I first met Nobu in the middle of the bay while training for the swim around Alcatraz. I had stopped swimming and was treading water - staring into the huge black eyes of a sea lion. An unfamiliar voice asked, “Is it was safe?” I replied, “Maybe not” and started off in the opposite direction. The voice again called out, “Then, can I swim with you?” It happened to be Nobu’s very first swim in the bay.
Nobu and I became fast friends. He helped me train for my swim and I helped him train for the Wildflower triathlon. When we joined the club together, about one year ago, Nobu always swam with a wetsuit. One day, he asked how to swim without a wetsuit. I asked him, “Why would you want to?” After losing the wetsuit, Nobu struggled with the cold temperatures of the bay. On one occasion he had to walk back to the club. On another his frozen mind mistook a buoy for a swimmer. Given the challenges he had with the cold, I never expected Nobu to attempt the Polar Bear Challenge. When he signed up, I had my doubts about his chances of success. I was wrong.
Nobu hit 40 miles this morning in the exact spot I met him one year earlier. It was very dark when I called out to the group, “Are we at .75 miles?” When they replied in the affirmative I declared, “Nobu has completed the Polar Bear!!!” The group cheered in the dark water and I saw a huge grin on Nobu’s face. When we hit shore I saw him turn back to the bay in a moment of reflection. He seemed uncharacteristically unaffected by the cold. His posture conveyed strength and his face displayed contentment.
Congrats my friend!
