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.
Been expecting this for a while, but missed the announcement last Friday:
October 15, 2010 -- (CNN) -- Extreme swimmer Diana Nyad has temporarily called off her marathon Cuba-to-Key West swim, citing bad weather and slow progress on government permissions ... She says she will continue to train throughout the winter and make another attempt in July 2011, when the Caribbean waters warm.
Diana Nyad is my hero. She swam Manhattan while I sat in the house listening to the report on the radio. I had two little children and wanted to be there with her.
Saturday, August 6, 7 PM
We are aboard the 75 foot Bellisimo, one of two boats carrying the expedition crew – among them physician Dr. Michael Broder, independent observers from the International Swimming Federation,and handlers experienced in feeding and hydrating Diana during the swim. We are preparing to depart Key West as dusk approaches. Diana and chief handler Bonnie arrived in Cuba today. The atmosphere is electric, anticipatory and even a bit frenzied as last minute equipment is loaded. Lists are being checked, and re-checked. Water, food, everything everyone will need for at least four nights at sea. The plan, right now, is for Diana to begin the swim from a beach near Havana late tomorrow afternoon ...
Former Member
From ESPN-W:
Diana Nyad's insane training schedule
espn.go.com/.../diana-nyad-insane-training-schedule
When Nyad reached out to exercise physiologist Tim Noakes, Ph.D. at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa for advice, he was candid: Despite years of research on endurance swimmers and runners, there wasn't a lot he could tell her. Nyad's event, he said, what she's asking of her body, is as good as off the map. In other words, on paper, it falls under the heading of "not humanly possible."
Former Member
Also from ESPN-W:
How Diana Nyad fuels her body
espn.go.com/.../how-diana-nyad-fuels-body
But staying hydrated -- and properly fueled -- will be of the utmost importance when Nyad sets out on the 60-hour voyage from Cuba. In 1978, when she first tried (and failed) to complete the swim, she lost 29 pounds in not-quite 42 hours of swimming.
Luckily, we know a lot more now than we did in the 70s.
"You see pictures of when Diana did this 30 years ago and she'd stop and drink a Coke and eat a piece of cake," said Mark Sollinger, one of Nyad's drivers. "It's come a long way."
She's off!
US swimmer Nyad begins swim across Florida Straits
HAVANA (AP) — American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad jumped into Cuban waters Sunday evening and set off in a bid to become the first person to swim across the Florida Straits without the aid of a shark cage. Tanned and freckled from long hours training in the open seas of the Caribbean, the 61-year-old Nyad expressed confidence before starting off. She said the still air and flat water were perfect conditions for her attempt to make a 103-mile (166-kilometer), 60-hour swim from Havana to the Florida Keys ...
... She changed into a black swimsuit and blue swim cap and an assistant greased her shoulders and armpits to prevent chafing in the salty water. Nyad played "Reveille" on a bugle, thanked several dozen well-wishers who came to see her, then jumped feet first into the sea.
She swam away just before sunset, escorted by kayaks and several larger boats carrying her support team ...
Godspeed, Diana Nyad!