One month!

I have alluded to it on here but I am not sure if I have announced it officially but, I will be swimming around the island of Manhattan on July 14th! That means that yesterday marks one month until I will begin my swim. I have been training hard in both the ocean and the pool, and am excited to continue building and training. As I look ahead to the next month, I thought I would answer some of the most common questions I have received about this swim.

1. What is the course?

I will start the swim at Pier A and swim around the island counter-clockwise, finishing back at Pier A. This swim will take me through the East, Harlem, and Hudson Rivers, in that order and I am very excited to experience river swimming. I have swum in the Hudson once before to participate in the Spurten Duyvil 10k and I can’t wait to dive back in!

2. Is it safe to swim in those rivers? 

This race is super well organized and I am not worried about boat traffic or anything like that. I also think that the rivers get a bad rap because of their proximity to such a large urban center, but they aren’t all that unsafe to swim in. Recently, there has even been research into the ecosystem of the Hudson.

3. Will I be swimming alone?

There will be 15 other swimmers completing the course on the same day as me, including my training buddy Gino. I am very excited about this aspect of the event because I expect it to create a community feel that can sometimes be lacking from the often solitary sport of marathon swimming.

4. How is this swim different from other ones I have done?

As mentioned above, this swim takes place in rivers, which means it won’t be salty or have as much buoyancy as the Catalina or English Channels. This swim is also a circumnavigation rather than a channel crossing, so I will never be very far from land, which will be interesting and provide more reference points during the swim, for better or worse.

I have already received so much support from friends and family and am so grateful for my amazing community. I am also excited to announce my partnership with my new sponsor GoGoSqueez!  Their applesauce pouches keep me fueled during every one of my marathon swims! I am happy to answer any other questions you may have about this swim so feel free to message me!