September 30, 2026 – A Change of Plans: Withdrawing from Huntsman

This is not the post I expected to be writing a week before the Huntsman World Senior Games.

After months of training, race-specific workouts, endurance swims, breaststroke work, and a gradual taper, I have withdrawn from the swimming competition scheduled for October 7–9.

I did not make the decision lightly. I have been looking forward to Huntsman for months, and the training has gone extremely well. But sometimes the risk-versus-reward calculation changes, and when it does, continuing simply because a goal has been on the calendar for a long time is not necessarily the right decision.

What Changed

Last weekend I unexpectedly passed out and fell. I was fortunate that the fall itself was not more serious, but I did end up with a fairly large skin abrasion on my knee.

That may sound minor compared with everything else that has happened this year, but it matters when swimming is involved. A large area of missing skin and a public swimming pool are not a combination I am willing to take unnecessary chances with. I want the abrasion to heal properly before getting back into the water rather than risk turning a simple injury into an infection.

I rested Monday and did not swim. On Tuesday I did a 5K speed walk instead of getting into the pool. For now, swimming is on hold while the knee heals.

The Larger Decision

The knee abrasion by itself would probably only have changed a few days of training. The bigger issue is that I have had several recent health-related developments, and I also have medical procedures scheduled in the very near future.

With all of that happening at once, I had to ask myself a fairly simple question: what is the reward for racing next week compared with the potential risk?

For me, the answer changed.

I was beginning to spend more time worrying about whether something might happen on the pool deck than thinking about the races themselves. The possibility of being taken from a meet to a hospital is not how I want to approach a competition that is supposed to be enjoyable.

Once I reached that point, withdrawing became the more sensible decision.

The Training Still Counts

Scratching the meet does not erase the work that went into preparing for it.

This training cycle produced some of my best swimming of the year and gave me clear benchmarks that I can carry forward.

Event	Best Recent Training Time	Pace
200 m Breaststroke	3:22.52	1:41.26/100 m
800 m Freestyle	12:35.12	1:34.39/100 m
1500 m Freestyle	24:04.84	1:36.32/100 m

Those times are real progress. Huntsman was the goal that gave the training structure, but the improvement itself does not disappear because I will not be standing on the starting block next week.

Knowing When the Goal Changes

There is a difference between quitting because training gets difficult and changing course because the circumstances around the goal have changed.

I did the training. I got faster. I built endurance. I worked on breaststroke. I learned a great deal about pacing, recovery, tapering, and how my body responds to different kinds of swimming.

But none of those things create an obligation to race when I no longer believe the risk is worth the reward.

What Happens Next

For the immediate future, the priority is simple: let the knee heal, take care of the medical issues already on the calendar, and stop treating next week’s competition as a deadline.

I am not making any long-term decisions about swimming or fitness right now. After the upcoming procedures, I plan to sit down with my doctors and review what makes sense for future exercise, fitness training, and swimming.

That discussion will help determine what the next version of my training looks like. It may mean returning to the same kinds of workouts, making some changes, or setting different goals. I do not need to answer those questions today.

For now, Huntsman 2026 is off the calendar, and the focus shifts from preparing for a race to taking care of what needs attention next.

The Takeaway

I hate withdrawing this close to the meet, especially after putting so much work into getting there. But athletic goals are supposed to add something positive to life. When the balance changes and the concern starts outweighing the excitement, it is reasonable to reassess.

I would much rather finish this training cycle knowing I made substantial progress than force one more week simply because I had planned to race.

The Road to Huntsman did not end the way I expected, but it was still worth traveling. The next step will come after the medical issues in front of me are addressed and I have a chance to discuss future swimming and fitness with my doctors.