Britta Kamrau of Germany has it all. 
Britta Kamrau took a slight lead over three Olympic 10K medalists and won the 1-mile Great Scottish Swim in 18:56 seconds. Larisa Ilchenko was second in 18:58 and Keri-Anne Payne was third in 19:01.
The German Swimming Federation announced its 2009 World Swimming Championship team with Stephanie Biller (shown on left) and Angela Maurer swimming the 10K and 25K, Nadine Pastor and Britta Kamrau swimming the 5K, Thomas Lurz and Jan Wolfgarten in the 5K, and Thomas and Christian Reichert in the 10K.
The six-time world champion Thomas Lurz and Nadine Pastor won the 5K titles at the Germany's Open Water Swimming National Championships. Thomas won in 54:40.96 over Jan Wolfgarten who finished in 54:45.11. Nadine just barely touched out Britta Kamrau in 1:00:21.8 vs. 1:00:22.4. 
Thomas Lurz, the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist, and Angela Maurer, who placed a close fourth in the Olympic 10K in Beijing, both won the German National Open Water Swimming Championships 10K race to qualify for the 2009 World Swimming Championships. 
Thomas won in 1:57:37.2 over Christian Reichert's 1:57:41.1. Angela won in 2:01:31.4 over Stefanie Biller in 2:01:36.2 All four swimmers will represent Germany in the 10K race in Rome. 
The upcoming German National Open Water Swimming Championships will be held in Bodensee (Lake Constance in English) where the water is expected to be 18.4°C (65°F). 
Angela, who got a close fourth in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing is an early riser - not a surprise as she is a 33-year-old with a four-year-old son. Besides world champion Britta (shown on left), Angela will also face tough competitors in Nadine Pastor and Stefanie Biller in the 10K and 25K races.
Bild Magazine, the best-selling German newspaper, announced its Top 100 Most Beautiful Women in Germany (Die 100 erotischsten Frauen Deutschlands) list. 
We previously reported on the pro Sumidero Canyon 15K; Omar Díaz González provided us with a variety of great shots from the race. The photo on left shows the men lining in front of their escort boats: Peter Stoychev, Diego Nogueira, Iván López, Michael Dimitrev, Saleh Mohammad, Damián Blaum, Gabriel Villagoys, Arseniy Larentyev, Manuel Chiu and Rodolfo Valenti.
The next photos show the 15K course down the scenic canyon.
Both the men and women went at each other for hours, constantly jockeying for position...until the very end...
...when Petar Stoychev and Britta Kamrau emerged with down-to-the-wire victories. 
Surrounded by the sheer cliff walls in Sumidero Canyon in southern Mexico, Petar Stoychev and Britta Kamrau came through yet again with nail-biting victories. When it comes to marathon swims, these two new inductees in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame live up to their well-deserving reputations.
Sports fans around the world appreciate the physical gifts and mental toughness of Tiger Woods, the world's best golfer. On the final day of a golf tournament, there is no one tougher.
If there were a Tiger in the open water world, it would have to be of Russian descent. If Tiger's haven is the 18th hole of the final round of gold tournaments, then Larisa Ilchenko's haven is the final stretch in 5K and 10K marathon swims..jpg)
At the 2004 World Open Water Swimming Championships, Larisa outsprinted Russian teammate Ksenia Popova, one of the fastest American 800-meter freestylers, Sara McLarty and a world-class field in an urban river in Dubai.
At the 2006 World Open Water Swimming Championships in the Mediterranean Sea off Naples, Italy, Larisa won convincingly over Brazilian Poliana Okimoto and Russian teammate Ksenia in the 10K and over Poliana and Britta Kamrau of Germany in the 5K. 
At the 2007 World Swimming Championships, Larisa characteristically out-sprinted teammate Ekaterina Seliverstova and Australian Kate Brookes-Peterson in the 5K battle in the rough seas off Melbourne, Australia. 
At the Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, Larisa achieved her most exciting come-from-behind victory over a pair of British medalists, Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten.
Like Tiger walking down the fairway heading to 18th hole, Larisa comes charging down the final straightaway with the eye of the Tiger. They both have an inner strength build upon years of training and a supreme confidence that they have done everything to prepare themselves mentally and physically.
The German Open Water Swimming Championships will double as the Germany's qualification races for the 5K, 10K and 25K distances at the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome. The qualification races will be held in the Bodensee near Lindau in June. 
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. 
Vladimir is shown above finishing at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Seville where he qualified first for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. Gerry is shown below exiting the water to win the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, America’s Premier Rough Water Swim that has been held since 1916.
Trent Grimsey, winner of the RCP Tiburon Mile (shown on left) also has this eye of the tiger. 
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. +Britta+pre-race.jpg)
1. Use lanolin to help alleviate some of the "sting and shock" of cold water. The lanolin should be firmly pressed into the skin, especially around the neck, under arms, around the torso and upper legs. It is best to apply with rubber gloves and, remember, lanolin is tough to get off. See photo of International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee Britta Kamrau with lanolin on before a cold-water race on left.
5. Swim as close to shore as possible, even if one has to fight through surf. If not possible, then swim with a kayak, boat, paddleboard escort, or with another swimmer.
Under the leadership of Dale Petranech, the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame selected its Class of 2009, a classically international mix of open water swimming pioneers, endurance swimmers with a body of unprecedented swims and elite swimmers with a record of professional marathon racing success. 
The winner of the Irving Davids/Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award was Mike Read. The Davids/ Wheeler Memorial Award was established in 1970 by the New England Marathon Swimming Association on behalf of the Hall of Fame. Michael was King of the Channel® between 1979 –2000 when he was the most prolific English Channel swimmer with 31 crossings. He was the first person to make six successful crossings in one season, has swim over 110 open water swims over 16 kilometers, including many unprecedented swims, and served as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Channel Swimming Association for 30 years. 
Britta Kamrau, who remains active on the FINA World Cup and Grand Prix circuits, won numerous professional marathon swims, including 25 different FINA World Cup races since 1997, and has been victorious in several European and world championship races at 10K and 25K distances. 
David Meca Medina was ranked #1 in the 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003 FINA World Cup circuits winning professional marathon swims in Macedonia, Egypt, Argentina, Brazil, Macedonia, Italy and USA, and competing in over 200 open water swims, including several unprecedented solo swims. He won the 2004 and 2005 Rolex Trophy for the fastest times of the season in the English Channel (7 hours 40 minutes and 7 hours 22 minutes).Gulnara+Samoilova.jpg)
Skip Storch has several ultra-marathon swims under his belt. He was nominated for ESPN’s Best Outdoor Sports Athlete for his 32 hour 52 minute triple circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island.
Petar Stoychev has won nine consecutive FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix titles, including over 50 victories in individual professional marathon swims, and hold the English Channel record of 6 hours and 57 minutes. He was the flag bearer for the Bulgarian Olympic Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he swam the 1500 freestyle and got sixth in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.
Sunny Lowry was honored posthumously after being president of the Channel Swimming Association between 2000-2007. After two unsuccessful attempts, Sunny completed the English Channel in 15 hours and 41 minutes in August 1933 becoming the seventh woman and fifteen person overall to conquer the English Channel. 
Britta Kamrau won the 15K FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix on February 14th in Viedma, Argentina. Britta now has 3 medals in 3 races after winning gold in Rosario and a silver in Santa Fe earlier this month. 
The race took place on the Rio Negro river with 31 swimmers (13 women and 18 men) from 9 nations competing. The river currents and leaders changed frequently as the swimmers battled constantly around six 2.5K loops in a rectangular course. It was only after the last turn buoy where the top three men and Britta finally broke away from the rest of the men's and women's packs.
Larisa Ilchenko came out with a bilingual (Russian + English) website, joining Maarten van der Weijden, Britta Kamrau, Damian Blaum, Angela Maurer, Thomas Lurz, Ana Marcela Cunha, Keri-Anne Payne and others on the professional marathon swimming circuit with websites. Enjoy.
Germans Britta Kamrau (shown below) and Alexander Studzinski (shown on left) won the second leg of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix in Rosario, Argentina over the weekend. 
Home country favorites also performed well with Cecilia Biagioli placing third in the women's race and Gabriel Villagoiz and Damian Blaum finishing second and third in the men's race. 
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. 
20-year-old Linsy Heister of the Netherlands, who continues to improve after her 4th-place finish in the 25 km at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships, upset two-time winner Britta Kamrau, finishing in 8:55:27
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. 
Among the male swimmers, 8-time Grand Prix champion and 6:57 English Channel swimmer Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria will face home country favorite Damian Blaum and a stellar field.
German Stefanie Biller, who trains in England, and Spaniard Esther Núñez (shown below) will battle Russian Natalya Pankina, the 2008 Grand Prix champion and a 8:11 English Channel swimmer, and Germans Angela Maurer and Britta Kamrau. Angela has won this race once before and Britta (shown below) has won it twice.
Other female swimmers in the field include Noelia Petti (Argentina), Pilar Geijo (Argentina), Marianella Mendoza (Argentina), Rita Garcia (Argentina), Linsy Heister (Holland) and Stretcher Frediani (Italy). 
