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.
I thought these attempts were foolhardy,but she proved me wrong.This is an amazing achievement.What sets this swim apart from the other swims chaos posted is the duration.This swim lasted over 48 hours.Going 48 hours with out sleep makes practically everyone hallucinate and be a little out of touch with reality.
Some interesting questions in a National Geographic article.
Yes, and it's perfectly proper and legit to ask these questions. Nothing wrong with vetting her swim. We know her swim was a large logistical effort and she should have no difficulty proving that she did what she claims to have done--assuming she did it.
Yes, and it's perfectly proper and legit to ask these questions. Nothing wrong with vetting her swim. We know her swim was a large logistical effort and she should have no difficulty proving that she did what she claims to have done--assuming she did it.
Yes. We get our swims kicked out if the pool was .0001 of an inch too short. She definitely has to prove and verify that everything was legit for WR consideration.
48 hours with no sleep and constant swimming sounds appalling to this wee sprinter. Marathon swimmers are a strange, and to be very much admired, breed.
Some interesting questions in a National Geographic article.
news.nationalgeographic.com/.../
Several swimmers point out a curious 7.5-hour stretch when it appears that Nyad did not eat or drink. Her crew reported that she was cold and didn't want to stop. Some swimmers said it's doubtful that after swimming 38 hours, Nyad could endure more than 7 without refueling. "Is it possible she rested on the boat and she's not telling us?" Morrison said.
Still more have questioned the speed of the 64-year-old Nyad, who has told interviewers in the past that her swimming speed is less than two miles an hour. There are hours on Nyad's blog culled by Morrison that she's doing just that, toddling along at 1.5 miles per hour. But for more than nine hours on September 1, Nyad's team reported that she traveled more than three miles an hour—at one point, almost four.
"If she swam three miles averaging three miles per hour, I'd like to see a tide chart that shows that it's possible,'' said David Barra, a New York state swimmer and creator of the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim.
"I'm not saying it's impossible. We've all seen strong currents rip swimmers places quickly, but I didn't see it in the satellite images or the real-time flow charts." Barra said the boat pilot should share his log.
Nyad's team is not commenting, her public relations firm said.
I thought these attempts were foolhardy,but she proved me wrong.This is an amazing achievement.What sets this swim apart from the other swims chaos posted is the duration.This swim lasted over 48 hours.Going 48 hours with out sleep makes practically everyone hallucinate and be a little out of touch with reality.
indeed, but all those other swims were done in water at least 23 degrees colder
....just a few of the many women in the OW community I bow down to.
Not to mention (just some of the low hanging fruit in this inspiring sport),
Vicki Keith -- First butterfly swim across the English Channel (July 10, 1989; 23 hr 33 min).
Dr. Julie Bradshaw -- Fastest butterfly swim across the English Channel (May 8, 2002; 14 hr 18 min).
Keith and Bradshaw are the only two people to have done it thus far. This month, Sylvain Estadieu will make an attempt. If he succeeds, he will be the first man to cross the English channel all butterfly.
30 Open Water Swimmers Known By One Name
These open water swimmers are luminaries of the sport. They are so renowned that any mention of their first name is immediately recognizable in the open water swimming world.
Their reputations and exploits, their attempts and successes, their travels and their writings are extraordinarily well-known among open water swimmers and many people in the general public ...
dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/.../30-open-water-swimmers-known-by-one-name.html
indeed, but all those other swims were done in water at least 23 degrees colder
Which is very, very impressive. But a different sort of impressive from swimming so long and so far. Especially at 64.
Not to take anything away from DN’s success in selling the extreme dream to the world, but there are a good many inspiring stories happening all the time in the world of amature Marathon Swimming that are equally deserving of adulation. Here are a few from just the past couple of weeks:
www.marathonswimmers.org/.../p1
Wendy Trehiou, Cancer survivor, 39 hour double English Channel crossing on a spring tide
http://patgalant.blogspot.com/
Pat Galant-Charette, 62 yrs old, in pursuit of the Ocean’s Seven
http://channeledin.com/
Alli Defrancesco, Cancer survivor, Channel Swimmer
openwaterpedia.com/index.php
Marcy MacDonald just completed her THIRD, DOUBLE ENGLISH CHANNEL CROSSING
....just a few of the many women in the OW community I bow down to.
Keith and Bradshaw are the only two people to have done it thus far. This month, Sylvain Estadieu will make an attempt. If he succeeds, he will be the first man to cross the English channel all butterfly.
I like the fact that two women have done what no man has done!
