When Canadians Dominated Atlantic City

Sponsored by WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

The inaugural 41.8 km Atlantic City Centennial Swim was held on July 26th 1954. The race, now called the 36 km Atlantic City Around the Island Swim, was established because two local lifeguards, Ed Solitare and Ed “Dutch” Stetser, were the first to attempt and complete a circumnavigation swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

On that date, Canadian Tom Park beat his Canadian rival Cliff Lumsden [shown above] to win US$5,500 in Atlantic City in 9 hours 21 minutes 42 minutes. Park would later win in 1955 and Lumsden would win in 1956.

Women shown from left to right in photo above: Marilyn Bell, Madeleine Werner, Eleanor Leopold, Winnie Roach, Lies Putt, and Janice White.

Marilyn Bell after winning women’s competition, finishing 7th overall as the youngest competitor

In the early and mid-1950’s, Lumsden, a 29-year-old father of two, was the dominant Canadian swimmer on the professional marathon swimming circuit, victorious in four Canadian National Exhibition races. But Park overtook him towards the end of the inaugural race in Atlantic City.

Lumsden’s fellow New Toronto swimmer, 16-year-old Marilyn Bell finished 7th overall and won the women’s division in 10 hours 7 minutes in the 1954 race.

1954 Atlantic City Centennial Swim Results:
1. Tom Park (Canada) 9:21:42
2. Cliff Lumsden (Canada) 9:25:10
3. Steve Wozniak (USA) 9:51:35
4. Roland Aronovitz (USA) 9:52:00
5. Herbert Simon (USA) 10:04:30
6. Chas Grove (USA) 10:06:50
7. Marilyn Bell (Canada) 10:07:28
8. Don Sabbath (USA) 10:15:00
9. Baptista Pereira (Portugal) 10:16:10
10. William Goll (USA) 10:23:40
11. Bill Sadlo (USA) 10:35:40
12. Donald DeForrest (USA) 10:37:30
13. Carlos Burns (USA) 10:57:00
14. Ed Solitare (USA) 11:05:00
15. Ralph Willard (USA) 11:05:00
No time: Oscar Magallanes, Harry McGarrigel III, Jimmy Woods, Tony Pimentel, Madeline Woerner, Winnie Roach, Ed Stetser
DNF: J.E. White, Mark Berry, Al Black, Russell Dotson, Robert Heitz, Gordon Hoerner, Jerry Kerschner, E. Leopold, Anthony Lisehora, Robert Lopey, Pedro Lopez, Karl Munce, Anthony O’Neill, Raymond O’Donnell, Myron Peters, Lies Putt