Big Sky Walker

Each post includes a "photo tour."

Swim

For sighting in the 5K race, there will be large buoys at positions 1, 4, and 6. The tiny islands at 2 and 3 are also good for sighting, and so is the edge of the big island (5). There will also need to be something for sighting at the finish line (7). Those who are swimming the 1-mile race will turn right at #1, swim to (around) #6, and then onto the finish line (1 to 6 to 7). The buoy at 4 will be positioned a little beyond the island to make the route exactly 5K.

Save the date! – Sunday, August 29, 2027
If I can get permission from the Bureau of Reclamation, and do all the other things to make it happen*, I plan to host a 5K open water swimming race in Canyon Ferry Lake (near Helena, Montana) on Sunday on August 29th, 2027. Swimmers would start on a beach near Shannon Boat Launch, swim out around Cemetery Island, and then back to the finish line at the beach. The race would start at 7 am and would probably include a 1-mile race as well. -Rod Benson (Bigskywalker.com)

It will be a Helena day!
The event, which will take place 20 miles from beautiful Helena, Montana, will be a fund-raiser for Aspen Adult Services, a wonderful orgnization that provides enriching services to disabled Montanans. Money left over after the bills are paid will be distrbuted this way: 80% to Aspen, 20% to be kept for next year’s race.

Check out these photos of the race area.
Here is a photo album that includes details of the race route, etc. CLICK HERE to SEE the PHOTOS. Be sure to read the captions.

A unique setting.
Cemetery Island was once home to a 19th-century hill-top cemetery for a town called Canton. The hill now stands as an island in Canyon Ferry Lake, and Canton was submerged as the reservoir filled following completion of the Canyon Ferry Dam in the the 1950s. The dam, which is shown in the photo above, is 50 miles north of the headwaters of the Missouri. It’s a 20-mile drive from the State Capitol Building in Helena to the Shannon Boat Launch.

*The “to do” list.
permission/permit ($100), registration (RunSignup.com), registration fee ($45), participaton limit (100 swimmers), timing (hire a service or hand-held?), bullhorn, event liability insurance ($350 ish), waivers (included with RunSignup.com), rent porta potties, parking/shuttles, swim caps (numbered, $2-$3 each), T-shirts ($8-$12 each), logo, awards, set-up (course/buoys, start/finish line), volunteers in kayaks, sighting buoys (borrow?), request search and rescue presence, sponsors, packet pickup (at museum near Capitol?), publicity, post-race refreshments, etc.