2009 5K Open Water Grand Prix: women outshine the men

August 9, 2009 was the day of the 5K Open Water Grand Prix in Angle Lake Park, Sea Tac, WA. The rectangular course boasted plenty of spectator viewing space, and the swimmers made the most of it, sprinting past the cheering crowd, then settling into race paces for the remainder of the challenging swim, which was head-to-head nearly the entire way.

But an extraordinary thing occurred--the top two female finishers were faster than the top three male finishers. Eva Fabian (59.47) and Christine Jennings (59.52) raced their way to best Vincent Donnelly (1:00.02), Julian Bonse (1:00.04) and Tyler Pennington (1:00.08). In third place for female finishes was Lindsey Vrooman (1:01.35).

Congratulations, Girls!