Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. In August 1988, Kristian Rutford of Lincoln, Nebraska began his journey to the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. He quickly knocked off the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and the English Channel in 10 hours 44 minutes, both in 1988. Then, he stopped crossing channels and starting focus on lake swim and
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Samir Barel of Brazil completed the final leg of his Tríplice Coroa (Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming) this morning with a Catalina Channel crossing in 8 hours 45 minutes. Among his support team are two FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix champions, a husband-and-wife team of Damián Blaum and Esther
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Coach Shelley Taylor-Smith talks about the preparation, both physically and logistically, necessary for a successful channel swim. She spoke near the shores of the Pacific Ocean before she helped escort Julieanne Goode cross the Catalina Channel last month. Goode's successful outcome is described
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. In the days of LORAN and when marathon swimmers around the world numbered in the dozens not in the thousands, a young group of beach city kids began their own dreams of swimming across the Catalina Channel. "We trained all over the place in and around Long Beach including getting dropped off in mid-channel
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. American Bob Fernald culminated his three-year journey to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming this week. The 49-year-old from North Hampton, New Hampshire became the latest person to become a Triple Crowner with his crossing of the Catalina Channel. But his journey did not start on the right
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. The use of swim streamers in channel swims and marathon swims has been debated by a few. But, at the heart of the debate, we wonder, "What is really the practical difference between a channel swimmer who uses a swim streamer and a channel swimmer who swims between two kayakers or between a kayaker and a
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Tracy Clark is a prolific open water swimmer from New Zealand who currently lives in the Netherlands. Clark is the latest person and first swimmer from New Zealand who has accomplished the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Crewed by marathon veterans Roger Finch and Jim Clifford, she completed her
GPS tracking courtesy of Evan Morrison, Catalina Channel, California. Robert Palmese had raised the money, recruited the crew, trained the miles, and planned for the first three-way crossing of the Catalina Channel. But he had not planned for a shoulder injury (bicep tendonitis) before his estimated 36+ hour attempt. An hour from Catalina Island, his
GPS tracker courtesy of Evan Morrison, Marathon Swimmers Federation. Melissa Yasmin Berkay writes frequently about open water swimming and elite open water swimmers, from Olympians to channel swimmers, for Swimming World Magazine. It will be interesting to see how she writes about her own 12 hour 37 minute butterfly crossing of the Catalina Channel
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Kerry Yonushonis completed her Catalina Channel crossing today in 11 hours 27 minutes. Her crossing (Kerry Swims For Dyslexia) was part of a Bicoastal Aquathon that includes the Bicoastal Relay Team that comprises of dyslexic students who swam a 4.2-mile relay along the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in
