As soon as they heard the bang of the gun at 9 a.m., sophomores Emilio De Somma, Dea Edington and junior Emily Lewis pushed and shoved through the throng of bodies as they waded into the freezing San Francisco Bay waters on a recent Sunday to compete with hundreds of other swimmers in the Tiburon Mile.

The 14th annual Tiburon Mile was held on Sunday, September 29. It is a race from Angel Island’s Ayala Cove to the Corinthian Yacht Club in downtown Tiburon.

There are three divisions: “elite”, which is for nationally and internationally-ranked open water swimmers, “age group”, for anyone else wearing a regular swimsuit, and “wetsuit”, which is specifically for those wearing a wetsuit.

De Somma, Edington, and Lewis all participated in the age group category. De Somma won first place for the 13-18 age group and Lewis came in 42nd for her age group.

Lewis, who has competed in the race for three years and swims for Redwood and North Bay Aquatics, has participated in the wetsuit category in the past, however, she decided to compete in the age-group category because she thinks that a wetsuit constricts her shoulder movement while swimming.

Participants in the race were ferried to Angel Island, and the race began at 9 a.m.

De Somma said that the beginning of the race is rather hectic.

“When they blow the gun, all 500 people rush towards the water and there’s a lot of waves and kicking and fighting and punching,” De Somma said. It’s kind of a mad dash to get out of there into the open area.”

Lewis said that the chaos of being pushed and shoved by other people makes the race unique. “That’s a way that the race differs from swimming in a pool, because there’s a lot more interaction with other people,” Lewis said.

De Somma has been participating in the race for five years, and won the Mayor’s Cup, which is awarded to the fastest swimmer out of all of the non-wetsuit categories in all of Tiburon and Belvedere, for three years in a row. De Somma is a  recent transfer student from University High School. He currently swims for North Bay Aquatics and plans to swim for Redwood in the spring.

“Some people know the currents of the water better. Personally, I don’t, so I just try and stay straight and just go as fast as possible,” De Somma said. “Some of the really good guys, like the guys who win overall, make these big U-shaped swims, but i just like going straight.”

One of the main differences between swimming in the ocean and swimming in a pool is that there are currents, however De Somma says he does not take into account the currents when planning his route from Angel Island to Tiburon

Additionally, swimming in the ocean creates some new, uncomfortable challenges for swimmers. “I don’t like the idea that there are other creatures swimming below me and that I can’t see them,” De Somma said.

Neither Lewis nor De Somma have done much extra training outside of normal swim practice, however, Edington, who swims for Redwood and for the Scott Valley Sea Serpents, started training for the race in June by swimming in the bay every weekend.

The race, which is one of the largest open-water swims in the United States, features national and international champion swimmers. Volunteers arrange lodging for these swimmers, and several have stayed in Edington’s home, including French swimmer Fred Bousquet last year, and England’s Keri-Anne Payne this year.

Edington spent time with several of the visiting swimmers, as his family hosted several of them over the years.

“They’re not as arrogant as you’d expect,” he said. “They hang out with you, and go swim and paddle board with you.”

Lewis also had the opportunity to be around these elite swimmers. “It’s almost just inspiring to see people who have taken something they love and made it into a profession,” she said.

Lewis said that she enjoys the event because it is different from the types of events she usually competes in.

“I like to do it because I’m a distance swimmer, and it’s kinda cool to be in a different element other than being in a pool,” she said. “[In] open water you have to deal with a current, and if it rains.”