Tom Hecker of Del Mar, California, a Triple Crown swimmer, is training to add to his marathon swimming CV: English Channel in 2005, Gibraltar Straits in 2006, Manhattan Island in 2008 and Catalina Channel in 2009.To achieve his goal of swimming the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand, Tom must prepare himself to swim 18.4 miles (30K) in 58º- 62ºF (14º- 17ºC) water for 10-12 hours. There are a few locations in the US that offer ideal training grounds for the marathon swims like the Cook Strait.
In these locations, like-minded athletes gather year-round, the water remains in this 14º- 17ºC temperature range for much of the year, the dramatic natural beauty never ceases to amaze and where the culture of open water swimming remains strong. Aquatic Park in San Francisco, La Jolla Cove, north of San Diego, and Coney Island's Brighton Beach in New York are a few locations that come immediately to mind.
Tom is training in the La Jolla Cove and is selling Cook Strait t-shirts to defray his expenses and to fund money for his former high school swim team, Bourgade Catholic. The first run of t-shirts were sold out, but additional orders can be made by emailing Tom at toms_2010_css@yahoo.com.
Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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