PORT ANGELES — Howie Ruddell of Port Angeles is in Florida today to participate in the seventh annual Tampa Bay Frogman Swim in memory of a Navy SEAL killed in Benghazi, Libya.
The 3.1-mile swim will benefit the Navy SEAL Foundation, a charity that helps the families of SEALS — members of the United States Navy’s Sea, Air and Land teams — who were wounded or killed in action.
Swimmers raise money through donations. As of Saturday afternoon, more than 110 businesses and individuals had donated more than $13,000 toward Ruddell’s swim.
Fundraising by all athletes for the swim had topped more than $250,000, Ruddell said.
Race conditions are expected to be challenging, with tides, high winds and water temperatures in the high 50s all playing a factor, said Ruddell, who is the owner and president of Ruddell Auto Mall.
“It will be a good swim,” Ruddell said Friday, adding that he will be one of the few racers to swim without a wetsuit in the cold water.
In memoriam
U.S. Navy SEAL Tyrone Snowden Woods Sr., senior chief petty officer, perished while defending staff at the diplomatic outpost and U.S. CIA annex in Benghazi on Sept. 12, 2012.
He was 41.
Along with SEAL teammate Glen Doherty, Woods saved the lives of 30 staff when they took up arms in an effort to protect the facilities as they were attacked by insurgents, according to his memorial page.
Both were killed by mortar fire.
“It is truly an honor and privilege to race in memory of such a courageous, selfless warrior as Tyrone,” said Ruddell, 43.
“As a husband and father, it’s humbling to consider what a family suffers with such a loss — as these families have — sacrificing their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons.”
Ruddell said his “goal is to use my training and swimming to raise awareness and support” for the Navy SEAL Foundation.
“It is a privilege for me to honor these fallen warriors and their families by using my swimming to do something more,” he said.
“This is why I am participating in this race and fundraising.”
Second time
This is Ruddell’s second time participating in the event.
The experience he gained the first time should aid him in his second attempt, he said.
“I know what to expect, so that helps,” he said.
“It’s one of the best open-water races in America . . . but not because it’s the easiest. The cold shock, and the pre- and mid-race anxiety — they always show up,” he said.
To get through that, he mentally recites the mantras “the only easy day was yesterday” and “things get better,” he said.
220 athletes
This year, Ruddell joins 220 athletes including active-duty military personnel and notable swimmers such as three-time Olympic champion Brooke Bennett.
The race will begin after the swimmers are already in the water, Ruddell said.
“We start in the water, treading water about 200 to 300 feet offshore, in 20 feet of water,” he said.
“The conditions of this particular race typically present a nice challenge, and I think all of us doing it like that it isn’t easy.”
Ruddell said he has been training heavily to prepare for the event.
“I have a terrific group of swim buddies here on the [Olympic] Peninsula, and we train year-round, six days a week,” he said.
“Cold-water acclimatization is an important element, as I transitioned to swim without a wetsuit two years ago. It’s a mindset. It’s a place you go in your mind. It sharpens you mentally.”
In the midst of the event, “finishing isn’t the issue,” he said.
“You train for the distance and for any conditions — tide, wind, the cold. It’s a question of how fast can you go.”
Failure, he said, “isn’t an option.”
One benefit of participating in the race “is you get to draw on the emotions and energy of something much bigger than yourself and the race,” he said.
“It’s about the guys who paid the ultimate price. For my race, I will be thinking about SEAL Tyrone Woods Sr., his family and his friends. It feels very personal.”
“This race,” he said, “is different, in that you have some of the families and friends of the fallen who are watching. When you see them, you realize this event is more than a race.”
The “weight of the honor, and the privilege of doing your part, sinks in,” he said.
“After the start, though, it’s business as usual, and you focus on the race.”
To donate in Ruddell’s name, visit http://tinyurl.com/PDN-ruddellswim.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
