Marathon swimmers come from all walks of life. Some start as tots, others find their passion midlife. Whether you’re a seasoned marathon swimmer, aspiring, or just intrigued, something can be learned from the stories of these remarkable endurance athletes.
Today I had the pleasure of chatting with marathon swim director, and marathon swimmer herself, Liz Rosen. She hadn’t thought much about swimming in the wild until Seattle summer’s when her masters team evacuated the pool to go swim in the open water that abounds. She immediately became hooked and it wasn’t long before she started winter swimming because the […]
Today I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Steven Munatones. Openwaterpedia (one of the many open water resources that Steve has created) lists him as a water polo player and open water swimmer. But a quick search on the Marathon Swimmers Federation project, longswims database, exposes a marathon swimming history on the international pro tour! In our conversation today, […]
Today I had the pleasure of chatting with the first Croatian to complete the triple crown, Dina Levačić. Having swam in rivers, lakes and oceans all around world, it’s the waters of the Adriatic sea around the island where her grandfather taught her to swim that are her favorite. “I just love the sea”…”swimming is the closest I can come […]
I always gather a picture and a short, personal, bio from my guests before their interview. Prior to meeting with Kim Rutherford, she said to me, “let me see if I can find the picture of me as a kid. It’s how I feel every time I’m in the water.” And I could feel her childlike enthusiasm as she tells […]
Just like you or I, James Pittar realized he was never going to be a sprinter, preferring the distance events. Just like you or I, he overhead someone talking about the English Channel and started to dream of the possibilities. Just like you or I, James builds a team to help him achieve his goals. But James doesn’t have the […]
Not only has today’s guest taken on such feats as the Straits of Magellan and a multi day ultramarathon run across the Moroccan Sahara, but he’s taking initiative to raise water quality concerns with local officials. No one wants to swim through plastic, trash, drain overflow, not to mention sewage. What can you do to preserve your local waters, if […]
On August 22, 2019, Stephen Rouch set off from the East Side restaurant in Newport, Vermont and swam, not just the 25 miles across the Canadian border to the northern most tip of Lake Memphremagog, but after exiting the water on a beach in Magog, Quebec, he quickly got back in to start the return journey. Arriving back at his […]
Today I had the joy and pleasure of chatting with marathon swim support kayaker, Gary Golden. As swimmers we are trying to get to the bottom of why these volunteers sign themselves up to support marathon swimmers as they attempt to bust borders and cross lakes in what isn’t usually placid conditions. Wind, waves, and even rain are part of […]
A swimmer since childhood and Maltese representative in the Athens Olympics, Neil Agius always talked about swimming around Malta. Eventually his girlfriend got tired of him talking about it told him to either do it or quit bringing it up. His first epic marathon swim, Neil describes the feeling of completing the 70km circumnavigation of his home island as “intense”. […]
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 […]