Morris to take on Sharkfest

Montrose—Soon-to-be Montrose High School freshman Logan Morris will be swimming with the fishes next weekend.

Morris, who has been swimming since she was little, will be competing with more than 1,000 swimmers in the 17th annual Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim that takes place in San Francisco next Saturday.

The 1.5-mile race, which begins on the island of Alcatraz, gives swimmers the chance to compete against each other in open water competition.

“I’ve been preparing for this all summer,” Morris said.

Morris has been swimming in longer races with Montrose Marlins Swim Team all summer to better prepare herself for the race. 

She also has received a lot of support from her soon-to-be high school swim coach Silas Almgren.

“He’s been very supportive about my opportunity to swim in this race,” Morris said. “He’s helped me with my distance swimming all through the summer so that I can get a feel for what it’s going to be like to swim in the ocean.”

The race format is broken down into age groups, with Morris competing in the 13- and 14-year-old division. Morris knows that her competition will be fierce. She will be competing against several hundred swimmers that are in her age group.

“Winning my age group would be nice,” she said.

Along with swimming long distance races this summer, Morris has been taking ice baths to prepare herself for the icy cold ocean water. The water temperature is said to be around 60 degrees and all swimmers are required to wear wetsuits. 

“The ice baths really helps your legs and will also condition my body for the cold water.” 

Whether Morris wins the race or comes in last, to her it’s about proving to herself and her peers that she can compete at an extremely high level.