break between rounds; field sizes are reduced to 20 swimmers after the 1,500 and to 10 after the 1,000.
Distances contested
- 5K
- 3K
- 2 miles
- 1 mile
- 0.5 miles
Registration fees are listed as $85 for a single event, $100 for two events, and $110 for three events; fees include a swim cap and event T-shirt and discounts apply when multiple events are registered in the same transaction. Parking in the state park carries a $7 fee that covers both days; a discounted $5 pre-paid option is available when purchased during registration. Awards include backpacks and plaques for the 5K open swim winners and first through third place plaques for other events. Age divisions are specified per event, with the half mile limited to 9 and under and multiple age brackets for the one mile and 5K events. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
