How about a taste of the that — Taste of Reston was recently voted the 2018 Best Outdoor Food Festival of Northern Virginia by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. This year’s event is set for June 15 and 16. [Cision]
Rising rates — Tolls on the Dulles Toll Road are set to rise next year. Public hearings are planned for July, but increases may happen anyway. Officials say their financial projections and legal obligations depend on toll increases. [WTOP]
The results are in — The Reston Masters Swim Team recently published the results of the 2018 Jim McDonnell Lake Swim, which was overshadowed by the apparent drowning of one participant. [Reston Masters Swim Team]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
The body of a 45-year-old swimmer was recovered Monday afternoon from Lake Audubon.
Kevin Ruby was competing in the 31st annual Jim McDonnell Lake Swim when a family member noticed he was missing for more than an hour. Ruby finished a one-mile race but never showed up at the end of race two, which covers two miles.
Police believe Ruby may have drowned. Foul play is not suspected and a medical examiner will determine the cause of death, police said.
More than 600 people participated in the event. Swimmers wore bracelets, which were used to check in and out of the event. Event organizers were not immediately available for comment.
Remi Currell, who was a guard at the event, said the event was handled professionally.
“This sort of accident is not exclusive to our race. There is no way to completely [foolproof] this type of event, and the only way I can think of making it safer is to have one lifeguard per person, which is impossible.”
Police and fire and rescue personnel searched the area from Sunday noon through the night. The helicopter-assisted search resumed Monday. Ruby’s body was found around 12:45 p.m. that day.
Nearly three years ago, a 63-year-old man participating in the swim died after losing consciousness during the event.
The event happens at a Reston Association lake, but is organized by the Reston Masters Swim Team.
The team issued the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
Reston Masters is honored to have had Mr. Ruby compete at our Jim McDonnell Lake Swims for many years. He was a very talented top finisher. Earlier Sunday morning Mr. Ruby won his age group in the 1-mile race with a time of 23:38.
As part of all our races, Fairfax County on-water EMS staff are an integral part of our operations. We are especially grateful for the timely and extensive additional support from Fairfax County Police and Fairfax County Fire & Rescue.
Please join Reston Masters in keeping Kevin Ruby in our hearts and memories as an accomplished distance swimmer.
Photo by Fairfax County Police Department and Jessica Peachey
The Reston Masters Swim Team will host the 31st annual Jim McDonnell Lake Swim on Sunday at Lake Audubon.
The swim has been held every Memorial Day weekend since 1988, according to the team’s website. In 1999, it was named in honor of McDonnell, a founding member of the team who was on the committee that first organized the swim. McDonnell died from lymphoma in 2016.
“Reston Masters is excited to host the 2018 U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) Middle Distance Open Water National Championship,” said Reston Masters President Brian Evans. “Our 2-mile swim is the kickoff race of the USMS championship series and we are ready to deliver a top-notch, well-organized experience for JMLS competitors.”
Up to 200 swimmers will vie for national champion status. Swimmers take part in a two-mile open water loop around Lake Audubon. This year, two visually impaired swimmers are competing, along with a young woman trying to qualify for the U.S. Special Olympics
A practice swim will take place on Saturday.
Proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to Lymphoma charities. In the past, recipients have included Herndon-Reston Fish, Inc. and the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
More information about the event is available online.
Here’s more about the event from the organizers:
Swimmers of all abilities compete every year. This year’s field includes elite swimmers like 66-year old Shirley Loftus-Charley, a USMS All-American and All-Stars champion and record holder, who is competing in her 31st consecutive JMLS.
Swimmers in the 30-34 year age group will be watching out for distance swimmer and triathlete Shannon Greene. Shannon has placed first in the 1-mile race three times, and has taken first in the 2-mile twice.
“You can expect to see some fast swim times,” said Evans.
One swimmer is hoping to score a qualifying time to compete with Special Olympics USA, and two visually impaired swimmers are also taking on the challenge.
Competitors will swim counter-clockwise around buoys over a 1-mile course. Those swimming the 2-mile race will make the trip twice.
Photo by Ryan Dawson
The Reston Masters Swim Team hosted the 30th Annual Jim McDonnell Lake Swim on Sunday at Lake Audubon.
According to the team’s website, the swim — which has been held every Memorial Day weekend since 1988 — was renamed in honor of McDonnell in 1999. McDonnell, a founding member of the team who was on the committee that first organized the swim, died of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma the previous year.
More than 700 swimmers participate each year, according to the team, which makes the event the largest open-water swim in the region. Proceeds from this year’s event were donated to the Lymphoma Research Foundation and to Herndon-Reston FISH Inc.
Results from the event can be viewed here.
Photos courtesy Ryan Dawson
A 63-year-old man who was participating in the Jim McDonnell Lake Swim at Lake Audubon died on Sunday after losing consciousness during the event.
The lake swims are an annual Memorial Day weekend event organized and hosted by the Reston Masters Swim Team. Swimmers take part in a two-mile open water loop around Lake Audubon.
Dr. Kennon Woods, a dentist from Raleigh, N.C., was removed from the water about 11:45 a.m. by on-site emergency medical staff using an aquatic vehicle, Reston Association said. CPR was initiated and he was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Reston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from cardiopulmonary arrest.
While Woods’ death took place at an RA lake, it was not an RA-sponsored event.
RA issued this statement:
Reston Association works with the Reston Masters Swim Team each year prior to this event to ensure procedures are in place. Specifically, RA advises and coordinates logistics for borrowing boats and other equipment.
The Reston Masters Swim Team is responsible for safety measures and forming the Emergency Action Plan, which reportedly functioned as planned on Sunday. The swimmer was removed from the water within one minute, allowing EMS to immediately transport him to Reston Hospital.
The Jim McDonnell Lake Swim has been held for the last 28 years. It is named in memory of avid Reston Masters swimmer Jim McDonnell, who died in 1998 of lymphoma.
Lake Audubon will be the site later this summer of an open water swim and the swim portion of the triathlon at the 2015 World Police Fire Games. It will also hold the swim portion of the Reston Triathlon in September.
