It was an honor to be in the presence of so many great open water marathon swimmers this past weekend at the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim! This 28.5-mile, 38 participant race is held annually (first completed in 1915 – the official “race” came years later) around Manhattan Island in New York City. I had the pleasure last year of observingOliver Wilkinson, and was now very excited to participate in this years’ “swimming”. My parents, along with my good friend Mike were in support, as well as the intrepid JC Malick on kayaking duties. I asked JC to kayak for me since I knew he had kayak supported the race several times, including Oliver’s attempt last year. After watching John Van Wisse (with kayaker Richard Clifford) and Oliver (kayaker JC Malick) duke it out last year, I knew I wanted some experience on my side! Morty Berger and his team at NYC Swim did a fantastic job once again this year – I sincerely appreciate the effort!
The weekend began with a pre-race meeting at Harry’s Italian Pizza (I think that is what it was called) in lower Manhattan. Many of the participants, crew and kayakers were present, and we went over a few details prior to having dinner. It was really nice to see the gathering of old and new marathon swimmers!
The air temperature around Manhattan this past weekend was in the upper-80s, with water temperatures in the low-70s (at times I was told reached 75) – needless to say, being cold was not a problem! I was a part of the 4th wave of swimmers to enter the water, including champion Abby Nunn who totally kicked butt! Well done Abby!! We were divided up into around 10 per wave, and jumped off of the pier as they called our name. We floated out about 25-yards, took a group picture (good suggestion Javier!) and waited until the whistle blew for the start!
Rounding the southern tip of Manhattan is an awesome feeling, as you can breathe to the right and see the Statue of Liberty, and breathe to the left, and the Financial District is right there! Continue swimming, and you begin to pass under the first of many bridges throughout the day. The famous Brooklyn Bridge is first, followed by the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. As I progressed up along the East River, and FDR Drive, it can sometimes be very interesting while attempting to pass competitors who have left in prior heats. We were fortunate enough to not become bottle-necked at all, which I attest to JC kayaking skill! As we steered to the left of Roosevelt Island, we passed underneath the Queensboro bridge, and I felt some faster currents as the water was wedged around the island. We kept to the left of Mill Rock, and passed under Ward’s Island Bridge, on our way past Jefferson Park, and into the Harlem River. This is where the journey got a little “funky”, as I noticed a slight increase in the water temperature, decrease in the water quality, and encountered a little more garbage – perhaps this was from the prior evening storm?
In the northern most part of the island, the water became quite choppy and was a solid push right around the Spuyten Duyvil bridge and out into the Hudson. Although the water in the pictures looks flat, I can guarantee we hit some rough patches – the more the merrier! The final stretch down the Hudson is a great feeling to know you are in the “home stretch”, however you still have close to 10-miles left! Making sure you don’t open up just yet is important, as I tend to prefer conserving my energy for the last few miles in case I need to push hard to overcome another swimmer, or to avoid being overcome! I did a strong push up the upper East River, the middle of the Harlem during the rough chop and a final push down the final few miles in order to chase down the swimmer in front of me, and avoid being overtaken by a closing competitor. The final mile or so is such a relief when you finally see the North Cove white tents – just pass these tents is the long concrete wall which is the last few hundred yards before the giant, orange finishing buoys!! DONE.
In addition to completing MIMS, I was now officially on the list of swimmers who have achieved theTriple Crown of Marathon Swimming – English Channel, Catalina Channel and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. It is a privilege to be listed alongside 51 other swimmers from around the world who have accomplished these iconic swims! Congratulations to Jim Fitzpatrick, and William Lee who also completed the Triple in Manhattan!
Check out the article here!
You can also check out my kayaker, JC Malick’s video on the swim HERE!
Cheers to a great weekend of adventure!!
