I will be the first one to admit that I knew the odds were stacked against me for a successful swim around the 28 mile Manhattan Island in New York. The event is called 20 Bridges Marathon Swim... I was doubtful of a successful swim because I was notified by one the organizer Rondie Davies a week prior to the swim that currents for that day were weak and and no benefit for a slow swimmer (me). I did my research on tidal flow and she was absolutely correct. She offered to transfer my slot to next year. She wants to see a swimmer succeed. I declined her generous offer. I decided to take a different approach to this swim. I asked my good friend and swim buddy Yoko Aoshima to analyze my stroke a week before my swim. Her advice helped me to improve my speed. Yoko was instrumental in my success. Then I studied the strategy of this enormous challenge and asked Louise Darlington for her insight. Louise gave me some well needed advice of the challenge of swimming around Manhattan. A few minutes before the start of my swim, I met with John my kayaker and boat pilot Steve and quickly explained my feed strategy to them. My observer Mary was on board to monitor my swim....the rules are similar to other marathon swims.... a swimmer cannot be touched, no wetsuits allowed. My sister-in-law Jean Murdoch-Gallant was my crew. She did an absolutely amazing job. She had a very busy job of monitoring every moment of my swim. Also, she wrote the names of my brothers' Robbie and Johnny on my arm in memory of them.
The strategy: once the swim starts a Pier A, the swimmer needs to swim to the East River and swim to Hell's Gate near the entry area of the Harlem River. If a swimmer cannot reach that area in a certain amount of time, they are stopped and pulled from the water and classified as a DNF (did not finish). Once the swimmer is in the Harlem River the currents are very unpredictable and may slow a swimmer. Again, if a swimmer cannot reach the end of the Harlem River in a designated time, they will be stopped and pulled from race due to tidal flow. Once the swimmer arrives in the Hudson River, they need to reach the finish line about 10 miles away before the flood tide arrives. If the swimmer does not make any progress in the Hudson River, they will be stopped and pulled. My plan was to sprint the East River to Hell's Gate with my new swim technique (thanks to Yoko). Also, for the past few years I have tweaked my feeds. My pattern was a liquid carbohydrate on my first stop after two hours of swimming, my next stop was two hours later and consume a bottle of plain water and peanut butter cookie (about 250 calories). Plain water is crucial during a marathon swim in hot weather. Because of the air temperature being in the nineties, I consumed plain water every other hour after the 4th hour as the temperature rose. At the start of my swim, I went all out until I reached Hell's Gate. Swimming in the Harlem River was quite the experience.....lots of debris, including a dead rat floating by. My immunizations were up to date and I was started on an antibiotic as prophylactic treatment. I knew I could not revert back to my nice long slow relaxing pace from other marathon swims. So I continued to push hard until I reached the Hudson River. I was expecting the Hudson to be the easiest part....Wrong!! It was incredibly choppy and with a headwind. I was told that I would make it to the finish before the cut-off time. For about 15 minutes I went at a slower pace because I thought the Hudson River would do most of the work...wrong again!!! After my many training sessions at Sebago Lake here in Maine, I knew that chop and a headwind would significantly slow a swimmer. I decided to start sprinting again. As I neared the finish line, I saw a few officials on jet skis watching me. I feared that I was going to be pulled because I was about a quarter mile from the finish line. I could tell that the current was starting to flood and that was not good. My kayaker John kept me close to the wall where the current was less. I was able to cross the finish line in 10 hours and 53 minutes. I set a World Record for the Oldest Person to swim the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (English Channel, Catalina Channel, and Manhattan Island) and a Record for Oldest Woman to swim around Manhattan Island at the age of 67 years and 148 days. Of the three marathon swims. I found Manhattan Island to be the toughest because I don't like to sprint especially for ten hours.
I found that the organizers of 20 Bridges Marathon Swim did an incredible job....very well organized with safety as their priority. I was grateful to Rondie Davies for making me aware of the weak currents scheduled for June 30. If it wasn't for her email, I probably would have started with my slow relaxing pace and I would not have made it to Hell's gate and would have been pulled. Another person instrumental in my success was Louise Darlington. She explained in detail about the strategy needed for a slow swimmer to be successful in this swim. Louise was instrumental in my success.
I want to thank Swimsuits for All for their sponsorship. They promote the diversity of women and recognize that women come in all sizes, shapes, and ages. I am proud to be wearing their beautiful swimsuits.
My family was instrumental in my success, too. Their ongoing words of encouragement and support was heartfelt. A special thank you to my daughter Sarah for updating Facebook during my swim. And, a huge thank you to Yoko Aoshima for helping me to improve my stroke. Also, I want to thank everyone for cheering me on.....I was overwhelmed with the hundreds of messages that I received. Now, on to the next adventure Lake Tahoe in August.
