Records in Open-Water Marathon Swimming: From Fastest to Most

Records in Open-Water Marathon Swimming: From Fastest to Most

Records in pool swimming have extra that means than these in open water. Pool temperatures are usually the identical (and optimum), swimmers are separated by wave dampening lane traces, no wildlife (sharks, jelly fish, eels, and so forth.), no antagonistic currents, and storms/robust winds not often come into play. Compare the variations within the latest 10k Olympics: Calm, freshwater rowing basin/pond in Beijing and London, tough sea in Rio, scorching sea in Tokyo, and robust antagonistic river currents in Paris. As a outcome, the game of marathon swimming doesn’t give attention to comparative occasions for these races.

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) does, nevertheless, monitor sure kinds of data, together with: Fastest, first-ever, longest/slowest, youngest/oldest, and most occasions/totals.

Fastest Swim

The Island of Capri to Naples, Italy (36 km): In the years 1953-1983, 1986-1992, and 2003-2006, this race was thought of a serious championship and the highest swimmers on the earth competed. The total (male/feminine) pace file is held by Arianna Bridi*, Italy, in a time of 6 hours, 4 minutes, 26 seconds. It helped that Ana Marcela Cunha*, Brazil, Olympic champion and 13 occasions main winner raced her each meter of the course.

Length of Lake Zurich, Switzerland (27.4 km): Dr. Mohamed Marouf*, Egypt, set the pace file in 1993 in a time of 5 hours, 51 minutes 41 seconds.  It nonetheless holds greater than 30 years later.

English Channel, between England and France (33 km): 

• Philip Rush*, New Zealand, set the pace file for a 3-way crossing in 1987 in a time of 28 hours, 21 minutes. It nonetheless holds greater than 38 years later. Interesting, his time for 2-way (as a part of his 3-way swim) additionally stays a file. A pool comparability could be setting a world file for 1500 meters and in addition setting the 800 meters file as nicely in the identical swim.
• Not all swimmers take pleasure in a prolonged interval holding onto a pace file. Ernst Vierkoetter*, Germany, set the pace file on August 30, 1926 in a time of 12 hours, 38 minutes. That file was damaged 10 days later by Georges Michel* in a time of 11 hours, 5 minutes.
• The present 1-way file was set by Andreas Waschburger, Germany, in 2023 in a time of 6 hours, 45 minutes, 25 seconds. This effort beat earlier data set by Trent Grimsey*, Australia, in 2012 in 6 hours, 55 minutes; Petar Stoychev**, Bulgaria, in 2007 in 6 hours, 57 minutes, 50 seconds; Christof Wandratsch*, Germany, in 2005 in 7 hours, 3 minutes, 52 seconds; Chad Hundeby**; USA, in 1994 in 7 hours, 17 minutes; and Penny Lee Dean, EdD**, USA, in 1978 in 7 hours, 40 minutes. Penny held the file for 15 years and coached Chad for his swim.
• Sarah Thomas*, USA, set the file for the quickest (and solely ever) 4-way crossing.

First-Ever Swim

David Yudovin**, USA, accomplished 23 first-ever marathon swims. These swims took he and his spouse/crew Beth* from their house waters within the United States and internationally to: Japan, México, New Zealand, Indonesia, Portugal, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe. His first-ever swim between the most important two Islands in Japan (the Tsugaru Strait between Honchu and Hokkaido) is now a part of an outlined bucket record of swims known as the Oceans Seven. First-ever swims require intensive analysis and infrequently lead to surprises (instance: an surprising antagonistic present).

María Dígna Ezcurra de Ortellado*, Paraguay, between 1954 to 1957 achieved the next first-ever swims: 1957 Conceptión in Paraguay to Itá Enramada Puerto Pilcomayo in Argentina (381 km in 80 hours, 45 minutes); 1954 Asunción to Formosa (Paraguay); (179 km in 38 hours, 20 minutes); 1956 Asunción to South of Puerto Sara (Paraguay); (80 km in 19 hours, 10 minutes); and 1954 Villa Hayes to Asunción (Paraguay); (27 km in 5 hours, 57 minutes).

Jacques Amoy*, Canada, was the primary to swim throughout lac St-Jean in Quebec, Canada in 1955.

Zhang Jian*, China, was the primary in 2005 to swim from Hong Kong to Macau (35 km in 10 hours, 43 minutes).

Jan van Scheijndel*, Netherlands, was the primary to swim the IJsselmeer (from Stavoren to Medemblik) in 1969.

Mihir Sen*, India, was the primary to swim the Palk Strait from Sri Lanka to India in 1966 in 25 hours, 44 minutes.

Longest/Slowest Swim

Charles Zibelman*, USA, set the file for the longest river swim, 233 km (145 miles) down the Hudson River in New York in 1937. This swimmer with double leg amputation was within the water for 148 hours.

​Marc Newman*, Great Britain, set the file for the longest hole, 26 years, between two of his English Channel swims.

Marcia Cleveland*, USA, set the file for the longest interval (11,253 days) to finish the Oceans Seven Challenge.

Sophie Etheridge, Great Britain, set the file for the longer 1-way English Channel in 29 hours 4 minutes.  See above for the quickest which is lower than 1/4^th the time. The tidal currents within the English Channel swap each six hours (or so), typically driving a swimmer away from the end and Sophie accomplished the swim regardless of bodily disabilities.

Youngest/Oldest Swimmer

​Tom Gregory, Great Britain, swim the English Channel at age 11. Afterward, the minimal age was set at 16.

Pat Gallant-Charette*, USA, set many data because the oldest swimmer: Molokai Channel (2017 – age 66); Lake Ontario South to North (2018 – age 66); Lake Tahoe size (2018 – age 67); Loch Ness (2018 – age 67); and North Channel (2016 – age 65).

Most Times/Totals

Chloë McCardel*, Australia, holds the file for many crossings of the English Channel at 44. This features a 3-way, a number of 2-way and 1-way solo swims. This didn’t come simply. She took the file from Alison Streeter, MBE **, from Great Britain, with 43 crossings.

Thomas Lurz*, Germany, received essentially the most FINA (now World Aquatics) open water World Championship medals with 12 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze.

Irene van der Laan*, Netherlands, holds the file of a marathon in 43 completely different years (between 1978 and 2025).

LongSwims Database retains a file of swimmers who accomplished marathons over a minimum of 10 years.  Not all swims are recorded within the database, however it’s the finest information out there.

Swimmers inducted into the main Halls of Fame are famous as follows:  *IMSHOF Honoree; ** signifies each International Swimming Hall of Fame and IMSHOF Honoree.