24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim on April 23, 2011

Officially, it was about 81F off of Albert Whited Airport, the location of this data. Surely, it was warmer over the flats, especially around noontime. It was unusally hot this year, but nowhere close to the maximum and it is hopefully going to be near the average of 75F for next year's event on April 21, 2012. www.DistanceMatters.com/data.gif Official Results: The 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim The Fourteenth Annual 24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim was held on Saturday, April 23, 2011. Evan Morrison, 31, from Chicago was the overall champion, completing the course in 8 hours, 59 minutes. The women’s champion was Barbara Held, 57, from San Diego, CA who swam the length of the Bay in 10 hours, 21 minutes. The fastest time of the day was by a team of swimmers from Davidson College, calling themselves “The Dream Team,” finishing in 8 hours, 21 minutes. Swimmers battled a 12 knot easterly headwind as they headed toward Pinellas Point, with an official starting time of 7:17am. Relay swimmer for The Dream Team, Drew Onken, 19, from Marietta, GA, quickly distanced himself from the field, followed by eventual solo champion Evan Morrison, and relay team Holiday in Cambodia. As they made the turn north, the pack was spread out along the western shore of Tampa Bay, due to the current caused by the incoming tide and the easterly wind. As the leaders approached the Gandy Bridge, the winds had settled to 5 knots, but the swimmers still had to cope with the moderate chop and warm temperatures. Typically, marathon swimmers prefer water temperatures in the 60s, so the unseasonably warm 81F on the race course was uncomfortable for most of the competitors. The Dream Team, a relay of 3 varsity collegiate swimmers, eventally came ashore at Ben T. Davis Beach, registering a time just 38 minutes faster than the solo champion Evan Morrison. After the event, Morrison admited that he kept an eye on the 2 person relay team from St. Petersburg, FL, Holiday in Cambodia, who trailed him closely from behind and finished only 5 minutes later. The calming waters in the north regions of the Bay eventually saw 15 of the 19 soloists, and all 9 relay teams reach their final destination to complete the marathon swim. The women's champion, Barbara Held, led a strong contingent of competitors from Southern California. She reported that conditions were choppy and hot, but her approach was very methodical and consistent as she powered her way to the end. Currently the oldest woman to successfully complete the swim from Catalina Island to the California mainland, her next competition will be the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim on June 18th. Visit our Facebook page to connect with other participants & see pictures from our event. Go There Now >>> Perhaps the most remarkable story of the day is that of Flavia Zappa, 44, from Minneapolis, MN. On her 7th attempt to complete the event, she swam the length of Tampa Bay with an expert crew that included defending champion Craig Lenning, 31, who returned this year from Denver, CO soley to help Flavia complete the swim. As is custom with this type of event, Flavia set a new record for "swimming the longest", finishing the swim in 15 hours, 10 minutes. Previously, that record was held by Laura Collette, who spent 14 hours, 23 minutes swimming the race in 2003.

Officially, it was about 81F off of Albert Whited Airport, the location of this data. Surely, it was warmer over the flats, especially around noontime. It was unusally hot this year, but nowhere close to the maximum and it is hopefully going to be near the average of 75F for next year's event on April 21, 2012. www.DistanceMatters.com/data.gif Official Results: The 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim The Fourteenth Annual 24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim was held on Saturday, April 23, 2011. Evan Morrison, 31, from Chicago was the overall champion, completing the course in 8 hours, 59 minutes. The women’s champion was Barbara Held, 57, from San Diego, CA who swam the length of the Bay in 10 hours, 21 minutes. The fastest time of the day was by a team of swimmers from Davidson College, calling themselves “The Dream Team,” finishing in 8 hours, 21 minutes. Swimmers battled a 12 knot easterly headwind as they headed toward Pinellas Point, with an official starting time of 7:17am. Relay swimmer for The Dream Team, Drew Onken, 19, from Marietta, GA, quickly distanced himself from the field, followed by eventual solo champion Evan Morrison, and relay team Holiday in Cambodia. As they made the turn north, the pack was spread out along the western shore of Tampa Bay, due to the current caused by the incoming tide and the easterly wind. As the leaders approached the Gandy Bridge, the winds had settled to 5 knots, but the swimmers still had to cope with the moderate chop and warm temperatures. Typically, marathon swimmers prefer water temperatures in the 60s, so the unseasonably warm 81F on the race course was uncomfortable for most of the competitors. The Dream Team, a relay of 3 varsity collegiate swimmers, eventally came ashore at Ben T. Davis Beach, registering a time just 38 minutes faster than the solo champion Evan Morrison. After the event, Morrison admited that he kept an eye on the 2 person relay team from St. Petersburg, FL, Holiday in Cambodia, who trailed him closely from behind and finished only 5 minutes later. The calming waters in the north regions of the Bay eventually saw 15 of the 19 soloists, and all 9 relay teams reach their final destination to complete the marathon swim. The women's champion, Barbara Held, led a strong contingent of competitors from Southern California. She reported that conditions were choppy and hot, but her approach was very methodical and consistent as she powered her way to the end. Currently the oldest woman to successfully complete the swim from Catalina Island to the California mainland, her next competition will be the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim on June 18th. Visit our Facebook page to connect with other participants & see pictures from our event. Go There Now >>> Perhaps the most remarkable story of the day is that of Flavia Zappa, 44, from Minneapolis, MN. On her 7th attempt to complete the event, she swam the length of Tampa Bay with an expert crew that included defending champion Craig Lenning, 31, who returned this year from Denver, CO soley to help Flavia complete the swim. As is custom with this type of event, Flavia set a new record for "swimming the longest", finishing the swim in 15 hours, 10 minutes. Previously, that record was held by Laura Collette, who spent 14 hours, 23 minutes swimming the race in 2003.