When Courtney Chase came out of Lake Coeur d’Alene after finishing the Kroc Masters Open Water Swim on Saturday morning, she wasn’t feeling fantastic. 

“I’m going to throw up,” she said with a laugh as she stood on Sanders Beach. “You get seasick, swimming that race.” 

The Coeur d’Alene resident fought through 1.3 miles of rough, choppy waters fueled by winds strong enough to create whitecaps to finish first in the women’s division in 34 minutes, 11 seconds. 

She said masters swimmers are prepared for any conditions, so she didn’t let the swells churning on Lake Coeur d’Alene bother her at the start, along with about 70 others bobbing on the west side of Tubbs Hill. 

But it was tough as she tried to ride one swell only to have the next drag her back.

“When it’s like this, you just think about finishing,” Chase said. 

Adam Arzner of Spokane was the overall winner in 30:59. He also won last year in a little over 27 minutes when the waters were warm and calm. 

Not so this time. Warm, yes. Calm, no.

“It was hard to breathe. I drank a lot of water,” he said as he recovered on the beach. “It’s not salty out there, I’ll tell you that much.” 

Arzner said with the swells, he had trouble seeing where he was going at times, but he was able to spot just enough to stay on the course around Tubbs Hill. 

“It was challenging to get through the waves,” he said. 

His experience in open waters paid off as he powered along alone, with kayakers monitoring the course, his only company on the cloudy morning.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “But I imagine there’s some people out there who had some challenges. It was pretty rough." 

Director Howard Burns said they considered canceling the race when they saw whitecaps, but elected to stay the course. 

He said it’s also a battle for the kayakers watching after the swimmers to maintain their positions as they are pushed around by waves and wind. 

“It’s definitely choppier than we would have liked, but it’s an open water race,” he said. “You swim in all kinds of conditions.” 

About 10 swimmers from the Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team also participated.

Chase said, despite the difficulty of the race, she was grateful to be swimming in Lake Coeur d'Alene.

“It’s a blessing," she said.

    Swimmers start the Kroc Masters Open Water Swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene on the west side of Tubbs Hill on Saturday.

    Swimmers emerge from Lake Coeur d'Alene after completing the 1.3-mile Kroc Masters Open Water Swim on Saturday.

    Adam Arzner recovers after winning the 1.3-mile Kroc Masters Open Swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.