Beach Ottumwa is a refreshing highlight for tired RAGBRAI riders on Day 5

OTTUMWA — RAGBRAI riders found refreshing relief from another hot day in the form of a beach.

Beach Ottumwa , that is.

An Ottumwa staple since 1992, the indoor and outdoor water park, located along the shores of the Des Moines River, includes a wave pool with more than 300,000 gallons of water, curly slides, a children's play area and a speed slide that plunges the rider down more than 100 feet, according to Beach Ottumwa's website. Normally, the pool charges admission, but on Wednesday evening it was free, much to the delight of sweaty, exhausted RAGBRAI riders.

Guests, including many RAGBRAI participants, waded in the wave pool. Some lounged in the beach chairs along the edge of the pool. Others ventured to the top of a multi-story platform to zoom down the speed slide. Popular songs like Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" and OutKast's "Hey Ya!" played in the background.

With highs of 85 degrees, despite a less hilly route than earlier days this week, Carrie Anderson of Golden, Colorado, said the water attraction was a perfect remedy for the heat.

Anderson, 34, a first-time participant, is riding with her sister Kirsten Loar of Denver. Loar's husband, Tristan, and their daughter, Ava, 6, joined them Wednesday. The family soaked in the evening sun while floating together in the wave pool.

"We're both excited that my niece, her daughter, gets to see what this is all about and just like be empowered by all these people doing hard things," Anderson said.

Anderson, who had gone through knee surgery last year, said the event was a great way to get back to a level of fitness where she feels strong.

"I feel really proud of like all the work we've done to get to this point. And then all of RAGBRAI has been such a celebration of that work," she said. The event is "definitely a culture in and of itself … and just truly something to be celebrated that Iowa should be super proud of."

Anderson says she and her sister had heard about RAGBRAI through some friends who have done it before, but didn't know much about it. Now, "we think it's definitely going to be a part of our lives for a long time."

Jonathan O'Keeffe of Massachusetts said the speed slide is a RAGBRAI highlight.

"I mean, this is a great way to finish off, you know, a hot, long day on the bike. To be able to swim, have some fun," O'Keeffe, 54, said.

He said RAGBRAI has already exceeded his "high" expectations.

"It's been awesome," O'Keeffe said. "The people, the countryside, the bike riding. Just being out with 10,000 other people, rolling along. No cars on the road."

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com . Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2 .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Beach Ottumwa is a refreshing highlight for tired RAGBRAI riders on Day 5