World Open Water Swimming Woman Of The Year Nominees

You can vote for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year in a worldwide poll here. The winner will be announced on January 1, 2010.

These awards are not necessarily for the best athlete, but are meant to honor the woman who (1) best embodies the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possesses the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) has most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2009.

We salute all the nominees who have enjoyed remarkable careers in the sport of open water swimming as athletes, coaches, promoters, race directors and/or administrators. Congratulations to everyone.

The 10 female nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach
2. Lisa Cummins (Ireland), Patience and Persistence Pay Off
3. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman
4. Melissa Gorman (Australia), World Champion
5. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother
6. Mighty Mermaids (USA), Masters Team Extraordinaire
7. Sally Minty-Gravett (Jersey), Teacher, Motivator and Coach
8. Poliana Okimoto (Brazil), World-class Professional
9. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimming Adventurer
10. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), World-class Racer

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach

Marcia of Chicago remained a whirlwind of activity and significant influence in the world of open water swimming from distances ranging from 1 mile to the English Channel. Marcia is the long-time Chair of the US Masters Swimming (USMS) Open Water & Long Distance Committee, a member of the USMS History & Archives Committee, and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, devoting thousands of hours to the continued development of open water swimming. She is the chief administrator for the annual USMS national championship events, including the 1-Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Cable Championships, 5 Mile Open Water Championships, 10K Open Water Championships, 1-hour Postal Championships, 5K and 10K Postal Championships, and the 3000/6000 Yard Postal Championships. She also offers coaching and clinics for open water swimmers, many in response to the continued popularity of her authoritative marathon swimming book, Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel. She continues to navigate innumerable key issues in the sport and for USMS competitions, gives speeches from coast to coast and swims alongside newcomers to increase their comfort levels and ensure their successes. As a mother of two, for her selfless, passionate and unrelenting leadership in the sport, Marcia is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

2. Lisa Cummins (Ireland), Patience and Persistence Pay Off

Lisa is not the fastest English Channel swimmer, but she surely epitomizes the essence of marathon swimming. Not only did Lisa start from scratch as an elite swimmer to become one of only twenty people in the world who have successfully completed a double-crossing of the English Channel, but she also meticulously saved, sacrificed, planned and trained mentally and physically since early 2008 to complete her epic 35 hour 36 minute swim that were followed online by the global open water swimming community. Her humor and focus in face of circumstances that were beyond reasonable were evident as she told her escort crew to not pull her from the cold Channel because she was having such a good time. After reaching land despite facing excruciating pain in her shoulders during the 2-day swim, the 26-year-old college student deservingly became the pride of Ireland. Ever optimistic and impossibly cheerful, Lisa exudes humble confidence and inspires hope among her marathon swimming colleagues and English Channel aspirants. For her incredible endurance, continued persistence and focus beyond belief, Lisa is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

3. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman

Although Natalie did not win any world-class marathon swims after her remarkable break-out year in 2008, she continued to work quietly and steadily towards the upper ranks of world-class marathon swimmers, overcoming physical obstacles unknown to her able-bodied competitors. The Olympic flag-bearer of South Africa and subject of a book called Tumble Turn, Natalie competed in the 5K (21st overall) and 10K (38th overall) races at the 2009 World Swimming Championships, professional World Cup marathon swims in Dubai and won local ocean swims such as the cold-water Cadiz Freedom Swim in Cape Town. Natalie’s pleasant personality and gift of time inspires many as she gives innumerable speeches and provides motivation to those with and without disabilities. Her kind smile, gentle demeanor and indomitable inner strength to compete with the world’s best swimmers are truly the elements of a Hollywood movie come true. For her continued courage and triumph over adversity in an unforgiving sport, Natalie is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

4. Melissa Gorman (Australia), World Champion

It took one quick stroke – and years of intense practice – for Melissa to upset the titan of professional marathon swimming. Larisa Ilchenko had not lost a major open water swimming championship – at the Olympics or in a world champion race – in the 21st century. Larisa’s track record of success was unparalleled – until Melissa set a fast pace, withstood a frantic finishing kick and out-touched Larisa in the 5K world championships in Rome this summer. Melissa’s gold medal victory – performed on open water swimming’s most important stage in 2009 – was an upset that shook the foundation of the women’s elite marathon swimming world. A relative newcomer to the sport, 23-year-old Melissa has quickly shot up the ranks among world-class open water swimmers: from 25th at the 2008 world 10K championships in Seville to 15th at the Olympic 10K in Beijing to victory in the 2009 world championships in Italy. The bubbly, vivacious swimmer from Brisbane is also a notable cross-over athlete who represents Australia in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter events in major international competitions and helps share the open water story among her pool friends and fans. She also won the US$10,000 winner-take-all RCP Tiburon Mile in another close race this year. It is for her focus and tenacity that led to an ushering in of a new era that we nominate Melissa as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year.

5. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother

Like Olympic sprinter Dara Torres, Olympian Angela continues to be a truly world-class swimmer while not only raising a child, but also being significantly older than her fellow competitors. A year after just missing an Olympic 10K bronze medal by 0.9 seconds, Angela won the 25K world championships in a tough race in Rome after placing fifth in the world championship 10K. She now has won 8 FINA world championship medals. At the age of 35, Angela remains active on the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuits. She finished third at the 10K NYC Pro Swim (USA), third in the Copenhagen (Denmark) World Cup, third in the Lake Annecy (France) World Cup, fourth in the Varna (Bulgaria) World Cup, second in the Setubal (Portugal) World Cup, seventh in the Santos (Brazil) World Cup, third in the Chun An (China) World Cup and second in the 15K Sumidero Canyon (Mexico) Grand Prix. For her unique lifestyle balance between motherhood and remaining on top of the professional marathon swimming world, Angela is nominated for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

6. Mighty Mermaids (USA), Masters Team Extraordinaire

The Mighty Mermaids are a group of six American women – all in their 50’s – who are among the most committed and fastest masters marathon swimmers on the planet. The Mighty Mermaids are extremely serious, fit and focused swimmers with a mission to demonstrate that swimming fast and having fun is easily within the realm of women north of the mid-century mark. Christie Plank Ciraulo (55 of Los Angeles), Nancy Steadman Martin (54 of New Jersey), Lisa Bennett (53 of Virginia), Jenny Cook (51 of Los Angeles), Karen Farnsworth Einsidler (53 of New Jersey) and Tracy Grilli (52 of New Hampshire) finished fifth overall in the 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 7 hours and 33 minutes after their inaugural swim at the 2008 Trans Tahoe Relay where they were the second-fastest female team and 24th overall. But beating younger teams is not their only goal, they are great ambassadors of health and the sport of open water swimming – making friends, sharing stories and inspiring others from shore-to-shore. Individually, they continue to win open water swims while maintaining a healthy lifestyle balancing family, work and training. It is their mission and track record of success for collectively nominating the Mighty Mermaids as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year.

7. Sally Minty-Gravett (Jersey), Teacher, Motivator and Coach

As the only woman to successfully cross the English Channel in four different decades (1975, 1985, 1992 and 2005), Sally Minty-Gravett promotes and manages the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club , a fabulously successful marathon swimming team, that is headquartered in the isle of Jersey in the middle of the English Channel. With an energy and enthusiasm second to none, Sally’s reach is both local and global: she teaches swimming to thousands of Jersey residents as well as develops and escorts swimmers with aims at marathon swims around the world. Sally has trained generations of Round Jersey swimmers (66K) and English Channel swimmers with incomparable patience, care, diligence and expertise, including four over the course of one week this August. For her ability to help swimmers achieve goals beyond their initial dreams and her immeasurable influence on individuals who chose to swim in the longest and coldest venues around the world, Sally is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

8. Poliana Okimoto (Brazil), Crème de la Crème Professional Swimmer

The physical presence of the slender and polite Poliana belies her intensity and focus on becoming the best in the world. Poliana travels the world seeking to race the best in all kinds of open water races – from 1-mile invitational swims in Great Britain to professional World Cup races in South America. Poliana, who placed seventh in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing, is only getting faster and better with the experience. She will win the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup title this year after winning the 10K New York City (USA) World Cup, the Copenhagen (Denmark) World Cup, the Lake Annecy (France) World Cup, the Setubal (Portugal) World Cup and the Chun An (China) World Cup and placing second in the Varna (Bulgaria) World Cup and the Santos (Brazil) World Cup. For her success on the FINA World Cup circuit and her sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance in exploiting her full potential as a marathon swimmer, Poliana is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

9. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimmer Adventurer

Penny travels the world with her husband, tackling tough marathon swims while maintaining a healthy business at home. In 2009, she became the second person ever to swim the treacherous, shark-infested 70K Alenuihaha Channel from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui. The gutsy 70K (43 miles) swim took 14 hours and 51 minutes where Penny was tossed about by occasional 6-meter (20-foot) ocean swells where her crew would lose sight of her. She quickly followed up that effort with a 14.5K (8.8-mile) swim across the Maui Channel, together with her husband, from Maui to Lanai, becoming the first women to achieve this feat. She next entered the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim where she placed finished first among women for the third year in a row in 7 hours 17 minutes. Later, she was thwarted in a reverse Manhattan Island swim where she attempted the risky swim against the currents for 28.5 miles around New York. She started off the year participating in the 120K triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in New Zealand, finishing in 33 hours and 33 minutes with 5 teammates. She also became the first person to swim 64K from Santa Barbara Island to the California mainland in 17 hours and 53 minutes. For her adventurous spirit, her obvious athletic abilities, her fearlessness and willingness to traverse the world in search of marathon swimming feats, Penny is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

10. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), World-class Racer

After winning the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medal, Keri-Anne’s unique racing strategy – always out in the front while pushing the pace – has become her signature style. Her successful track record and growing expectation that she will be the Olympic 10K favorite in London in 2012 has added to the pressure on the young woman’s shoulders – but her steely resolve, training regimen and quiet intensity keep her grounded and focused. Accessible to the media with thoughtful answers explained graciously and profoundly, Keri-Anne has become the face of marathon swimming in Great Britain. She won the prestigious 10K race at the World Swimming Championships in Rome using her well-developed navigational IQ and has raced in several other invitational races and FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup events around the world. For the world champion that she is and for serving as a wonderful ambassador of the sport and her country, Keri-Anne is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Penny Palfrey Escorted To History

Penny Palfrey became the first person to swim 40 miles (64K) from Santa Barbara Island to Pt. Vicente on the California mainland in 17 hours and 53 minutes (see map below).

Santa Barbara Island is the smallest of the Channel Islands near Southern California, located near the more famous Catalina Island.

According to reports from Anne Cleveland aboard her escort boat, the water temperature was a comfortable 68-71˚F (20-21.6˚C) for most of the swim, warming to 74˚F (23˚C) under the warm California sun.

Penny was occasionally escorted by friendly dolphins under remarkably calm seas. It is obvious to sense her joy in the unprecedented swim.


This was her sixth major marathon swim of 2009 with a 70K (43-mile) Alenuihaha Channel swim from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui, a regular Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a reverse Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a Maui Channel swim from Maui to Lanai, a 120K triple-crossing relay of Lake Taupo under her belt.

Photos by Anne Cleveland.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Great Open Water Swims of 2009

Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals of every age, ability, background attempt and complete open water swims in every conceivable body of water around the world.

2009 was no different - none of which could be possible without the tremendous help of escort boat pilots, crews, kayakers, race organizers and volunteers.

You can vote on the World's Greatest Open Water Swims of 2009 in a poll here. Below are our choices with the full realization that the season (English Channel and Southern Hemisphere) is not yet over and many others have different opinions. Your comments and suggestions are greatly welcomed.

1. 120K Lake Taupo triple-crossing in January in New Zealand. Women's team (33 hours 33 minutes) included Julie Bradshaw/Lucy Roper (England), Michelle Macy (USA), Barbara Pellick/Penny Palfrey (Australia) and Heather Osborn (New Zealand). Men's team (33 hours 31 minutes) included Steve Junk/Chris Palfrey/Stephen Spence/Dougal Hunt (Australia) and Mark Cockroft (New Zealand).

Significance: Established longest continuous relay swim conducted under English Channel rules by all-star teams of 12 established marathon swimmers.

2. Ram Barkai and Andrew Chin's 2.2K winter swim in Lake Zurich in February in Switzerland.

Significance: No wetsuits in 39°F (4°C) water with 32°F (0°C) air temperature and 19°F (-7°C) wind chill.



3. Riaan Schoeman’s one-second victory over Chad Ho and 13 Olympians in South Africa's Midmar Mile in February.

Significance: Time was fastest among nearly 19,000 entrants in the world's most popular competitive open water race.






4. Penny Palfrey’s 14 hour and 51 minute 70K (43-mile) Alenuihaha Channel crossing from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui in March.

Significance: first female crossing of the treacherous, shark-infested, very difficult channel in Hawaii.



5. Melissa Gorman’s 5K victory at the World Swimming Championships in July.

Significance: Exciting last-stroke upset victory over the most dominant professional marathon swimmer of the current era.


6. Angela Maurer’s 25K victory at the World Swimming Championships in July.

Significance: 35-year-old mother beats the world’s best professional marathon swimmers under tough conditions.






7. Tasmin Powell’s 11 hour 34 minute 70K Round Jersey circumnavigation in July.

Significance: 15-year-old home-grown swimmer from Jersey swims quickly while battling elements and seasickness.


8. Chantelle Le Guilcher’s 10 hour 37 minute 70K Round Jersey circumnavigation in July.

Significance: 15-year-old home-grown swimmer from Jersey swims quickly while battling elements.




9. Keri-Anne Payne’s 10K victory at the World Swimming Championships in July.

Significance: Led nearly the entire way against the toughest and fastest female field assembled in 2009.






10. Thomas Lurz’s double victory in the 5K and 10K races at the World Swimming Championships in July.

Significance: Two victories came back-to-back over a 2-day period against the world’s fastest men.


11. Petar Stoychev’s 6 hour 58 minute victory in the 32K Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean in July.

Significance: 9th consecutive victory in the world's most famous professional marathon swim against the world's fastest marathon swimmers.





12. Valerio Cleri’s 25K victory at the World Swimming Championships in July.

Significance: Hard-fought comeback victory under tremendous pressure in his home country against world’s fastest marathon swimmers.





13. Rostislav Vitek’s crossing of the English Channel in 7 hours and 16 minutes in August.

Significance: Fastest English Channel crossing of 2009, fourth fastest solo single-crossing of all time.



14. Jade Scognamillo’s 19 hour 59 minute 52K crossing of Lake Ontario in August.

Significance: 15-year-old becomes the youngest person to ever swum Lake Ontario, Canada.



15. Kane Radford’s victory in the US$10,000 RCP Tiburon Mile in September.

Significance: Fast 1-mile swim against several Olympic gold medalists and world champions in a winner-take-all sprint in cold San Francisco Bay.





16. Andrew Smilley’s overall 107th placing among nearly 800 swimmers in the RCP Tiburon Mile in September.

Significance: Special Olympian from Cayman Islands placed 3rd in the 19-29 age in the non-wetsuit division in the San Francisco Bay in his first cold-water experience.

17. Camlough Team's Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Open Water Relay Swim of 685.5K (426.5 miles) in northern Ireland.

Significance: Preparation and logistics of organizing 220 swimmers to swim non-stop over 232 hours and 52 minutes (9 nights and 10 days).

18. Liz Fry’s 11 hour 41 minute reverse 48K circumnavigation of Manhattan Island in September.

Significance: Shattered the existing record of 17:48 which had only been done once before by a man (Kris Rutford in 1995).

19. Liane Llewellyn's 27 hour 35 minute double-crossing of the English Channel in August.

Significance: Resilience under extremely difficult conditions.







19. Lisa Cummins's 35 hour 31 minute double-crossing of the English Channel in September.

Significance: Amazing battle against time and elements in her first attempt in the English Channel.



20. Karen Rodgers' 10 hour 50 minute 21.5-mile crossing of Lake Tahoe in California in August.

Significance: Cold-water swim at 6,225 feet (1,897 meters) in altitude.



21. Patti Bauernfeind's 10 hour and 38 minute 21.5-mile crossing of Lake Tahoe in California in August.

Significance: Broke two-week-old record at 6,225 feet (1,897 meters) in altitude.



22. Julian Crabtree's 44-mile staged swim during the 4-part Great Swim series.

Significance: Started and finished every single heat of every 1-mile swim in 4 different lakes during the Great Swim series.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Going Against The Tide

Two weeks after winning the women's division in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and before her brave attempt at a reverse circumnavigation around Manhattan Island, Penny Palfrey gave an interview on National Public Radio's famous All Things Considered program. Listen to the mild-mannered accountant-turned-adventurer's interview here.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Swimming In Reverse Upstream

8 hours and 26 minutes across New Zealand's treacherous Cook Strait (see photo with dolphins). 20K in the Rottnest Channel Swim in western Australia. 4 hours and 31 minutes across the Strait of Gibraltar. 9 hours and 16 minutes across the English Channel. 3 different solo circumnavigations around Manhattan Island. 7 hours and 51 minutes around Tampa Bay in Florida.

Unprecedented swims in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California. A 120K triple-crossing relay of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, in 33 hours and 33 minutes. 14 hours and 51 minutes across the Alenuihaha Channel between the islands of Hawaii and Maui in Hawaii. A husband-and-wife joint crossing of the Au'au Channel between the islands of Maui and Lanai in Hawaii.

Few marathon swimmers travel so far and are successful as Penny Palfrey,

Often described as a grandmother by the mainstream press, knowledgeable observers of the sport look upon Penny as a formidable and savvy competitor who remains faster and bolder than many men and women half her age. Whether it is a world record relay attempt in New Zealand, an inter-island challenge in Hawaii or standard channel swims in Europe, Penny often goes - and succeeds - where few others dare.

Penny's next challenge will be a "reverse circumnavigation" of Manhattan Island on Monday where she will swim across the currents nearly all the way around New York City. Under the watchful eye of an experienced local crew, the primary issue is by how much will she break the record of Kris Rutford from Nebraska who swam the reverse course in 17 hours and 48 minutes in 1995.

Penny will start at 12:40 pm New York time on Monday afternoon where she will start her swim in the Harlem River next to Yankee Stadium. Her plan is to fight against the current down to the East River before riding the current down the East River to the Battery. She will again have to swim against the current at the Battery before the tide turns and assists her traveling north along the Hudson. And upon reaching Spuyten Dyvil (the junction of the Hudson and Harlem rivers), she will again have to fight the current for the final stretch back to her starting point. The current may be moving at 2 knots against her much of the way.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

All Things Considered With Penny Palfrey

Penny Palfrey who will soon quietly attempt a marathon swim of significant merit, will be interviewed on National Public Radio between 4 - 5 pm New York time on Sunday, June 21st.

The marathon swimming specialist can be heard on National Public Radio's All Things Considered this weekend, a day after Cayrock 96.5 airs its live online radio coverage of several Olympians' record attempt to break the open water mile record in the Cayman Islands.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Australians Sweep Around Manhattan Island

Australia took 1-2-3 in the annual 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim with John Van Wisse (middle) defending his title in 7 hours 10 minutes 35 seconds. Penny Palfrey (left) was second in 7 hours 17 minutes and 7 seconds and Michael Renford (right) third in 7 hours 29 minutes and 4 seconds. This was similar to last year when John also took first with Penny second and Rondi Davies third.

The Vicelords won the 6-person relay in 7 hours 12 minutes and 1 second. The overall results are below:

(1) John Van Wisse: 7:10:35
(2) Vicelords: 7:12:01 (6-person relay)
(3) Penny Palfrey: 7:17:07
(4) Michael Renford: 7:29:04
(5) Mighty Mermaids: 7:33:08 (6-person relay)
(6) Team Mexico: 7:40:22 (4-person relay)
(7) Lennard Lee: 7:41:09
(8) Elizabeth Fry: 7:44:47
(9) Marcella MacDonald: 7:48:59
(10) Conor Rowley: 7:52:15
(11) Lance Ogren: 7:59:44
(12) Jon Ennis: 8:02:25
(13) Mariel Hawley: 8:08:15.
(14) Rob Deakin: 8:19:50
(15) Antonio Arguelles: 8:21:11
(16) Chris Palfrey: 8:21:40
(17) Jane McCormick: 8:24:40
(18) Leticia Flores Hernandez: 8:30:12
(19) Maria Matheu: 8:31:00
(20) Elaine Howley: 8:39:50
(21) NY Harbor Seals: 8:40:33 (2-person relay)
(22) George Hunihan: 8:41:54
(23) NY Nadadores: 8:45:39 (4-person relay)
(24) Brooklyn Masters Double Take: 8:47:05 (4-person relay)
(25) Kathleen Jaeger: 8:53:07
(26) Willy Blumentals: 9:05:15
DNF: Ricardo Grossman, Stephen Autry, Cara McAteer, Suzie Dods, Amanda Hunt, Four Loops (4-person relay), Asphalt Green Triathlon Club (4-person relay), Sea Lice (2-person relay)

"I didn't feel cold," said John. "I go with my rhythm. It's a lot of preparation [to train for the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and I felt good."

Swimming World Magazine also had coverage of the race - click here.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Strong Field Swimming Around New York

The famous Manhattan Island Marathon Swim will be held on June 6th with a particularly strong field. Penny Palfrey is one of the favorites and will headline an international field of stalwart swimmers.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Mike Spalding - One Tough Cookie

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

To the best of our knowledge, Maui resident Mike Spalding was the first channel swimmer in recent memory to have been attacked by a shark, although many swimmers from Catalina Island to the Caribbean have been approached by sharks on their solo efforts.



Spalding, a well-known ocean swimmer from Hawaii, had to halt his 30-mile Alenuihaha Channel crossing from the Big Island of Hawaii to the island of Maui about 4.5 hours and 11 miles into his swim.

What is even more scary about the attack is that Mike was hit at 8:00 pm. 15 seconds after feeling a sharp pain on his chest, Mike received a 3″ diameter, 1″ deep wound on the back of his left leg, reportedly caused by a cookie cutter shark (see photo of alien-looking creature).

Spalding had recently been inducted into the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame for his seven channel swims between Hawaiian Islands. His attempt of the Alenuihaha Channel was his more difficult one - between the northern tip of the Big Island and the southeast shore of Maui.

True to his nature and less than a day after Australian Penny Palfrey completed her attempt of the Alenuihaha Channel, Spalding immediately knew the consequences of the attack. "I got hit in the calf. It was such a disappointment because I knew the swim was over. I was bleeding profusely."

According to the Maui News, Spalding yelled in pain, quickly swimming over to his escort kayak in the pitch darkness. "I didn't see [the shark]. All I felt was the bite, and I got the hell out of the water as quick as I could." As his escort paddler Buddy McLean helped him get into the kayak, the kayak began to quickly fill with blood. Buddy used a VHF radio to call a nearby support boat for help. The boat and its crew picked up the men and tried to stop the bleeding. Pressure with a towel and an antibiotic were applied to the wound which was covered with gauze and secured with duct tape.

"It was pretty crazy. He got hit twice," said his paddler. "I couldn't see anything in the water, but [I knew] Spalding was in serious trouble because of the way he yelled."

Here is one loud shout out to Spalding's courage and recovery and his support team's fast actions.

Photos by the Maui News.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

World Record Relay in Lake Taupo

On January 6th, Chris Palfrey, Penny Palfrey and Julie Bradshaw organized two relay teams that set a world lake swimming record by completing a 126 km (78.2 miles) triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand

The men’s team finished in 33 hours 31 minutes 15 seconds with the women’s team very close behind in 33 hours 33 minutes 45 seconds. The swimmers included Julie Bradshaw (England), Michelle Macy (USA), Barbara Pellick (Australia), Penny Palfrey (Australia), Lucy Roper (England) and Heather Osborn (New Zealand).

The men's team included Steve Junk (Australia), Mark Cockroft (New Zealand), Dougal Hunt (Australia), Chris Palfrey (Australia) and Stephen Spence (Australia) with New Zealand legend Philip Rush (shown above), the fastest person to complete a triple crossing of the English Channel, as a key support person.

Below is an excerpt from a first-person account of the Taupo x 3 relay by Chris Palrey:

By any standards, Lake Taupo is big. Located in the centre of the north island of New Zealand, the lake was formed by a massive volcanic explosion which made an enormous divot in the landscape, eventually filling with fresh water. Roughly 40 km long, and almost as wide, our boat skippers said with some pride, that the lake covered the same area as Singapore.

The idea to do a relay swim across the lake came about back in 2007. Because Philip Rush had told us previously that there had been a small number of solo and relay crossings of the lake, I said, “How about a triple crossing of the lake?” And the wheels were set in motion.

Philip took care of the boats and inflatable boats for guiding swimmers at close quarters, one for each team.

We determined rules for the swim and adopted the Channel Swimming Association and Channel Piloting & Swimming Federation rules for relay crossings and adopted these rules:

• No wetsuits. Swimsuits must be FINA approved.
• No artificial aids.
• No external assistance to the swimmer. The swimmer cannot be touched (except on the relay changes) or be supported while swimming.
• Relay changeovers to occur each hour. That is, one person swims for one hour, and then has five hours rest, repeating the sequence until the finish.
• Each relay change to occur by the fresh person swimming up behind the retiring swimmer, tagging hands above the water and then taking over.
• Swimmers to remain in their designated order.
• Swimmer to clear the water at the end of each lap and immediately return and recommence swimming.

Our group filtered into the town of Taupo, at the northern end of the lake, between December 31 and January 3. And Taupo itself was bustling, being a favourite holiday destination for the Kiwis. There was great camaraderie between the group and a sense of oneness.

On January 4th, Philip gave the final briefing. The water temperature was 18.5°C (65°F) and the weather forecast was good, so we would swim the following day. We met at the marina at 2.00am on Monday January 5th, loaded the boats, and started our journey to the southern end of the lake.

The plan was to start at first light from near Tokaanu, at the southern most point of the lake, heading roughly north east past Motutaiko Island, cutting close to Rangitiri point, before finishing on the beach in front of the Waikato River. The distance by GPS for one lap was 40.2K. The second lap would retrace our course back to the starting point and the final lap was a repeat of the first. The idea of starting early was to have only one night of swimming, as we thought we might take anything from 36 to 40 hours to complete the journey, depending on weather conditions.

We reached our starting point at 5.00 am. The water was calm, but we did not know how long the good conditions would last. We got underway at 5.33 am.

It was said many times that this was not a race and that we were one group, embarking on a shared challenge. But, beneath the surface, we were athletes with strong competitive natures. Penny and Steve managed 3.9 km in 57 minutes [on the first leg]. Mark and Michelle were next up and even though they had said they didn’t want to go hard, early on in the journey, it was clear that neither swimmer wanted the other to gain an advantage.

Mark established a 20-metre lead on Michelle as they both did 3.9 km for their one-hour rotation. We were changing over at 6.30, 7.30, 8.30, etc to keep it simple. Up next was Dougal and Barb and he managed to give the boys a 100-metre advantage, doing 3.8 km in his hour.

Heather and I were up next. I have had a niggling shoulder injury for a few months so I had resolved to take it steady. I surrendered the lead and handed the girls a 100-metre advantage.

Julie and Stephen were up next. Stephen jumped in [and] it was clear that he was a man on a mission. He did an impressive 4 km in his hour and gave us back a 200-metre lead.

At about this time, it occurred to us blokes, that we actually had a chance of beating the girls, although the swim was never meant to be a race. I thought the men would finish well behind. Anyhow, we now realised that we were going to have some fairly close rivalry, so the boys all lifted the pace considerably. In the first five one hour rotations, we managed 19.1K, and in the second five hours we achieved 20 km. But the girls were never far behind.

The men finished the first leg of 40.2 km in a time of 10 hours 22 minutes; the girls were a mere 6 minutes astern.

In the course of the early afternoon, a light breeze had developed from the south. So we enjoyed a slight push along for the last 1½ hours of the first lap. But as we now started retracing our strokes toward the southern end of the lake, we now had to punch into a light headwind. The wind increased to around 10 knots from a WSW direction until around 3 am.

We [faced] a 2-foot chop. In our first five-hour rotation [on] the second lap, we covered 18 km, compared to 20 km for the latter half of the first lap.

[Between] 6.30 to 7.30 pm, with the breeze and the sun sinking low on the horizon, it was becoming quite cool. After 14 hours of swimming, we were starting to feel tired.

My next shift in the water was [between] 11:30 pm to 12:30am. It was dark and very choppy. Swimming at night was actually quite enjoyable. There was a ¾ moon which gave some natural light, there was nothing to fear from predators, and time seemed to tick by much faster than during the day.

We still held a slender 150m lead on the girls, which we held until the end of the second lap. We had covered the second lap in 12 hours 15 minutes and the girls finished their second lap a mere 4 minutes behind. Whilst the swim was not a race, the rivalry was as intense as it was fascinating.

By mid morning, the blokes had all done five one-hour rotations at ever increasing amounts of effort, and we were starting to suffer. And the girls were either nipping at our heels or enjoying a slight lead.

When I took over from Dougal, we were abeam of Motutaiko Island, about half way through the last lap. The water was calm and I was swimming just in front of the bow. I could see the girls boat 250 metres to our right and about 30 metres in front. I could even see the splash from Julie’s stroke. When Stephen took over from me, we had a good 200m lead.

When Steve and Penny took to the water for their final burst, the blokes enjoyed a 600m lead. One hour later, when Mark and Michelle went into battle, our lead was cut to less than 50 metres. Steve did an incredible 4.5K in his hour, on his seventh rotation, and we almost had to drag him out of the water. So that meant Penny must have covered 5 km. In fresh water, after a day and a half, with very little sleep and the accumulated fatigue, that was quite extraordinary.

Mark and Michelle had previously been very evenly matched, and with only around 10 km to go, it couldn’t have been closer. For 30 minutes it was neck and neck, with no change in positions. But then, as we approached Rangatiri point, we started to inch ahead. We were about 100m closer to the point and our skippers wanted to cut as close to the shore as possible [to] pick up any current.

We had a little over 100m lead when Barb and Dougal started their final rotation. We only had 6 km to go, and could see the sailing club building, where we would finish our epic journey.

I was hoping for a lead, as Heather and I would be doing the final 2K sprint to shore. At the last change, Dougal had given us a 200m lead. Heather had previously been faster than I, so I went as hard as I could. Every few minutes, I snuck a quick peep under my shoulder, but my confidence was growing as I could see their boat wasn’t getting any closer. And then finally, I swam past the channel markers at the river entrance, and could see the bottom. The guys on the boat jumped in and swam the last 200m with me.

Standing and running up the sand was an amazing feeling. We were sunburnt, very sore and physically spent, but almost overwhelmed with our accomplishment. We raised our arms and cheered Rod and Steve (skippers) and Paul (safety officer/observer) back on the boat.

Heather hit the beach a mere 2 minutes 39 seconds behind, and the other girls also swam in with her. There were hugs, kisses and handshakes all round as we huddled together, to the amusement of the local beachgoers.

WE DID IT!!! After 120.6K, Philip advised our finishing time at 33 hours 31 minutes 15 seconds. The girls did 33 hours 33 minutes 54 seconds. I don’t think it would be possible to find two teams so evenly matched.

Our splits were:

Men: Lap 1 (10:22), Lap 2 (12:15), Lap 3 (10.54)
Women: Lap 1 (10:28), Lap 2 (12:13), Lap 3 (10:53)

A month before our swim, we became aware that a world record relay lake swim had been set in Florida in September, 2008. In that relay, two teams of 50 swimmers, each doing 2 km, covered 100 km in 37 hours 6 minutes and 41 hours 15 minutes, respectively.

Whilst we were not motivated by the record, we knew that we only had to finish to break it, so we will certainly proceed to have it ratified. And it appears that both teams will create a record.

New Zealand is a scenic and beautiful country. Swimmers are welcome to try to break our relay record, or solo swimmers can attempt the full crossing. Philip Rush is the best contact person for this.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

They Did It

2 extraordinarily teams of 6 swimmers each, led by Chris Palfrey, Penny Palfrey and Julie Bradshaw, completed an unprecedented 126 km relay (78.2 miles) triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand.

The men’s team finished in 33 hours 31 minutes 15 seconds while the women’s team was close behind in 33 hrs 33 min 45 secs. More details will be posted later at Michelle Macy’s website and Penny Palfrey’s blog.

The swimmers included Julie Bradshaw (England), Michelle Macy (USA), Barbara Pellick (Australia), Penny Palfrey (Australia), Lucy Roper (England) and Heather Osborn (New Zealand).

The men's team included Steve Junk (Australia), Mark Cockroft (New Zealand), Dougal Hunt (Australia), Chris Palfrey (Australia) and Stephen Spence (Australia).

New Zealand legend Philip Rush (shown above), the fastest person to ever complete a triple crossing of the English Channel, helped organize the record swim.

Photo of Lake Taupo sunset by Travelx2.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

International Field Set for New York City Circumnavigation

The Manhattan Island Foundation announced a diverse field for its June 6th 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. Entries were submitted electronically from all over the world. Within a few hours, the committee had vetted hundreds of entries and extended an official invitation to 27 athletes and 14 teams.

The Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 2009 competitors include 49-year-old Antonio Argüelles from Mexico City, 60-year-old Stephen Autry from Cincinnati, 36-year-old Willy Blumentals from North Bergen (New Jersey), 30-year-old Rob Deakin from London, 48-year-old Suzie Dods from San Francisco, 42-year-old Jonathan Ennis from San Francisco, 39-year-old Leticia Flores Hernandez from Mexico, 50-year-old Elizabeth Fry from Westport (Connecticut), 51-year-old Ricardo Grossman from Mexico, 40-year-old Mariel Hawley from Mexico, 31-year-old Elaine Howley from Waltham (Massachusetts), 54-year-old George Hunihan from Milford (Connecticut), 39-year-old Amanda Hunt from Sydney, 45-year-old Kathleen Jaeger from New York, 25-year-old Lennard Lee from London, 45-year-old Marcella MacDonald from Andover (Connecticut), 44-year-old Maria Matheu from Guatemala City, 34-year-old Cara McAteer from Brooklyn (New York), 27-year-old Jane McCormick from Manchester (U.K.), 37-year-old Lance Ogren from New York, 51-year-old Chris Palfrey from Townsville (Australia), 46-year-old Penny Palfrey from Townsville (Australia), 47-year-old Michael Renford from Sydney, 18-year-old Conor Rowley from London and 36-year-old John Van Wisse from Beaumaris (Australia). 38-year-old Carlos Komori from Mexico and 33-year-old Anna Wardley from Gosport (U.K.) are waitlisted.

The 25 solo swimmers and 14 teams (2-person, 4-person and 6-person relays) will start and finish near Wall Street and will race 45.8K (28.5 miles) around Manhattan Island. The race was first held in 1927 and has seen many of the world’s best swimmers stake their own claims around New York City. Substantial surface chop and strong tidal pull are possible, but the water temperature are reasonable (17-19°C or 64-67°F).

Race photos from Susan Egan.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association