Holy bejeezus ...
Diana Nyad: I broke many records in my prime as a long-distance swimmer back in the 1970’s, in my twenties. For my world record—102.5 continuous miles from the Bahamas to Florida in 1979—and other swims, such as breaking the 50-year-old mark for circling Manhattan Island ... Yet my dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida was dashed in 1978, after fighting stiff winds and huge seas for 41hrs, 49 mins, and still not reaching the Florida coast ...
... Until a year ago, I hadn’t swum a stroke for 31 years. Swimmer’s burnout gripped me to the point that I could have sworn I would never, ever swim a lap again in my life. But approaching 60 last year threw me into the existential angst of wondering what I had done with my life ... I started swimming a few laps, just to take some pressure off the knees from all the other activities I enjoy.
My workouts escalated. My motivation started to burn like a fire in my soul. One day I was driving, after a long swim, and I stopped and looked hard in the rearview mirror. And I said to myself: This is one dream I actually could go back and achieve. At 60, I could swim from Cuba to Florida. This time, without a shark cage.
But first, a little warmup swim ...
AboutDiana: On July 10th, at the age of 60, legendary open-water swimmer Diana Nyad will attempt to complete her first marathon swim in over 30 years. Nyad's triumphant return to long-distance swimming till take her 50 miles off the Florida Coast to begin a consecutive 24-hour swim through the Gulf Stream's open-water and back to the Florida shoreline, without a shark cage.
CNN Health: Diana Nyad chases a dream
Diana's Website
Wow.
Am I the only one who think this is a little silly. It sort of reminds me of all the people who were "climbing" Everest in the late 90's.
I can see where you're coming from and I'm a bit torn. It's not just Diana and a support boat. It's numerous boats including kayaks using an electric current to (hopefully) deter sharks. It's additional personnel in the water to further guard against sharks. It's a special swimsuit and a jellyfish expert in one of the escort boats to help with stings, etc., etc. Still, it's a remarkable physical achievement to be out in the elements for that long and it does take athleticism to swim that far in the open water. That said, I think this should and will be her last attempt. She's certainly given it a good try, but now it's pretty obvious it's just a little beyond what she can do.
Am I the only one who think this is a little silly. It sort of reminds me of all the people who were "climbing" Everest in the late 90's.
I can see where you're coming from and I'm a bit torn. It's not just Diana and a support boat. It's numerous boats including kayaks using an electric current to (hopefully) deter sharks. It's additional personnel in the water to further guard against sharks. It's a special swimsuit and a jellyfish expert in one of the escort boats to help with stings, etc., etc. Still, it's a remarkable physical achievement to be out in the elements for that long and it does take athleticism to swim that far in the open water. That said, I think this should and will be her last attempt. She's certainly given it a good try, but now it's pretty obvious it's just a little beyond what she can do.
