Names: Sydney and James Mason
Ages: SM, 26; JM, 35
Years married: 2.5
Hometowns: SM, Ringgold, Georgia; JM, Wells, Utah
How do you reward yourself after a big race?
SM: Food!
JM: Neither of us are big soda drinkers, but lately after we run or do a race, we crave a nice, cold root beer.
What are your bucket-list races?
SM: An Ironman with an ocean swim.
JM: I want to do the Red Bull 400 (the world's steepest 400-meter uphill sprint).
What are you currently training for?
SM: We are currently training for the Elsie Enduro Ultra Race, in which runners complete a 2.5-mile trail loop every 40 minutes until only one runner remains, in Ringgold. It's happening on Leap Day. Birthday weekend for both of us as well.
***
Among all the endurance events in which Sydney and James Mason have competed - open water swims, triathlons, half-marathons - Sydney calls last October's SwimRun "the craziest of them all."
New to North America, a SwimRun is a multiple-stage competition that involves trail runs and open-water swims. Racers compete in teams of two and must stay within 10 meters of each other at all times - which is why teammates often tether themselves together using a bungee cord. Moreover, unlike most multi-sport races, boasting aid stations where athletes can pick up extra gear or change clothes between courses, SwimRuns require participants to carry all their gear from start to finish - which means running in swim clothes and swimming in run clothes.
It also means they must make some critical decisions.
Are hand paddles really worth their weight, for example? What type of wetsuit best doubles as a running singlet? Will drilling holes in your running shoes prevent them from becoming waterlogged during the swims?
These are just a few of the questions the Masons had to answer in preparation for their first SwimRun.
Here is a list of the gear they ultimately decided to carry with them:
a. Colting wetsuits
b. Orca tether
c. Altra trail shoes
d. GU Energy packets
e. Garmin watches
f. Sporti Swedish goggles
g. Sporti pull buoys
h. Speedo and Finis paddles
i. Run Gum
j. KT Tape