8 BRIDGES 2012

Tomorrow registration opens up! Which/how many stages will you be doing? (he asks from the little cyber hut in beautiful Maho Bay).... jealous? you should be!

Tomorrow registration opens up! Which/how many stages will you be doing? (he asks from the little cyber hut in beautiful Maho Bay).... jealous? you should be! I AM a little jealous!

Dave, I wish you and the swimmers and the crew the utmost of success in 2012 ... because, while doing at least one stage of this is on my open water bucket list, I need you all to be successful enough to carry this forward into 2013, when I just might be able to swing a stage.

david b, where in "Hudson Valley, NY" are you, I'm in Hyde Park just north of Poughkeepsie?

david b, where in "Hudson Valley, NY" are you, I'm in Hyde Park just north of Poughkeepsie? Hi Jeff, I live in High Falls (6 miles from SUNY New Paltz)

Dave Your website is great. I particularly like the Swim Stages page and how it separately highlights the section of each stage of the river in the photo. I'd love to hang around after MIMS and get in a stage but my wife would kill me. If you just stay in the water she can't get you

Dave Your website is great. I particularly like the Swim Stages page and how it separately highlights the section of each stage of the river in the photo. I'd love to hang around after MIMS and get in a stage but my wife would kill me.

I received an email from a probable entrant asking to compare the difficulty of 8 Bridges to some other more well known swims in the area. There are, of course, many variables to weigh and this list doesn't factor in the accumulated fatigue of back to back swims. With that in mind, I'll do my best: Listed from easiest to most difficult (opinions may vary). Little Red Lighthouse Aquarium 5k Chesapeake Bay 4.4 Stage 3 Mid-Hudson Bridge to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Boston Light** Kingdom 10 mile Stage 4 Newburgh-Beacon Bridge to Bear Mountain Bridge Stage 6 Tappan Zee to George Washington Bridge Pitonof Ederle Stage 1 Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge Stage 7 George Washington Bridge to Verrazzano Stage 2 Kingston-Rhinecliff to Mid-Hudson Bridge MIMS Stage 5 Bear Mt Bridge to Tappan Zee Tampa Bay ** cold temperatures could add to the difficulty for some

Stage 1 Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge (18.3 miles) All completed the first day, though an electrical storm near the end of the stage had one swimmer exiting the water, then reentering. Congratulations to LBJ! There is a nice recap of the day's swim on the 8 Bridges blog. The numbers thin out for tomorrow's stage 2. It looks as though most folks might be swimming one stage per year. Two are swimming the entire 120-mile marathon this year; a few are doing two stages.

8 Bridges begins today! Good swims to all, especially those doing all 7 stages, 120 miles, or a stretch swim for themselves! (18 miles would probably be the Swim of Death for me... :) ... even if current-assisted.) (Adding) They're in the water!! Here's a blog to follow: http://www.8bridges.org/blog/