Ned Denison’s Marathon Swim Story
After my interview today with the esteemed, Ned Denison, I realized that I forgot to ask a few questions. One of my favorites, who’s inspired Ned. He sent me a list almost as long as his swimming resume. And why does he keep going? Ned’s a goal setter. “It gets me out of bed in the morning, and I sleep better,” he says. And it seems that if you run out of known goals, you make up your own! Be sure to look up ‘Marathon Centurian’, or Extraordinary Marathon Century Club, whose ranks Ned aspires.
When you have a 4 page swim resume like Ned, it’s hard to know where to start, so we started like we do with every guest on marathon swim stories, at the beginning. And had time for a couple stories. I can’t wait to have Ned back to dig into his many contributions to the sport.
In his own words: Ned Denison is Ireland’s most prolific marathon swimmers with 55 epic marathon swims (8 were first evers and only 4 swims were done more than once): Record holder, Triple Crown, Ice Miler, 11 different Prison Island swims and the first to swim around the Great Island, Valentia Island and City of Cork.
Marathons (15 were 25 km or longer):
- English Channel (21 miles/35 km) 12 hours and 47 minutes
- Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (28.5 miles/47 km)
- False Bay – South Africa (20 miles/34 km) 11 hours and 5 minutes – 5th soloer in the home of the Great White Sharks
- Catalina Channel (20 miles/34 km) 8 hours and 50 minutes – half century club, triple crown and 26th fastest time of 240 who had swum (end 2016 31st fastest of all 413)
- Santa Barbara Channel (19 miles/31 km)) 10 hours and 27 minutes (Record holder 9-2006 to 9-2012)
- Round Jersey (33 miles/54 km) 10 hours and 15 minutes
- 2020 Aquarium (Cabo) 32 km – first man – fastest overall
- 2016 Formentura to Ibiza (SE End) (18.6 miles/30 km) 8 hours and 22 minutes
- 2017 Kalamata (18.6 m iles/30 km) 9 hours and 31 minutes
- Lake Zurich (16 miles/26.4 km) 7 hours and 37 minutes – 50+ record holder 2008>2019
- 2016 Lake Memphremagog (Vermont – USA) (16 miles/25 km) 2nd Male/4th overall 8 hours 49 minutes
- 2019 Batalla de Rande (Vigo – Spain) (17 miles/27km)
- 2018 Dharamtar to Gateway of India in the center of Mumbai India (35.2 km) in 7 hours and 52 minutes. 2nd International and oldest (age 61)
- Jersey to France (16 miles/26.4 km) 7 hours and 13 minutes
- Menorca Channel race (16 miles/25 km) 7 hours and 30 minutes
- Two (first ever) swims in Ireland – accredited by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association:
- Around the Great Island (16 miles/25.7 km) 7 hours and 18 minutes
- Around Valentia Island (16 miles/25.7 km) 8 hours and 52 minutes with water temperatures 12.2 – 13.8 degrees C (54 – 57 degrees F)
- Apache Lake (17 miles/27.3km) 5 hours and 47 minutes
Other Notable Swims (7 were 10 miles or longer and 19 were 10 km or longer):
- Ile du Levant via Cap-Blance to Hyéres (15 miles/24km) First Ever Group
- IJsselmeer (13.5 miles/22km)
- Rottnest (12.3 miles/19.75 km)
- Around Anacapa (10 miles/16 km) – first counter-clockwise
- 2019 Lough Erne – Winner 17k Irish National Championship
- 2019 Windermere – 10.5 miles – 3rd male togs
- Cork to Cobh Ireland (10 miles/16 km) – three times
- 2017 (3:52) and 2014 (4:18) The Cold Half – Hong Kong (9 miles/15 km) – course records both times – until 2020
- SCAR (Arizona): 4 marathons in 4 days: 9, 9, 14 and 7 miles *Men’s speed record
- 2019 Redondo Beach, 10k
- Strait of Gibraltar, 9 miles/14.4 km
- 2016 St Joseph’s Island (part of Devil’s Island Prison), 8 miles/12.8 km First Ever Group
- 4-way Strait of Messina, 8 miles/12.9 km: 3 hours 57 minutes speed record
- 2017 Boston Light, 8 Miles/12.9 km
- 2016 Fuerteventura to Lanzarote, 7 miles/11.15 km in 22 knots of wind
- 2018 Rotter River, 10.4 km first time ever
- Ice Mile 2013 24:42 (fastest from Ireland) 9th fastest all time as of 7 Feb 2015 and 2nd Ice Mile in 2015 (fastest of 16)
- 1k Ice Swim 2015 14:37 4th fastest swimmer as of 7 Feb 2015 (for a month) – WR is 13:54
- 10 different Prison Island swims (including 4 Alcatraz plus 2 out-and-back Alcatraz)
- Guildford (1 mile/hour over 24 > with night air temperatures at 0 C)
- 5-person 24 hour relay Jan 2016 San Francisco Bay
- Champion of Champions (5 miles/8 km, 3 miles/4.8 km then 1 mile/1.6 km)
- 2008 British Long Distance Swimming Association: 1 hour 44 minutes for the 5 mile leg – 4th place male overall
- 2008 Sandycove Island Ireland – 1st place overall
- 2009 Sandycove Island Ireland – 2nd place overall
- 2014 Broadstrand – 1st place overall
- 2015 Broadstrand – 2nd place overall
- 2018 and 2019 Sandycove Island Ireland – top 10
- Inishbofin Island Ireland – 8 miles/12.8 km
- Lake Champlain, Vermont, USA – 8 miles/12.8 km
- Blackrock to Cobh Ireland – 7.5 miles/12 km
- Robben Island (4.6 miles/7.4 km) 1 hour 51 minutes (at the time 23rd fastest of 892 crossings) and second crossing in 2015 in sub 2 hour
- Around Robben Island (6.8 miles/11 km)
- 2019 Around Reengaroga Island (6.5 miles/10.5 km)
- 2016 Galway Bay (6.5 miles/10.4 km)
- Cape Point – South Africa (5 miles/8 km) – tied speed record 2 hours 2 minutes May 2011 – April 2014)
- Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland – 7 miles/11.3 km (second of the five who finished – the remaining 14 swimmers were pulled including five English Channel Solo swimmers)
- Fastnet to Cape Clear Harbour 5.7 miles/9.1 km)
- Garryvoe around Ballycotton and into Ballycotton Pier (6.8 miles/11 km)
- River Lee Dam to County Hall (8 miles/12.5 km) twice
- 2018 most lifetime laps of Sandycove Island (2,000+) and most in 1 year 500+
- 2019 Around Cork City 7km – first ever
2012 Inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Chair 2018 onward)
2017 Inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame: swimmer, administrator and cold water
2018 and 2019 Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: administrator and swimmer
2019 Awarded Life Membership – Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
Nominated for the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year award
Nominated for the 2013 Marathon Swim Forum “Solo swim of the year (male)” award.
Nominated for the 2010 and 2018 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year award.
Other Triple Crowns
Frosted Triple Crown is the Ice Mile and Triple Crown The Southern California Triple Crown is one of the Santa Barbara Channels, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The African Triple Crown is the Strait of Gibraltar, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The Australian Triple Crown is the Rottnest Channel, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel. (this was changed in 2-2020 > so only the original)
The South African Triple Crown is the Cape Town Swim-to-False Bay, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The Greek Triple Crown is the Messinian Gulf Swimming Marathon, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The Swiss Triple Crown is the International Self-Transcendence Marathon Swim, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The Dutch Triple Crown is the Ijseelmeerzwemmarathon, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.
The Hong Kong Triple Crown is the Clean Half Marathon Swim Solo, the English Channel, and the Catalina Channel.